Jalapeno Popper Wonton Cups

I love wontons, crab rangoon, and egg rolls, but I don't make them at home, because I hate deep frying. I hate the bother, I hate the mess, I hate the smell, but I particularly hate the cleanup. Still, that doesn't keep me from having a wonderful time using wonton wrappers. I've used them in the past for delicious savory treats as well as sweet, but recently I have gone absolutely gaga over making wonton cups. They are so easy to do, they're baked instead of fried, and they can be filled with whatever your little heart desires.

I was in the mood for jalapeno poppers, so decided that I would make them in wonton cups. It saved me the trouble of hollowing out and stuffing jalapenos, and this way I was really able to control the heat by adding just the right amount of chopped pepper. These were so good! They are also make ahead. You can make both wonton cups and filling the day ahead, assemble and bake just before guests arrive, and dazzle them with this tasty snack. 

Here's the recipe that I used, but feel free to change it up in any way that you see fit. Also, consider making filling for egg rolls, wontons, or crab rangoon, and serving it this way as well. This is what I'll be trying next.

Jalapeno Popper Wonton Cups

12 Melissa's Wonton Wrappers
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (reserve some for garnish)
1 cup shredded smoked Gouda (or the shredded cheese of your choice), reserve some for garnish
1 T. finely diced scallion (more if you plan to use some as garnish)
Pinch of garlic powder
1-2 jalapenos, seeded, ribs removed, finely diced

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-well muffin pan with Pam, and lower a wonton wrapper into each. Bake 8 to 10 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool while you prepare the filling. To prepare the filling use a medium-size bowl and beat together all ingredients.

 Divide evenly among wonton cops, topping with extra cheese, crumbled bacon, scallions, or even chopped chives. Return to oven, and bake an additional 10 minutes until hot and cheese is melted. Allow to cool a couple of minutes before serving.

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This post is linked to:

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Art of Homemaking Monday
Make it Pretty Monday

Celebrate Your Story

Inspire Me Tuesday

Tuesdays with a Twist

The Scoop

Here are my Sources!

I was enormously pleased with all of the lovely comments that I received from you both on the blog, and personally, about how much you liked the lanai. This means a lot because this project was huge for me. This was the first, big, solo thing that I did since Jim passed away. It's kind of scary making big decisions like this on your own, but it's also quite liberating. I feel very fortunate to have found Joe Rogers, the master carpenter who did such wonderful work, and from there I was filled with so much confidence that I thought nothing could stop me.

A number of you have asked me for sources of various items, so I'm going to give you a chronology of the things that I bought, how I bought them, and give resources at the same time.

The fan came first, believe it or not. I spotted one with palm leaf blades and bought it. I stored it in the garage for about seven months before it was put to use. You can find a similar one here.

 Next was this green pouf. I struggled trying to decide on color. It was between the orange one and the green, and I eventually decided upon green. My granddaughter and grandson both love sitting on various small chairs, poufs, floor pillows, and the like, that I have scattered around the house. I knew that I was going to have to find some seats that would suit them out on the lanai as well. So, I did a Google search for “outdoor pouf.” That search led me to this page on Amazon.

After making the purchase, I realized, that the rug shown in the picture underneath the pouf was exactly what I wanted for this space, and these were the colors that I wanted to use, so both problems was easily solved. While the pouf was available through Amazon, it was drop-shipped from Plow and Hearth. I headed to the P&H website and searched for the rug. I felt very fortunate that I found it, so I ordered that next. Once I decided that I wanted a tropical/Mexican theme (and considering the rug's name was Talavera), I decided that I needed a Talavera piece in the colors I was going to be using, so searched on eBay, and found this wonderful frog.

After that, I decided that I was going to need an orange tray, so I grabbed one that I had around the house and spray-painted it orange. The glasses on top of the tray came from Pier One, and I'd used those before, and you can see them here, here, here, here, and here. Can you tell that I love them?

The napkins that someone asked about I made myself. They are made out of fabric that was called “Hawaiian quilting fabric,” and I found it on eBay. 

The table in the corner was one that I had gotten from Pier 1. The top is a beautiful mosaic, but in colors that I didn't plan to use in this room. So, I knew I was going to have to cover it up. My hope, of course, was that I would be able to match the colors in the rug. So, yet again, sight unseen, I did a search for a long tablecloth in a deep turquoise for the base, and then searched good old reliable eBay for a Hawaiian smaller tablecloth to go on top. I couldn't believe how fabulously it worked out. The turquoise tablecloth underneath comes in a variety of colors, and you can find it on Amazon here. (This is a wonderful tablecloth at an astoundingly low price. I have two others, one in brown that I use for Thanksgiving, and another in forest green that I use at Christmas.) The floral tablecloth on top is Tommy Bahama. The lantern is from Pottery Barn.

The furniture took me a long time to find. I knew I wanted something study and nice, but shopping for an entire set of furniture online is daunting! This set came with striped throw pillows in soft, rather neutral tones, and I knew they would not do. I have saved them though, because they perfectly match a beautiful coastal picture that I have, and it would be very easy to change this room entirely, by putting the original pillows with it, pulling up the rug, and putting down one in sisal. So, I may have a little fun as the season progresses, or do something different in spring with the lighter colors, and then pull out the orange, green, and blue for summer.

 This furniture came from Joss & Main, as did the orange pillows and the leafy tropical pillows. How everything managed to match, I'll never know.

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Brownie Crunch Bars

 I was wheezing, and moaning, and stumbling around the house like an old person. Around 7 o'clock last Saturday evening, the realization hit, that I am an old person. Not old old, but old-ish. It didn't please me.

How I got to this realization was part of a larger one that unfolded before my eyes throughout the entire day. I'd decided to invite my dad over on Sunday, July 2nd, so that he could see the new deck. Since he was coming, naturally, I was going to serve a nice lunch. And as long as he was going to be out here, I thought it would be a good opportunity for him to see his grandkids, the great grandkids, and my aunt and her friend, John, and celebrate his birthday. There would be 10 people in all, and I told myself that it was going to be casual, and simple. I truly believed that was the case. Why then, I had to eventually ask myself, did it take me the entire day to do casual and simple? How is it that a simple meal can be so much work?

Everything that could have gone wrong, did. I decided to make hamburgers and hotdogs ahead of time, grilling them, and then placing them in a pan of barbecue sauce so that I could simmer them slowly the day of the party; they would be delicious by lunch time, except, of course, for those that not only slid off of the plate and onto the floor, but that I kicked into the hallway on my way to the grill (Note to self: clean floor).

I decided to make some sort of brownie/candy bar dessert. I hate baking, so making dessert is torture for me. I would rather have a root canal than bake. I decided to adapt a recipe that I had found online. The recipe called for a layer of marshmallow fluff. No problem, I had a jar of that in the pantry. I checked the date when I took it out. It was fine, it had six months to go before expiring. It was surprising to me then, that when I took the lid off and peeled back that waxy paper that covered the top, that it was like glue, and not fresh glue, but really old glue. I tried to pull it out, and it snapped right back. That would not do. So I needed to make my own marshmallow cream. At this point, I was beginning to realize why simple food is so difficult. As it turned out, that didn't work out so well either, so I used miniature marshmallows, warming them and spreading them as well as I could, which, let me tell you, was not at all well.

I decided to do a layered salad, naturally giving my own special touch by chopping and toasting pecans to add to the mix. One of the layers called for Parmesan cheese mixed with seasoned salt. Aha, that was what I needed from the grocery store, seasoned salt. My swollen and throbbing feet did not want to find their way into shoes in order to run to the store, so I had to make my own.* No problem, I had all the ingredients, but I had to make my own. Yes, the light had dawned, as to why this is so much trouble.

By the end of the day (and that day ended after midnight), my feet ached so badly that I could hardly make it to the bed. I had yet to clean (I feel the same about cleaning as I do about baking), so would have to rise early to do that, before picking up dad. If I were having a dinner party, it would be no problem, that's what dimmer switches are for, but you cannot hide any sins when you have a lunch.

As it turned out, the party was a huge success, the day perfect, the food yummy, and everyone particularly enjoyed the brownies. Here is the recipe. Word of caution: buy yourself some fresh marshmallow cream.

Brownie Crunch Bars

 Adapted from a recipe on My Incredible Recipes

 

Bottom Layer

1 Box Brownie Mix (I used Ghirardelli)

Middle Layer

1 Jar Marshmallow Crème

Top Layer

 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter

3 cups Rice Krispies

Line a 9"x9" pan with aluminum foil, leaving a 2" overhang on either end. Spray with PAM; set aside. Bake Brownies as directed on box; cool.

Spread Marshmallow Crème over cooled brownie layer.

Place chocolate chips and peanut butter in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-seconde intervals, stirring after each (this took me a minute and a half), until melted and creamy.

Stir in Rice Krispies; spread evenly over Marshmallow Crème.

Cover and chill for two hours before removing from pan using the foil "tails," and cutting into squares.

Yields 24-36 bars depending upon how big you like your squares. (I cut mine small, as you can see, because they are very rich.)

*Should you find yourself in a similar situation, you can get the recipe for homemade seasoned salt here.

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This post is linked to:

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Art of Homemaking Monday
Make it Pretty Monday

Celebrate Your Story

Inspire Me Tuesday

Tuesdays with a Twist

The Scoop

Dream, Create, Inspire

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
 Homestead Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

Home and Garden Thursday
Home Sweet Home
Grace at Home

Coffee and Conversation

Friday at the Fire Station
Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Create, Bake, Grow and Gather
Share Your Style

Simple Saturday Blog Hop

A Bouquet of Talent

Paula's No Rules Weekend Blog Party

Birds of a Feather Tablescape

Once I started using orange in decorating the Lanai, there was just no stopping me! 

I have fallen in love with this beautiful, vibrant color, particularly in combination with pink. Everything I have been doing lately has been very colorful, perfect for summer.

This week I decided to set a fun table, with a tropical theme. 

Because the dining area opens directly onto the lanai, I like to have the two of them tied together in some way.

I picked up the orange from the lanai in the dinner plates here that are setting on top of beautiful Bordallo Pinheiro chargers.

On top of the orange plates (That are melamine by the way, can you believe it? These look and feel like ceramic plates. I absolutely love them!), is an Amelie Blanc salad plate, and atop them, one of a lovely set of tropical birds salad plates. I love that they just feature the colorful head of the each bird.

I decided to pair these plates with the wonderful flamingo mugs that I got new this year from Pier 1. I've been grabbing one of these to take out to the lanai every morning full of café mocha. They are such fun!

In addition, because I've been serving iced tea every single day, I had to have the green ice tea glasses. But, because I've also been serving chilled white wine (I've come to embrace Riesling), I also wanted the salmon wine glasses. I love this combination of color.

I didn't want a lot of color in the placemat because I had so much color in each place setting, so kept it simple black-and-white.

The flowers in the centerpiece are from a bunch I picked up at Sam's. When I was shopping there the other day, these struck me particularly, because they seemed to feature all of the colors on this table. I knew they would be perfect, and they are.

A whimsical little addition is this lizard salt cellar. I couldn't resist getting him, and he always gets a lot of compliments.

If we are birds of a feather, I hope you’ll come dine with me.

Sources:

Bordallo Pinheiro cabbage plate chargers - gift from a friend
Orange melamine plates - Pier 1

Amelie Versailles plates - Amazon
Bird salad plates - Pottery Barn
Flamingo mugs - Pier 1
Green tea glasses - Villeroy & Boch
Wine glasses & flatware - gift from my mother a long time ago
Lizard salt cellar - Pottery Barn

This post is linked to:

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Amaze Me Monday

Busy Mondays

Art of Homemaking Monday
Make it Pretty Monday

Celebrate Your Story

Inspire Me Tuesday

Tuesdays with a Twist

The Scoop

Dream, Create, Inspire

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
 Homestead Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Wine’d Down Wednesday

Tablescape Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things

Home and Garden Thursday
Home Sweet Home
Weekend Linky Party
Grace at Home

Coffee and Conversation

Friday at the Fire Station
Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Create, Bake, Grow and Gather
Share Your Style

Simple Saturday Blog Hop

A Bouquet of Talent

Paula's No Rules Weekend Blog Party

Toffee Crunch Cake

I really have to thank all of you who told me about using Baker’s Joy in a Bundt pan. No more broken bundts for me; that stuff works like a charm! Ever since you all mentioned that to me, I have been “Bundt baking” up a storm. My latest culinary work of art is an improvement on the classic crunch cake. 

Funny thing about this crunch cake, I had invited my friend, Linda, over for coffee and coffeecake, and a view of the new deck, prior to its grand unveiling on July 2, at my dad's party. She accepted the invitation with great enthusiasm, as she tends to accept all things, and while I was working on my version of the crunch cake (late at night, as I tend to do), it dawned on me as I was pouring the glaze over the cooled cake sitting on the wire rack, that this wasn't a coffeecake at all, this was an actual cake! I felt I should warn Linda beforehand, but she didn't seem to have any qualms whatsoever about having cake for breakfast, so if it didn't bother her it certainly didn't bother me.

This cake, like a lot of bundt and pound cakes, tends to improve with age. The day after I served it to Linda, it seemed so much better, although she wolfed it down with great zeal the first day. What I'm trying to say here is that this is an excellent make ahead recipe. My guess is that it would be more appropriate as a breakfast cake if you left off the glaze and simply dusted it with powdered sugar, which would make it a lot easier too, but who am I to judge? So, consider this recipe as one that can serve double duty for breakfast or dessert, however you care to serve it.

Toffee Crunch Cake

3 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, softened

4 large eggs, room temperature

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping:

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/4 cup crushed mixed nuts

1/4 cup toffee bits

Spray the interior of a bundt pan with Baker’s Joy. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of sugar around the bottom of the pan, turning the pan so the sugar reaches 3 inches up the sides. Sprinkle coconut flakes, crushed nuts, and toffee bits in the bottom of the pan; set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Sift together cake flour, salt, baking powder, and soda; set aside.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of sugar, continuing to beat an additional 2 minutes.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, making certain each is thoroughly blended before adding the next. Mix in yogurt and vanilla extract.

Alternate adding flour and milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Do not over beat. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan spreading evenly.

Bake for 55 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Dust with powdered sugar to serve in the morning, or top with your favorite glaze (I used this one) to serve in the afternoon or evening.

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This post is linked to:

Full Plate Thursday

Grace at Home

Coffee and Conversation

Friday at the Fire Station
Foodie Friday & Everything Else

Create, Bake, Grow and Gather
Share Your Style

Paula's No Rules Weekend Blog Party