Seared Artichokes (have thorns, who knew!)

Did you know that artichokes have thorns on the inside? I didn't until I cut one up and found a little white thorn in my thumb... crafty bastards.

For my 23rd birthday, my wonderful friend Andy gave me a subscription to Bon Appetit. This great present came with a three month subscription to "Fine Cooking", kind of a poor-mans Bon Appetit, but still a great mag. I found a yummy and easy artichoke recipe in their March issue.

Click Here for an amazing recipe for seared Artichoke with lemon, mint and parsley from Fine Cooking.

Here's a pic of how mine turned out

Adrienne's FAVORITE Ramen-Noods Salad

I love noods. Love noods of all kind. Whole wheat, brown rice, good ol' fashion spaghetti noods, I love em'.

And although I'm not 100% sure that Ramen Noodles are real "noods", I also love them. Here is a fabulous/unhealthy/amazing ramen/cabbage salad recipe.

2 packages ramen noods (chicken or beef work best)
1 package cole slaw
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 packet Ramen noodle seasonings

Combine uncooked ramen noodles (crunch them up), cole slaw and sunflower seeds.

Combine sugar, oil and vinegar and 1 seasoning packet. Pour dressing over cole slaw mixture. Let sit at least one hour, if not overnight.

Tah-Dah!

Won-Tons, dumplings, call them what you want, they're awesome

When I moved to San Diego in February 2010, I didn't have a job. Didn't even have any prospects. Luckily, I had 10 years of nannying experience under my belt, and found a wonderful family out here in the SD to take me in, pay my rent, and let me cook for them every night. This resulted in me re-discovering my love of cooking, and led to some pretty bad-ass recipes. This is one of them. 

Avery's Won-Tons

1 Package Won-Ton wrappers (sold next to tofu/that weird vegan cheese in the grocery store)

1 pound ground pork, turkey or chicken... honestly, it doesn't matter

3 scallions, white and light green parts chopped

1/2 head of napa cabbage, finely shredded

1/2 cup shredded carrots

3 Tablespoons soy sauce

2 Tablespoons rice or sesame vinegar

lots of oil to cook the lil' guys in

Combine raw meat, scallions, cabbage, carrots, soy sauce and vinegar. (use your hands and really mix everything up, it feels gross but a spoon just won't do the job!) This can be done a couple hours ahead if needed, just throw in the fridge covered until you are ready to assemble. 

Get your won-ton station ready. We always had a cookie sheet, a bowl of water, and plates ready to go. Fill up each won-ton wrapper up with about 1 tablespoon meat mixture, use your finger to outline won-ton in water, and fold corner-to-corner. Make sure seams are all closed, or oil will get in there and make them taste a little funky. Put on cookie sheet and cover filled won-tons with moist paper towel. (note... I HATE the word moist.)

Once all won-tons are filled (you will probably have extra wrappers, see "Cookie-Dough Egg Roll" post to see what to do with these extras), heat a large skillet with about two-three table spoons of oil. (I use veggie oil, but olive oil works fine as well.)

Once the oil is hot, place the won-tons in the oil (you will have to do several batches) and cook for three minutes, or until the bottoms are slightly brown. Add 1/2 cup water to the skillet (watch out, oils about to splatter!) and cover. Simmer for 4 minutes. 

Remove cover, cook for 1 more minute. Put cooked won-tons on paper towel until ready to serve. Repeat with the rest of the little buggers. 

(awkward solo won-ton... so sad, but there was only one left at picture time!)

Serve with soy sauce and rice! These also go GREAT with Ramen-Noods and Cabbage Salad. 

 

Welcome to Girls Gone Mild!

(Mairz and Dieter in Vegas... we left sin city 5 cents richer than we arrived)

Welcome to Girls Gone Mild, the culinary and crafty adventures of two ex-party-girls-turned-domestic-ladies! (Well, almost ex-party girls. We have been known to put away the wine and vodka from time to time.) We love to cook, we love to eat, and we love to turn everyday things into cute stuff. We'll share our kitchen successes and epic failures with you, and we hope you enjoy! So pour yourself a glass of wine (Deep Sea wine is our favorite, but we're not above drinking vino out of a box) and read on!