Cookies, Sushi and Turnovers ohhh my!!!

Well today will be the day of recipes galore!!! 


The first to was sent to me by a friend on facebook: Jonna Mathiesen  she sent in Raspberry Jewel cookies and Apple turn overs and includes the pictures from her own baking.

Raspberry Jewel Cookies
Ingredients
1 Cup White Flour
5 tbsp Sugar (granulated)
1/4 Cup Raspberry Jam
1 Eggs
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees



 
Mix the flour, sugar, and butter together until the dough begins to form into crumbles. Add the egg and vanilla and mix. Once thick, take the dough in about 1 tablespoon amounts and form balls with it (if the dough is very sticky add a pinch more flour). Place balls on a baking sheet that has been sprayed lightly with cooking spray. 

Using a pinky or index finger press a dent into the dough balls.(Shown in picture to the right)
 
Place jam (about 3 teaspoons) into a sandwich bag (or piping bag if you have one), cut the corner and twist. Use piping bag to place a drop the size of the dent onto the cookie.
Bake 15-20 minutes, or until cookie is a golden color. 

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Apple Turnovers
Ingredients
1-2 apples (Honey crisp or tangos) medium size
cinnamon
flour
sugar
Pillsbury pie crusts (comes with 2 crusts, determine amount by amount of apples)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Core apples using an apple slicer. Then dice apples into small chunks.
Heat about 1/3 cup of water in a sauce pan. Add apples and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes stirring constantly. Turn heat down to simmer. Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Heat to boiling again for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer and add 1 tablespoon of flour and mix thoroughly.
Pour apples into a bowl and let cool in the refrigerator.


Take out pie crusts and cut them into fourths. Add cooled apples to each triangle (about 1 tablespoon depending on the size) and fold closed. Sprinkle a light amount of sugar on the pie crusts (or use a frosting after the turn overs are done). Bake for about 20 minutes or until the crust is golden.


**Picture on the right of completed turnovers were from google search...if you know the blog it came from please inform me and I will edit.  She didn't get a last picture because everyone snatched them up!! lol)

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Homemade sushi rice and Sushi rolls

 2 c. short grain white rice, preferably Japanese sushi rice
Lots of fresh, cold water
A measuring cup
A mesh strainer
A heavy, 2-quart pot with a lid
A wooden spoon
A timer
A 4-quart plastic, silicone, or glass bowl
1/2 c. white rice vinegar
2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar
A four-inch piece of konbu seaweed
And a 1-quart saucepan








Step 1: Rinse rice

Place the rice in a mesh strainer and rinse it under cold running water. Pick out any debris you might find in the rice, such as weird little pebbles or odd-looking grains of rice.

Step 2: Soak rice

Place the rinsed rice in your 2-quart pot and fill the pot with water until it's about one inch above the rice. Let this soak for 30 minutes.
(picture)





 Step 3: Rinse rice again

Place the soaked rice back in the strainer and rinse it again under cold running water until the water runs clear.

Step 4: Boil rice

Place the rinsed, drained rice back in the saucepan and add 2 1/4 cups of cold water. Cover the pot, place it over high heat, and bring it to a boil.

Step 5: Turn down heat

Once at a boil—you'll see steam and bubbles escaping from under the lid—turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting.

Step 6: Let rice simmer

Let the rice simmer for 20 minutes. Set a timer and don't lift the lid to check on the rice until it goes off.

Tip: If there's still water in the pot after 20 minutes, put the lid back on and let the rice cook a few more minutes until all the water is absorbed.

Step 7: Boil mixture

While the rice is cooking, place the rice vinegar, salt, and sugar in the smaller, 1-quart pot and bring it to a boil on medium high heat, stirring regularly until the salt and sugar dissolve. Add the konbu to the vinegar mixture and turn off the heat. Set the pot aside to cool.

Step 8: Let rice sit

Once the rice has absorbed all the water, turn off the heat and let it sit for 15 minutes with the lid still on.




Step 9: Spread out rice

Dump the rice into a large non-metal bowl and spread it out with a wooden spoon so it will cool down faster.

Tip: Don't scrape the bottom of the pot—any dried, crusty bits of rice will add a funny flavor and texture to your sushi.

Step 10: Pour mixture

Remove the konbu from the cooled vinegar and slowly pour the mixture over a spoon into the cooked rice, gently stirring and tossing to combine and cool it.That's it; you've just saved yourself years of practice!


While your rice is cooling set up your station.
 
You will need:
Nori seaweed
Crab meat or your choice of meat (tuna works well also)
Optional items such as;
Cucumber
Cream cheese
Avocado
and many other items 
Rolling mat
Plastic wrap (or ziplock bag as I have done, less waste)

 Step 1: Encase mat in plastic
Cut a large piece of plastic wrap a little more than twice the size of your bamboo mat and place it on the table. Place the bamboo mat on top and encase it in the plastic by smoothing the wrap evenly over both sides. Set the mat aside.

Step 2: Prepare cucumber
Peel the cucumber and scoop out the seeds with a small spoon. Cut the cucumber half into thin strips about 1/8 - to 1/4-inch wide and set them aside.

Step 3: Prepare avocado
Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and twist the two halves until they separate. Cut the half without the pit into two quarters. Remove their skin and cut them lengthwise into quarter-inch slices. Set the slices aside and clean your hands and knife with the damp kitchen cloth.

Tip
To prevent the avocado from oxidizing, or turning brown, squeeze some fresh lemon juice on the cut avocados.

Step 4: Put rice on nori
Lay a half sheet of nori shiny side down. Moisten your hands with a little water and grab a handful, or about a cup, of prepared sushi rice. Ball it up and put it on top of the nori.

Step 5: Spread rice
Spread and pat the rice across the nori, leaving a 1/2-inch margin uncovered at the bottom edge.

Tip
Don't use too much rice. It should be no more than 1/4-inch thick and you should be able to see the nori sheet through it.

Step 6: Sprinkle sesame seeds
Sprinkle sesame seeds over the rice.

Step 7: Flip nori onto mat
Lay the plastic-wrapped bamboo in front of you. Flip the prepared nori sheet rice-side down at the bottom end of the mat.

Step 8: Lay filling in nori
Lay a strip of shredded crab across the middle of the nori, add a strip or two of cucumber next to it, and lay avocado slices on top.

Step 9: Roll with mat
Use the bamboo mat to roll the bottom edge of the nori over the filling in the center, tucking it over firmly so the filling is enclosed.

Step 10: Continue to roll
Pull the mat back and lay it over the roll again. This time continue to roll forward, applying even pressure and tightening as you roll, using your mat as leverage.

Step 11: Smooth out roll
Once it's taken shape, take the roll off the mat and lay the mat over it. Press and smooth the roll, compressing it tightly and evening out the ends.

Step 12: Cut roll
With a very sharp knife use a delicate but firm sawing motion to cut the roll in half. Cut each half into three equal pieces.

Step 13: Repeat process
Repeat the process with your remaining half of nori, lightly layering it with rice, adding the filling, and rolling and cutting the sushi.




 Hope you all enjoyed my new blog post please comment and follow :D hope to hear from y'all soon!!!