Thursday, April 17, 2014

shrimp + mango spring rolls

I already have the final product displayed on IG, but I thought I'd give the step-by-step for these here. I didn't find any recipes online that were quite right, so I made this one. I am really trying to make an effort to pack my lunches for work and eat less take out...after all I do like to cook, and definitely feel better when I'm eating fresher stuff. The recipe isn't exactly *exact* because I just threw this stuff together, but here is an approximation~ 

Mango Shrimp Spring Rolls
Ingredients-
(I got 'em all at haggen, because stanwood is lacking in grocery store options)

Medium sized pre cooked shrimp/prawns, 1-2 packs (I got one average grocery sized tray from the meat section, a little more would have been good)

1 mango, peeled and chopped into smallish pieces

A bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped with a scissors or herb knife

1 pack rice stick noodles (in the Asian section)
Spring roll wrappers (rice starch- in Asian section- looks like this~) 
Mint (I couldn't find fresh unfortunately so I used dried)

So first boil some water. While you're doing that, combine shrimp sans tails, mango chunks, cilantro, and mint in a bowl. You could cook and season the shrimp, but I didn't, since there was enough flavor in the recipe already.


Next, pour boiling water over rice stick noodles in a bowl. Drain them once they are softened. I rinse them in cool water too. Then, use scissors to snip them into more manageable sized pieces.

Andie Lu was my "helper."



Then, get a large flat dish/pan and fill it with warm water. Put the spring roll skins in there one at a time and remove once they are clearish looking and soft. Be gentle with them. If (when) they start to get stuck to themselves like cling wrap, you can either rinse them back out under the tap, or lay it on the counter and try to spread it out.
Next, lay the skin out and lay the noodles on it first, and then a scoop of the mango/shrimp mixture.


Place it near the edge, then fold in the sides first, then roll. Keep it tight! This takes a little practice. You wanna fold the sides almost all the way in, then start rolling it up while compressing the filler.


Place them on a plate and voila! 🍴🍤👍


Just remember to refrigerate, so this doesn't happen
🚽

I have a bunch of rice stick noodles left over so I might make another variation of these later in the week with chicken.

I like mine with a peanut dipping sauce, but a soy-lime-chile kind of concoction would be good, too. 

I plan to put a few of these in my lunch bag this week :-)

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

my mini me

 
May you be stronger, more sensitive, more intelligent, more beautiful, more determined, and more loved. 
I can't even imagine where you'll be in 10 years, but I know you're gonna change this world in some way, baby girl. 


My little dancer...just like her mama :-)
 
Us Sluys women, we march (dance?) to the beat of our own drum. 

Just don't be this girl k? At least, not often. I'll try to understand, if you go through a "phase," I've done some stupid sh@$ too. 

Just please, be smarter than me. 

Love, mom