You know how it is, sometimes you just get a craving for asian food! Perfect to serve over butter lettuce as a meal salad or serve with rice or chow mein for a crowd.
Ingredients
1 cup water
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup walnuts
4 egg whites
2/3 cup mochiko (glutinous rice flour)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon canned sweetened condensed milk
1 cup vegetable oil for frying
Directions
1.Stir together the water and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the walnuts. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain and place walnuts on a cookie sheet to dry.
2.Whip egg whites in a medium bowl until foamy. Stir in the mochiko until it has a pasty consistency. Heat the oil in a heavy deep skillet over medium-high heat. Dip shrimp into the mochiko batter, and then fry in the hot oil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
3.In a medium serving bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, honey and sweetened condensed milk. Add shrimp and toss to coat with the sauce. Sprinkle the candied walnuts on top and serve.
If you want to make appetizers, just use the baby portabellos instead of the big guys.
Ingredients
1 jar (16 ounces) Whole Pickled Beets
4 large portobello mushrooms (about 1 pound)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs, such as sourdough or whole wheat*
1/4 cup sliced green onions or chopped chives
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Drain beats, reserving liquid. Coarsely chop 1/2 cup beets; set remaining whole beets aside with beet liquid to use in Vegetable Platter With Balsamic-Beet Vinaigrette (recipe follows).
Trim stems flat and remove gills from mushroom caps using a spoon; discard. Place caps, rounded sides down, on foil-lined baking sheet; season with salt and pepper.
Combine chopped beets, bread crumbs, green onions and walnuts in medium bowl; mix well. Spoon mixture into caps and top with cheese. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until heated through and mushrooms are tender.
Wait until my sisters read this, it is bound to bring back memories for them.  Since there were 9 kids, and little money, much of our Christmas was baked, crafted and home sewn.   I remember one year mom was particularly stressed not to have enough money for a Christmas tree. She scouted around the 10 acre parcel next door to us, and found tumbleweeds.  She stacked three high, painted them white and made the prettiest “snowman” ever. It was genius. My mom on the other hand, only wished she could give us more. So, she set about making candy.Â
Divinity with Walnuts
Light and fluffy, divinity is a classic! It’s also a bit tempermental when the weather is hot and humid, so it is best to attempt divinity in low-humidity conditions.Â
Double Divinity
(For pastel divinity – add 15 drops of food coloring to uncooked syrup)
2 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. water
1/4 tsp. salt
2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
Combine sugar, corn syrup, water and salt in heavy 2-qt saucepan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. (If sugar crystals form on side of pan, wipe them off.)
Reduce heat and cook without stirring until temperature reaches firm ball stage (248°)
When candy mixture reaches 242°; beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Cook candy mixture to 248° and slowly pour about half of it over egg whites, beating constantly with electric mixer and med. speed.
Continue to cook remaining syrup to the soft crack stage (272°).
Beating constantly, pour hot mixture, a tablespoon at a time, over egg white mixture, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until mixture begins to lose its gloss and a small amount dropped from a spoon holds soft peaks. If mixture becomes too stiff for mixer, beat with wooden spoon.
Mix in vanilla.
Drop by teaspoon on waxed paper.
Divinity Fudge
Variation: Divinity can be poured into a 9-inch square pan, cooled, and cut into small squares instead of being dropped from a spoon.
Makes 27 drops or 1 1/2 pounds.
Chocolate Divinity
If you beat double divinity with electric mixer, add 2 squares melted unsweetened chocolate immediately after last addition of hot syrup: beat until mixture starts to lose its gloss. If you beat by hand, beat 5 minutes after last addition of hot syrup to egg white mixture and then add 2 squares melted unsweetened chocolate and beat until mixture holds its shape when dropped from a spoon.
