Best of the Month July 2013

A recap of my most popular blog posts of July 2013

This has been a good month for my blog.  I have made some cosmetic changes to by adding a picture header and a drop down menu bar to de-clutter my side bar.  I also finally got around to writing an 'about me' page.  It still needs work but I hope my readers will get a better sense of who I am. Last but not least I've started joining link parties to get my blog out there and to meet new people.  All of this has had good results and my blog has more views than ever.  I hope this continues.

In case you missed them, or are just curious here are my most viewed posts of July.

Light Wheat English Muffins

Light Wheat English Muffins:

Soft, flat buns full of nooks and crannies, English Muffins make a great breakfast or lunch sandwich even a great snack.

These were accepted to YeastSpotting.

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553515344/

Mocha Graham Crackers

Mocha Graham Crackers:

The perfect sweet and crunchy, chocolaty snack.  With a kick of espresso.

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553464365/

Mayonnaise-less Egg Salad Sandwich

Mayonnaise-less Egg Salad Sandwich:

An egg salad made with no mayonnaise.

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553411409/

How to Roll a Spring Roll

How to Roll a Spring Roll:

A tutorial showing how to roll a spring roll (also called a fresh roll or summer roll).

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553453087/

Sambar

Sambar:

An Indian vegetable stew made with lentils and vegetables in a tamarind broth.  Served over rice.

Pin it for later:  http://pinterest.com/pin/428053139553499747/




Enjoy.

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Tutorial: How to Roll a Spring Roll

A tutorial showing how to roll a spring roll (also called a fresh roll or summer roll).

Making spring rolls at home is not as difficult as it seems.  Don't be afraid to give it a try.  Even if your first few don't come out great with a little practice it becomes easier.  Here is how I roll spring rolls.

Dip the rice paper in warm water (do not let it soak).  Fully submerge the rice wrapper in the water and quickly remove it.  I'm using a 12 inch wrapper (they come in many sizes I find it easier to use the bigger size)

Spread the wet wrapper on your work surface (it will still be stiff, but will soften as it sits).

Make a small pile of your ingredients in the center of the wrapper.  Ingredients can include carrots, cucumber, lettuce, meat, tofu, sprouts, herbs, and rice noodles.  You could even try fruit.  The possibilities are endless.  I made these without rice noodles (because I was serving them with sticky rice).

Peel one side of the spring roll wrapper up off your surface and fold partly over the ingredients.

Repeat with the opposite side.

Then fold the front side over the ingredients and, gently pressing the air out, roll tightly.

Leave spring roll seam side down and cover with plastic wrap until ready to eat.  Spring rolls are best the same day they are made but they are still edible the next day just a little tough.  By the third day they are very tough and dry.

The hardest part of making spring rolls, for me, is to get them wrapped tight enough.  Just know that the wrappers are pretty tough and can take a lot of pressure.  I served these spring rolls with 3 kinds of dipping sauce.

From left to right:  Nuoc Cham, Peanut sauce, and Mango puree.  Enjoy.

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