Crab Cheese Wontons!!!

CRAB CHEESE WONTONS!!!!

OMG, these are so frickin good, you'll lose your whole mind! I first made these several years ago and get requests for them all the time. I don't make them very often since they're not exactly up there on the nutrition charts but hey, you only live once, and it's OK to get dirty every know n then.

I like to make the filling in the morning or even the night before to get the flavors all intermingled and that way it's a nice solid clump in the center of your wrapper making it less likely to seep out when you fry em.

Start off with a big bowl filled with your softened cream cheese. I get the whipped kind so it's that much easier to work with and let it sit out at room temp til it gets nice n soft.







Now, I'd like to say that I always use fresh lump crab meat but it's not always in the cards, so although I'm not exactly confident in the contents of imitation crab, you'll never notice.









Next, for my secret ingredient.... Lemon Zest!!!
Makes all the difference in the world, and I use a lot of it!
I love getting a little lemony zing when the yummy dipping sauce meets the crispy wonton in my mouth...mm mmm!

Next, add a the juice from that whole lemon, some soy sauce and your spices. Stir that all up real good, your gonna need a sturdy spoon or even a large serving fork to get everything all mashed together and the crab shredded. It's pretty stiff even though you softened the cheese.

This recipe is very loose as far as the amount off each spice added, simply because...I never measure anything. I go purely by taste for most things, so just tweak it til you like it! I like mine to have a little kick but feel free to experiment and see what you like. Once it's all mixed up, cover and refrigerate until it's time to make the wontons.

 If you set yourself up a little work space, this is going to go much smoother. Make room for your bowl, a little mat or cutting board, a little bowl of water (for moistening the edges of your wonton skins), and a plate for the finished product. Start adding a little dollop of filling to the center of each skin, I used round ones this time, but have had great success experimenting with the small and large squares as well. Don't add too much or it'll just squish out the sides when you pinch it together. Once you do a few of em, you'll figure it out.

Dip your finger in the water and swipe it around the edge of one side

Fold each skin in half and pinch around the edges. After you have a good seam, hold them upright and kind of pat them down on the mat so that they stand up on their own, seam facing up. You can just leave them on their side too, I just like the way they look when you stand em up.

And here you have a whole heap of goodness all ready to go! If you're not going to cook them right away, put em in the fridge so they don't become loose.

This recipe makes around 3 dozen wontons, but sometimes I double it up and freeze some for later.

Now heat up your oil, about 1/4 cup should do.  I use canola oil for things like this since it has a higher smoking temp, you're a lot less likely to burn them that way. 

It's hot enough when a little splash of water dances on top of the oil. Gently place your wontons in the pan one by one, being careful not to overcrowd. Flip them once they start to turn a nice golden brown, then place on a paper towel to drain.

Yum!! Crispy goodness! A little dark this time, but delicious, none the less.

CRAB CHEESE WONTONS!!

8 oz Whipped Plain Cream Cheese
8 oz Imitation Crab Meat (I think "legs" shred the best)
Zest of 1 Lemon or more
Juice of said lemon
1 Green Onion, chopped
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Fresh Ginger, minced
Cayenne Pepper
Chinese 5 Spice
1 TB or so Soy Sauce
Toasted sesame Seeds
S&P

Sesame Soy and Wasabi Cream Sauces

As far as the sauces go, I'm a dipper. I like variety and these 2 sauces go awesome together. Again, no measurements here, just toss it all together and season to taste.

Sesame Soy Dipping Sauce

2 parts Soy Sauce
1 part Sesame Oil
A little Balsamic if you have it
Some honey to thicken and sweeten
Sesame Seeds (I grind mine in a nifty lil grinder that I'll show u later)
Red Chili Flakes
Chinese 5 Spice Seasoning
Fresh Ginger
S&P

Wasabi Cream Sauce

A.K.A. the best thing in the world

2 parts Sour Cream or Nonfat Plain Greek Yogurt

1 part Mayo

Wasabi Paste or Powder

Lemon Juice

Splash of Soy Sauce

S&P

If using Wasabi Powder, mix a tiny bit in warm water and add slowly until it's the temperature that you (and anyone else eating) can handle. It will intensify if you refrigerate it but you can always dull it down if you make it too hot with a little more Sour Cream.
If using paste, just add it straight, bit by bit to cream mixture.

I dare you not to devour these, they kick ass!

Sticky Hoisin Chicken Thighs

Sticky Hoisin Chicken with Raw Zucchini Ginger Salad and Brown Rice

This is so quick and easy to prepare, the chicken is super yummy and sticky and your guests will love it!

This dish is a family favorite around my house! The sticky thighs and gooey rice are a party on your plate!

I always use chicken thighs for this recipe, they're quick to grill, cook evenly and the dark meat really marries happily with the sticky hoisin sauce!

INGREDIENTS:

8-10 Boneless Chicken Thighs (about 3 pounds)

2-3 Green Onions

1 Cup Fresh Cilantro 

For the Marinade:

1 Cup Hoisin Sauce

1 Cup BBQ Sauce

1/2 Teriyaki Sauce 

1/8 Cup Fish Sauce (optional)

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Fresh Grated Ginger

2 TB Sesame Seeds

1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper

S&P

No need to spend big bucks on the sauces for the marinade. I always stock up on store brand or generic sauces to use as a filler, you get the bulk of the flavor from the hoisin!

Whisk the sauces and brown sugar together in a medium sized bowl, then stir in the ginger, sesame seeds, red pepper and S&P. Pour the majority of the marinade over the chicken thighs in a large shallow dish, stirring them to be sure all of the meat is covered. Reserve the rest of the marinade for basting the thighs while grilling. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the zuc salad. 

The chicken thighs, when marinated, will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

		This fresh and light zucchini salad is a hit on it's own and a great way to sneak in some raw veggies into your loved one's diet, they won't even notice ;)
	Here's a lil tip: Ginger is actually really easy to peel. Just use a knife or even the edge of a spoon and scrape back the skin from the "meat". It's better than cutting it off and wasting precious ginger.	This stuff rules! You can get it at Whole Foods, Sprouts and specialty shops. I use it on everything and it's a great substitution for fresh ginger or if you'd just like a different texture.

Zuc Salad:

2 Zucchini or Yellow Squash (cubed)

1 TB Fresh Grated Ginger

1 1/2 tsp Whole Cumin Seed

1/2 tsp Caraway Seed

1/2 tsp Curry Powder

1 TB Olive Oil

S&P

Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl and place in the fridge while you cook the chicken and rice, this will give the flavors a chance to mingle and the result will be a bright, zesty, flavor packed dish!

 For the Rice:

1 Cup Brown Basmati Rice

1/2 Cup Teriyaki Sauce

S&P

Cook rice as directed then stir in Teriyaki sauce and S&P to taste.

Toss lightly with zuc salad just before serving.

Grilling is by far, the best way to cook up these thighs! It leaves them tender and juicy with crunchy, slightly charred bits around the edges...my favorite part!!

FIRE UP THE GRILL!

Grill your thighs for 5 mins or so on each side, basting towards the end to get a nice caramelized crunch!

Plate it up!!

Place crispy chicken thighs on a bed of rice and zucs, garnish with sliced green onions, sesame seeds and cilantro!

OK....now I'm hungry!!

Here's a simpler version just served with corn and grilled asparagus, it's super easy!

Thanks for checkin out my chicken!! 

Westword Dish 2013

We dined under the dancin dudes!

So, for no real reason, I've been entering a lot of contests lately. Clicking on those things that say "enter to win" or filling out a survey or whatever, just to see what happens. And it actually worked! Pretty quickly too. I entered a contest on the Cafe Society blog on Westword.com to win tickets to this year's Westword Dish, they asked "What do you think has been the best development in Denver's dining scene in the last 20 years?", and they liked my answer. I said

"Wow, 20 years, that's hard. There have been so many exciting developments in the food world from food trucks to craft beer to social media, just in the past decade alone. But I think the best thing would have to be the overall community spirit that I never remember seeing before, maybe because we never had the means until now. People as a whole seem really involved in where their food comes from and sharing great finds with the masses. The food network is every expanding and folks LOVE to talk about it, myself included. I'm super excited to see where we'll be in 20 more years!"

And they liked it! I've been wanting to go to Dish for the past few years but just haven't made it. It's a gathering of all of Westword's favorite restaurants in one place, the winner's of Best of Denver 2013. With good beer, wine and cocktails flowin, over 40 restaurants and food trucks handing out samples of their delights...what's not to like?

This year they held it outside in the sculpture park at DCPA. A fine spot for a gathering. As we arrived (starving, mind you), we could smell the enticing aromas wafting in our direction from dozens of sources. Where to start? Beer sounds good. We made our way over to one of the many Oskar Blues Brewery tents and got ourselves a cold one then meandered around the grassy field.

I guess it's best to just start out at one end and make your way around. I recommend bringing a tote for all of the free swag you accumulate, bring a koozie too and a blanket wouldn't hurt either. In fact, I think next year I'll bring along a picnic blanket and set us up a little home base to return to so we have a spot to chill and let it all settle a bit before goin back for more. It's definitely a food fest, free-for-all and manners go right out the window after the first few stops, just chow down while waiting in line for your next fix and make room for more.

Meatloaf and mashed potato sliders from Stoney's

Each vendor has samples from their regular menu, anywhere from bite-size nuggets to full on sandwiches (thanks Trillium!) who served up an awesome chicken salad on a small hoagie roll. Delicious! But probably not the best way to start since we chowed that down then had 39 more samples to go, c'est la vie!

The cutest lil Pink Tank girl servin up some killer waffles!

We tried everything from an amazing waffle from Pink Tank (Best Food Truck 2013) with bacon on top, drizzled with caramel and hot sauce, which was just awesome, to an incredible cuban sandwich from Fooducopia's Corner Store, which was my first time hearing of them, but I will now make my way to see them in Wash Park because it was sooo good! Probably my favorite thing of the day.
 

The Hornet's Bread Pudding was pretty stellar

as well as a perfectly cooked Green Chili Slider from the Slider Shack 303. It was awesome and I can't wait to try more of their menu.

Slider Shack 303

I was excited to try Tin Star Smokehouse which recently opened in Golden, because ever since our trip to Louis Mueller's BBQ near Austin, we've been chasin that tender-meated dragon all over the country and I heard that Tin Star may be just the ticket. We had a small sampling of their brisket on a bun and I have to say, their sauce was pretty awesome and their pickles perfect, definitely worth the trip to go see what the rest of their menu is about and if their brisket's the ticket!

Stacy D. serving up some good ole BBQ!!

Central Bistro served up some homemade sausage

The line was so long for Nile Ethiopian that we never did get to try it, but it looked amazing!!

Mmmm...just look at all that Ethiopian goodness!

 There were a few beverage pairings as well, although by the time we got to that side, we were pretty stuffed, we did try some iced coffee though and it was awesome.

Food Truck lineup

Chuburger from Oskar Blues in Longmont had some tummy burgers and fries to go with their brews

If you see this in your rear-view mirror, pull over!

The nice girls at Patxi's Pizza even handed out free tees to go with their yummy deep-dish pesto pie!

We heard everything from Britney to Justin...not nearly as diverse as his shoulder pads

 Over all, it was a pretty great event. Think I'll go again next year now that I know how to arm myself for a perfect day, blanket, backpack for swag, koozie...check!

We run into my old friend, Andrew Novick at least once a week, like he said, "Where there's food, you'll find me!"

This is what full looks like

 Until next time, fellow foodies! .......... :)

Knocked the dust off my cans for a lil graffiti battle, Colorado Crush 2013....and I'm so glad I did!

Some of you may not know this about me, but I've been a graffiti artist for well over a decade now. I took a little hiatus due to getting a demanding full-time job, getting married and well, just....living. I almost said,"growing up" but that's really not it at all. There's a general misconception that graffiti's just a childish expression or act of vandalism, and while that may be true for a portion of the scene, it really can't be said about a true writer.

Graffiti's a whole lot more than just tagging on somebody's mailbox or garage door, it's an artistic expression of the world that surrounds us. It's an outlet for everything in our lives which can't be explained thru words, it's about forming a bonding relationship between yourself and other writers who share the same passion....and about just gettin up! There may be a million different reasons that brought you to the place where u started writing, but for most, the thing that keeps you there is the absolute freedom of expression and unabridged trust that the unknowing city has bestowed upon you to brandish it with your form of beauty... it's like nothing else. The second I tried it, I knew that was my voice.

Yeah, there's beef, and bullshit, and egos, and drama...but there's also beauty...and respect. Even the hardest of crews, the ones bred on "gang" activity and old standards still show beacons of hope when they coexist with other artists who share a common vision. it's art. It's the love of the city you grew up in and trying to expand it's artistic barriers. I'm goin off a bit, but what I'm trying to say is...it goes a hell of a lot deeper than society's general view. It's not about defacing anyone's property, it's about trying to find a place to express yourself and get your little piece of it out there.

Whether it's a tag, cool lil character or a quick toss-up, it's all about being heard. After awhile, most eventually find their way into goin legit...legal walls, commissioning murals, clothing companies, with a good majority now earning a living as amazing tattoo artists, which is like the most natural transition ever! There's so many different aspects to what you can do and the possibilities are endless!

Which brings me to my good friend, Robin Munro. Who brought us Colorado Crush. He and I go way back and have painted together many times, but during my hiatus, he's done something amazing. Something that Denver has NEVER seen. He brought all of Denver's graffiti world (and beyond) together for one massive production for 4 amazing years in a row now and is raising the awareness of what graffiti is actually about. Letting the world know that the long outdated image of hiphop is a thing of the past, it's no longer about punk ass kids and gang bangers but a real community of individuals who've banded together with a common goal and it's literally bursting with all kinds of artistic talent!

Robin Munro even got our fine mayor, Michael Hancock to come out and support the event

I won't get into the entire history of graff right now or try to validate it as an art form but I think that if there's anyone out there who still has a close-minded view of what this movement is all about....umm, they need to check theyself before they wreck theyself. There's a whole slew of crazy talent birthed from the hiphop world and they were all represented at Colorado Crush 2013: Super talented graffiti writers and street artists, B-Boys, turntablists and awesome MCs all battling it out along a 3+ block radius. It was amazing! 

He's doing something really special, while I have no idea if his intent is to bring this all mainstream or not, I think that's definitely what's happening. He's gettin the word out that this scene really cares about our community and the children being raised in it.  With his aspirations of opening a youth center and the dozens of other projects on his plate, I have a feeling there's no stopping him. And I'm all about it!

Saying Hi to Michael Hancock, I ran into him all the time while working at Channel 8 in the City n County bldg, I always greeted him with a "HI, Mr Mayor!" in an inexplicable country accent and make him laugh every time. He's a good dude.

FX Cru's amazing collaboration....WHAT?!?!

My new BFF, Phetus FX Cru NYC 

I gotta be honest, I was a little nervous to come out to such a huge event not having painted in well over 3 years, especially with all the talent that was there, but I'm more than happy I did! The vibe was insane. SO much love and brotherhood, that's what it's all about. It made me wonder why I waited so long!

The talent was endless and came from all over the country.

Nicer Tatscru...ridiculous!! And such a cool dude!

I have yet to find out who does these awesome noodle beard dudes, but I've seen em around a lot...and LOVE THEM!!!!!! update- GATS from Oakland is "Noodle Beard"... awesome

 When I found out who he is and some of the other unnamed artists, I'll be sure to let you know! I'm also going to keep adding pix to this as I edit them so if you don't see yours on here yet...be patient, my friend. If you know who did some of these pieces, lemme know, I may have just forgotten to tag em.

We had record highs all weekend and it felt like 1000 degrees. It was hot in so many ways. Sweet artists rocked out these walls and and changed them forever...ok, til next year. Observe.......

Clown is one of the funniest dudes I've met in a while and if you don't already know East, you should. He owns Community Service and you need to check it out to fulfill all of your street art needs.

Michael Graves on the left and..

SICKNESS!!

Can't resist, more FX, HEF is incredible!

So Gnar knockin it out

The So Gnar dudes are rad and some of the coolest guys ever! And so is there lil mascot, I gave him a new name "Painty Woofs"

So Gnar and Painty Woofs meet Mr. Mayor

I love me some Painty Woofs! He's such a rad dog. He may have had a slight tinge of green to his fur by the end of the day, but no worse for the wear, a true graffiti mascot. And not to worry, animal lovers, he was well cared for and by some crazy random chance, my hubs ran into him on a run in the mountains a few days later n he was all fluffy and white again...in good hands. 

I have so much love for him and his people, they made my day a lot of fun!

Yeah, Woofy

Chillin with a cool apple in the only bit of shade to be found that day, SO glad we brought that umbrella!

JHER kicking it after a reeeal long hot day

My contribution to Colorado Crush 2013

PAGER!!!

REKS!!

KOZE!!

The lovely Miss REDS!!!

So effin Gnar!!

Animal crackahs

PER FX CRU!! LOVE these guys!

I can't say enough about this clown... I LOVE HIM!!!
Oh, if he could talk!

The beginning of TASTE'S madness!!

Another old school homey, PATHS!!

EL SUAVE is exactly that!! Totally chill dude

The radness! REKS and ZEPOL doin it up! 

Dude, What is this, ZEPOL?!? It's f**kin rad!

Sick KOZE piece!! Probably my favorite one of his

Lil Miss REDS!! She's awesome and so cool!

WENZ!!

ZEB causin a tsunami!!

Ooh, she's a beauty!!

Ma n Pa watchin me get down

My old homey, REPS!! Blowin up his spot! 

TASTE is absolutely ridiculous!!

I made friends with LOTS of lil peeps that day, this lil sweetie dropped by to check on me all day

And this one was never very far away, she's completely adorable and I heard she had great can control! Maybe I'll let give her a shot next year

REPS' lil cutie b-boyin his butt off!

Sweet lil Ollie!! LOVE him!

It was pretty amazing being treated like a rockstar for the day, these kids were just amazing. I couldn't believe they were asking for my autograph... my heart melted many times that day!

This lil princess was so awesome and visited me 2 whole days in a row, she just killed me!

Seriously??
And then there were the bigger kids, and they wanted autographs too...pretty unbelievable.

Yep, this girl actually had me sign her skirt!

OK...Back to the art.

So Gnar

I TOLD u it was gonna be good!! TASTE with my favorite piece of the day! He killed it!!

BG 183 TATSCRU is such an awesome dude, wish I got to hang with him more 

I should be made the "Official Graffiti Ambassador" because I made a point of visiting every writer throughout the weekend, I love making our out of town guests feel welcome and reconnecting with old faces. I know I missed a few but I'll catch em next time! Every single person I met was really cool, so happy to be here reppin their city. I like that shit.

Oh, and SINTEX??? SOOO dope! He did the big indian at the end of the alley with GAMMA above him. A RIDICULOUSLY chill brother!!

EWOK doin his famous"Cusack Crabs". Did u know that his homey, John Cusack was a writer?? I didn't. And I'm totally stoked, cuz I liked him already!! Check him out on instagram, he's hilarious.

Kickin it with my old crew was pretty rad, we were only missing one vital piece of the puzzle....MASOR!!

SUCH FX CRU.....LOVE HIM!!

TASTE-EEEEE!!!

Not sure if I got to meet JACK but this is SICK!!

NOIZER!!

Ahh yeah, REPS holdin it down!

SINTEX and GAMMA straight servin it on this wall!!

There's so much emotion in this piece, I love the mystical pain in their eyes...just beautiful. I love how graff has expanded into all forms of street art and that we can all share the same space. Beautify these damn walls!!

The unstoppable JOLT! He's always got so much goin on and is always giving back to the community... Stay up, brother!

LOVE this sick bird, by Cannon Dill and Brett Flanigan

NANOOK!!

EWOK has crabs!!

Oh no, EMIT does too!! Love me some, EMIT, he's been an influence of mine for a very long time!!

AHHH YEAH...WUSSUP JIVE?!?!

Sick JICK!!

OK, talk about comin to town n servin it up Denver style! Nice work dudes!

My homey JHER!! He's always awesome and coin a million different projects, another long-time influence of mine

Ummm...What?!?! GREED!! Seriously gorgeous!!
It's OK to have 2 favorites, right?

Old- school writer KITE in the house!

BEAST'S awesome Yosemite Sam dude!!

I love BEAST, I just do, such a sweet dude

OH, the uber lovely MISS DEITY! This girl rocks and is so sweet n humble...super cute! Thanks for comin out!!

OMG, ELBS!!!! So bummed I didn't get to meet this awesome girl, she's gorgeous and can paint...what?!?!?!

REDS!!

Umm...fresh!!

These dudes know how to do it!

EWOK painting "Cusack Crabs" above my homey EMIT!!

KITE!!

ASPHATE WOODHAVET thrown it down before headin to the stage, reppin both fronts...pretty fierce!

PHETUS FX CRU!! Love him!

DREAD getting ready to buff a LOT of walls!

Before it all began...and during

It was amazing to see the beauty unfold that now graces these gray walls

AHH, u can TRY to hide EWOK but I know it's u! With my homey REPS!

Unfortunately, I missed most of the B-Boy and MC battles even though they were going on right behind me so I don't have many pix, but what I heard was amazing. Wish I could've seen it cuz I heard some girl just killin it! Megan something, maybe? I dunno, but she was awesome.

Get'n some!

So Gnar's ride

I'll throw in some of my old pieces just for fun! 
LONG LIVE COLORADO CRUSH!!! CAN'T WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR!!!

"JUICY" a canvas I did for my BFF

Sweet day of paintin with AMED!

"SLAMROPE"

Under a bridge downtown

Me, MASOR and NORAD at the old Revo's...man I miss that place!!

Painter's crack

There used to be a half-pipe here, and it was on that MTV show "SCARRED"

 Paintin in my driveway

Strike a pose

This one was in "DAY IN THE LYFE" magazine and one of my favorites!!

I miss the WATERYARDS...such a rad place to paint!

In KEMZ' backyard

Birthday cake

"Birthday cake" was covered up the next morning even tho it was part of a prodo, I covered their crappy dis with this...

"SLAMTRON"...one of my favorites!!

"OCTOSLAM" at Revo's

They say artists paint in their own image

"MI-SLAM-I"

"SLAMSRYCHE" at Xzanthia's old gallery

One of my first "SLAM"

Think this may have been the 2nd piece I ever did

Did this one for my lil brother Frankie

Love this one in the basement of Xzanthia's...one-liner "RIBBONS"!

"SLAM BURGLAR"

Another early piece

WATAYARDS!!

Until next time, my lovelies!
Peace out!!