Strawberry Filled Whipped Cream

Strawberries are so pleasant to eat on a hot summer day. They're even enjoyable and prettier to look at when filled with a simple creamy whipped cream. This dessert is very easy to make and can be eaten in one bite.  

Ingredients:

• 10 large fresh strawberries 
• 1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons of granulated white sugar
• 1/3 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract cup 

Directions:

1. To make the whip cream, freeze medium mixing bowl in the freezer for 2-3 minutes. Add heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract into the cold mixing bowl and beat until stiff peaks form.
2. Wash the strawberries and using a sharp knife, cut an "X" into each strawberry without cutting it all the way down. Then spread the "X" apart with your fingertips.
3. Fill the whipping cream into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Starting at the bottom of the strawberry, pipe the cream into the center of each strawberry with a swirling motion from the bottom to the top of each strawberry.
4. Sprinkle cocoa powder on top of each strawberries if desired.

Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. corn syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 bag of popped popcorn

Directions

1. To make the caramel sauce, heat a saucepan over medium heat to melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour over popcorn, stirring to coat.
2. Place coated popcorn in a baking dish and bake in 250 degrees F oven stirring after 2 minutes, for 4 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.

Enjoy these crispy and crunchy bites! You'll be done before the movie starts.

Thai-Style Miniature Eggrolls

When my mom first introduced me to her eggrolls, I always had to request it to be made for a school potluck or birthday party. Everyone yearned for her eggrolls and indeed she makes the best thai-style egg rolls out there. The sauce is a perfect sweet and savory complement to the eggrolls. I must say, as soon as she made miniature ones, it inspired me to start  making ethnic-inspired appetizers or desserts. Although, it's a much slower learning process, I soon hope to get there starting with my mom's recipes.

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 pound clear dried bean thread noodle (soak in room temperature water until soft, drain, and cut in half) 
• 1/2 pound ground pork 
• 1/4 cup shredded carrot 
• 1/2 cup shredded cabbage 
• 1/2 cup shredded jicama
• 1/4 cup diced white onion
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1 package frozen egg roll wrappers/spring roll pastry (20-50 sheets per package)
• Mozola Oil for deep-frying 

How to Make: 

1. To make the filling, combine cooked ground pork (or ground chicken/shrimp), bean thread noodles, cabbage, carrot, onion, cilantro, black pepper, and salt in a bowl. 
2. To make the rolls, lay out one egg roll wrap with a corner pointed toward you. Place about a 1/4 cup of the filling on the wrap and fold corner up over the filling. Tuck the folded corner in the filling and roll until reaching center of the wrap. Fold left and right corners toward the center and continue to tuck and roll. Dab on a drop of egg yolk on the final corner to help seal the egg roll.
3. Pre-heat oil in a deep fryer or wok until sizzling hot. Carefully slide eggrolls in and leave for 3-5 minutes while constantly turning eggs rolls to cook the filling inside. Until the eggrolls are crisp and golden brown, use a frying spatula to drain oil then place the eggrolls on a paper towel over a plate to absorb the extra oil. 
4. Serve while it hot with Thai sweet chili sauce.