Xin Nian Kuai Le!

Tomorrow, January 26, 2009, is Chinese New Year. I thought I would share one of my favorite recipes for Chinese Dumplings or Pot Stickers. If you are fortunate enough to live near an Asian food store and can easily find the pot sticker skins or wrappers, I hope you will try out this recipe. Out here, the nearest Asian food store is in Raleigh--about 2.5 hours away! (I have stock piled 4 packages in my freezer for emergencies.) However, I have discovered that I can also go to a local Chinese food restaurant and ask to purchase a package of dumpling skins. The last time I did that, however, the employees didn't realize that I could understand what they were saying to each other and I quickly caught on to the idea that the price would be negotiable so I bargained with them in Chinese to get the skins for a decent price.

In China and Taiwan, the New Year holiday is a time for family and friends to get together and EAT.

Chinese Dumplings

¾ lbs. lean ground beef, pork, chicken or 1 tub (14 oz.) firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1 cup finely chopped cabbage
8 water chestnuts, finely chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp grated ginger
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
¼ tsp. salt
1 package (12 oz.) Round pot sticker wraps
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 cups chicken broth
• Soy Sauce and Vinegar to taste (for dipping sauce)
Combine meat or tofu, cabbage, water chestnuts, green onions, ginger, soy sauce and salt in a bowl; mix well. Use 1 tsp. filling for each dumpling. Follow folding directions (moisten edges, fold in half, press together). Heat 2 tsp. oil in a wide, non-stick skillet over low heat. Put 1/3 pot stickers in pan and cook till bottoms are golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Add 1 cup broth, cover and simmer until tender, 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until all liquid is absorbed. Remove with spatula onto serving plate. Repeat with remaining pot stickers. Serve with soy sauce and vinegar.

Mmmmm...tryptophan

Andy's mom, Carol, came out for Thanksgiving this year. It's been so much fun to have her here. We had Thanksgiving early this year because Emma decided she wanted to come over on Wednesday and Friday so she could spend Thursday at her grandparent's house. It was a good thing that Carol was here because there was no way I would have been able to prepare dinner because I had to work all day. So I had everything set out and ready and Carol assembled several side dishes and the turkey. I need to mention that I bought a Jennie-o "Fool-Proof Turkey" and it did not disappoint. It was delish! So mad props to Jennie-o.

Here we are holding our pear place card holders just before we took Emma home. Emma really liked hers. I'm afraid that with how rushed our pre-Thanksgiving dinner was for me, the only thing I could contribute was a nicely set table.

It was nice to have a leisurely Thanksgiving Day that wasn't eaten up (tee hee) by spending a bunch of time in the kitchen. We were content to eat leftovers and I made a couple more side dishes to add to the feast as well. This year, I'm grateful that Carol was here, I'm grateful to work from home (it would have only made this Thanksgiving even more stressful if I didn't), I'm grateful for the changes in my life that have lead to rich opportunities for growth, and I'm very grateful to be married to Andy--a positive, gregarious, go getter who, it seems, lives to make me happy. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!!