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Is there a clear winner? Yes. Me! Because I get to eat more than I should! I’d be telling an untruth if I said I remember exactly what the pot stickers from last week’s recipe tasted like (way-way back when I actually made them). But I do remember that they were delicious. This week’s version was equally delicious. (We had friends over and they had no problem eating their fair share.) The filling was moist and tasty and plentiful. And the dipping sauce was a pleasing mix of tart, sweet, and hot. Hubby thought it was a tad too vinegary, but I didn’t think so. I was unable to find pot sticker wrappers and so used wonton wrappers – square instead of round. Which meant, I think, that there was a bit too much extra dough after crimping which got a little tough during the steaming portion of the preparation. An itsy bitsy tiny flaw in no way the fault of the recipe. But if you can find pot sticker wrappers, the round kind, use those. Here is the recipe as copied exactly from: Ultimate Appetizer Ideabook 225 Simple All-occasion Recipes Kiera and Cole Stipovich Published by Chronicle Books Pork Pot Stickers In a large bowl, combine ½ medium head shredded napa (or savoy) cabbage with 1 tsp kosher salt and toss. Transfer to a colander and let drain for 30 minutes. Over a sink or bowl, press out excess moisture from the cabbage. In a medium mixing bowl, combine 8 oz (230 g) ground pork, 1 Tbsp thinly sliced green onions, ½ tsp ground white pepper, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tsp grated fresh ginger, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp mirin, and 2 tsp cornstarch and mix well. Add the drained cabbage and mix until incorporated. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour or for up to 1 day. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle it lightly with cornstarch. Place a 3-in (7.5-cm) pot sticker wrapper in your hand and place a rounded 1-tsp scoop of the filling in the center of the wrapper. Wet the inside edge of the wrapper with water and bring the edges together, forming a half-moon shape and pressing firmly with our fingers to seal. (If desired, pleat the edges together or press with a fork.) Place the pot sticker on the baking sheet and cover with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap (to prevent drying out) and form more pot stickers using additional wrappers and the remaining filling. (If making ahead, freeze the pot stickers on the baking sheet for 15 minutes, or until frozen solid. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 week. No thawing is required before cooking.) In a large heavy-bottomed non-stick or cast-iron skillet (keep the lid close by for later use) over medium-high heat, warm ½ tsp vegetable oil and ½ tsp sesame oil. When the oil is hot, place the pot stickers in a single layer with the sealed edges facing up and cook until the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add about 1/3 cup (80 ml) hot water to the skillet and cover immediately. (Stand back from the skillet while adding the water to avoid getting splashed.) Continue to cook, covered, until the water evaporates, about 3 minutes (or about 8 minutes if the pot stickers were frozen). Remove the lid and allow the pot stickers to cook uncovered for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until the bottoms are crisp and golden. Transfer to a serving dish and serve warm with Pot Sticker Dipping Sauce. Pot Sticker Dipping Sauce In a small bowl, mix together 2 Tbsp rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp water, ¼ tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger, 1 small clove minced garlic, ½ tsp thinly sliced green onion, and 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes. Use right away or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature before serving. Cheers!
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For the last two Wednesdays, we’ve enjoyed hot spinach and artichoke dip (here’s the recipe link). Should you be unable to eat the entire thing in one sitting (we tried really hard but alas, couldn’t do it), be assured it freezes well and reheats well in the microwave.
This week I was in the mood for something different. And so I opened my new appetizer cookbook, flipped through a few pages, and got inspired to make pot stickers. I have made them before but I wanted to try a new recipe. Fair warning, pot stickers are time- consuming, a bit fiddly, but well worth the effort. Now, I’m not about to share a recipe and sing its praises without testing it first. Just because it’s published doesn’t mean I’ll like it. And I don’t share recipes unless I like the resultant food. So, to tide you over, here’s the link to the pot stickers, or Gyoza, that I have made before. I’ll let you know about the new recipe next week. And if it’s a success (I’m sure it will be) I’ll share it with you. Maybe you’ll want to make both versions and do a comparison. Sounds like an excellent idea to me! More pot stickers to eat!!! Cheers! P.S. Don't forget to head over to the newsletter sign-up page to--well--sign up for my newsletter. You'll receive a fabulous surprise in your inbox! When hubby retired last year he was treated to many parties, many gifts, and many sad goodbyes. I was invited to a few of the celebrations and I received some thoughtful gifts as well. One of which is pictured here.  Isn’t this the perfect gift? Hubby’s co-workers heard about Wine Wednesday many times and came up with this brilliant idea. The bookmark is on this page.  I’m completely smitten with arancini and will be trying this version – baked – sooner rather than later.
Last week for WW I tried yet another version of my all-time favourite appetizer – Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip. From the brilliant Rachael Ray, this one is made with a white sauce and gorgonzola cheese. Oh, my goodness. Hubby and I inhaled over half! I had to force myself to stop eating. Today is Bittersweet Chocolate Day. Are you a bittersweet chocolate fan? Or more of a milk chocolate aficionado? I’ll happily eat either or both. And because we’re nearing the end of the Christmas cookies I need to get out my mixing bowls and get to baking – using chocolate, of course. Cheers! Tomorrow at 12:28 pm Atlantic Time we will celebrate the Winter Solstice. Time to light the ole Yule log, fill the house with freshly cut evergreen boughs, and heat some glog to sip by the fire.
Once we survive the shortest day of the year, less than eight hours of daylight, we’ll turn the corner toward longer days and the coming spring. Alas, that spring is a long way off and we’ll have many weeks of cold and snow still to endure. At least we’ll have more daylight hours to gaze upon the frozen slush. Oh joy. Oh bliss. “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” Dame Edith Sitwell “No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” Hal Borland Cheers! National Ice Cream Day? Really? In the middle of December? This should be Wool Sock Day, or Hot Cocoa Day, or Cold Nose Day (she says whilst secretly celebrating all of those). Needless to say I won’t be taking part in any celebrations honouring the freezing of cream. Now, if this were July 13th I’d be all over this holiday. While I love ice cream of pretty much any flavour, I do have my favourites – maple walnut, coffee, and anything containing chocolate. When I was a kid we had a cottage in Malagash and on the looooong drive there (two hours but I was a kid so it was forever) we’d pass an ice cream stand. Everyone, including the dog, got a scoop of ice cream though my parents usually got milkshakes. A special treat for me would be a scoop of liquorice ice cream. I love love love black liquorice (the red stuff is an abomination) and finding it in ice cream form was like a gift from the god of liquorice. If there isn’t a god of liquorice there needs to be one. My recollection was that the liquorice ice cream was a dark khaki in colour. Not the most appealing to look at, but man, it was yummy. The few times a year they were out of liquorice I’d get orange pineapple. Since I’ve started making my own ice cream I’ve stuck to the basics like vanilla or chocolate. When I make coffee ice cream I add a shot of coffee liqueur to the mixture. It makes for a delicious soft ice cream. The alcohol prevents the cream from freezing completely so the ice cream is easier to scoop, and thus easier to eat. What is your favourite ice cream flavour? Here’s another excerpt from the fast approaching launch (THIS FRIDAY!!) of my next book, Love and Turmoil. “My understanding of the custom is that engagements are sealed with a kiss.” “You surely aren’t suggesting—” Oh, gracious. “I am.” He put his other hand on her shoulder and slowly, slowly skimmed along to her neck, brushing escaped wisps of hair out of the way. “I couldn’t possibly.” She tingled. Everywhere. She licked her lips. “You can.” He pulled her closer still until there was no space between them. Her breasts touched his chest, her knees touched his knees, and her tummy touched his—heavens. He did want to kiss her. “Mr. Payn—” “Sam.” “Sam, I’m not—” His lips touched hers, briefly. Too briefly. With a sigh she returned the kiss. She felt his smile, her stomach did a little flip, and her lips curved in an answering smile. She’d never smiled whilst in the middle of a kiss before. He trailed his lips along her jaw and nipped lightly at her earlobe. “Oh yes, I’ll enjoy this engagement.” Here’s the gist of the story: Six months after burying her wastrel husband, Lady Arabella Woodbridge has resigned herself to a lonely life in the countryside with only her two adopted nieces for company. Being a young, respectable widow is – frustrating. Then the charming and wickedly handsome Samuel Payn takes up residence in the neighboring manor house. Retired explorer and occasional pirate Samuel Payn is on a two-fold mission – retrieve buried loot, and locate the father who abandoned his mother to a life of poverty. But a gang of murderous villains is also after the buried treasure. And someone is threatening to tear apart the lovely widow’s family. Will Sam’s single-minded determination to uncover his true identity threaten Arabella’s happiness - and his life? Cheers!  Happy Saint Nicholas Day! Jolly old St. Nick was a bishop in the early Catholic church – around 350 A.D. – in Greece. Legend has it that he was in the habit of throwing small bags of coins in through the windows of those in need. One of those bags happened to land in a child’s stocking. Word spread and others hung their stockings too in hopes that St. Nicholas “soon would be there”. Nowadays, the Christmas stockings in our house are filled with chocolate bars, chocolate oranges, gift cards, and ear buds. Our cats get cat treats and catnip mice in their stockings. As promised, here is a photo of our new house as seen from across the inlet. I guess we need to cut down a few dead trees.  For those who missed Monday’s blog post, my next book, Love and Turmoil, is available now for pre-order. (See how I made all those words into hotlinks to make is so incredibly easy for you to pre-order my next book? Aren’t I sneaky? All the marketing whizzes say to make buying easy, one-click, with lots of opportunities. Keep scrolling for a couple more. <grin>)  Six months after burying her wastrel husband, Lady Arabella Woodbridge has resigned herself to a lonely life in the countryside with only her two adopted nieces for company. Being a young, respectable widow is – frustrating. Then the charming and wickedly handsome Samuel Payn takes up residence in the neighboring manor house.
Retired explorer and occasional pirate Samuel Payn is on a two-fold mission – retrieve buried loot, and locate the father who abandoned his mother to a life of poverty. But a gang of murderous villains is also after the buried treasure. And someone is threatening to tear apart the lovely widow’s family. Will Sam’s single-minded determination to uncover his true identity threaten Arabella’s happiness - and his life? Love and Turmoil from Amazon Love and Turmoil from Barnes & Noble If you celebrate Christmas, what are the usual stocking stuffers in your house? Cheers! |