Sunday, Cutting and Cooking

I got up Sunday morning at 6:30 AM. I put on a pot of coffee, checked the soup and then posted the Blog.

So, for breakfast I made scrambled eggs and ate them with hot sauce. It was cold and windy and cloudy outside, BTW. I shaved and took my shower then left at 9:00 AM for Meijer's. It started snowing a little on the way there. I was surprised to see that you can not only get ham slices, but also ham julienned and ham diced. So, not know how much I would need, I got two packs of the diced ham.

I was back home by 9:45 AM. I took out the soup, added one pack of ham and stirred it. Then I made a test bowl: hmmm, not bad. I think that may be enough ham. I added just a little more fresh ground black pepper, some more chili flakes, and about two tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley. I think it's pretty near complete!

I noticed the sky had lightened considerably, so I went out to cut the leaves. First I had to pump up the low right side rear tire (which is why I needed the air compressor back). I did the front yard with just my fall coat and my fedora. But, by the time I was ready to cut the back yard, both my ears and my hands were cold! So, I got a pair of gloves and switched my fedora for my Canadian touque.

The clouds increased while I was cutting the back and it started to spit snow again. But, I finished up, filled the bird feeder, blew off the mower and put it away by 12:50 PM. I took a picture and mission accomplished!

Back inside, and two cups of coffee later, I was starting to feel warm again. I tried calling Luanne to see how she is doing, but only got their voicemail. Then Carla called and said they'd be stopping over, so I thought I'd make a new appetizer (if they stay for supper, I got the bean soup and some good bread).

Now, I doubled this, but here are the correct amounts for one batch): I thinly shredded some Napa (or Chinese) cabbage, until I had two packed cups of it. I put one inch of salted water in a two-quart sauce pan and when it was boiling, added the cabbage. I cooked it for just one minute, then drained and shocked it with ice water (to stop the cooking process). I squeezed the hell out of it (you want to remove as much water as possible), finely chopped it and then put it in a medium sized bowl.

To that bowl, I added 1/2 pound of ground pork, two tablespoons of soy sauce, one tablespoon dry sherry, two teaspoons of cornstarch, 1 1/2 teaspoons of minced, peeled, fresh ginger root and one green onion, finely diced. I mixed all that together with my hands, covered it with cling wrap and put it in the fridge.

Next, I made the simple dipping sauce: 1/4 cup of good soy sauce, 1/4 cup of rice wine vinegar and two tablespoons of fresh, peeled ginger root, sliced about the same thickness as angel-hair pasta and one inch long. That, too, got covered and refrigerated.

I separated one egg white into a small dish and got my pastry brush. It was then I realized I bought egg roll wrappers (about 6x6 inches) instead of won ton wrappers (3 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches). So, I just cut them all down to size and pitched the remainder.

So, here's what you do: lay out some waxed paper on your table or work surface. On that, lay some of your won ton wrappers and brush the egg white around the outside of each square. In the middle of each square, put a rounded teaspoon of the pork mixture. Then bring opposite corners together over the pork, pinch and pleat the edges together to seal in the filling. Do that until your filling is gone. I put the finished dumplings on a half sheet pan that I had floured, by the way, to prevent them from sticking and ripping.

I had just begun this process when Jake and Carla showed up. I just kept making them as we chatted. When I had them all done, I took my 12-inch skillet and added 1/2 inch of water. Once that was boiling, I added in one layer of the dumplings, pleated edges up. I stirred them gently with a heat-proof spatula, to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once they were boiling, I reduced the heat to low, covered the skillet and simmered them for five minutes.

After I had a couple of batches done, we tried them. Not bad... not bad at all! It would have been better if I had some wood chopsticks, but I'll pick some up for next time!

I showed them the bathroom shower project to date and the new storm door (which, I still need to get the molding and caulk on, BTW.).

We chatted a while longer and I asked if they would like to try the soup. They said, "Sure!" so I took the stock pot out of the oven, put it on top the stove and turned up the heat under the burner. I got out a little round loaf of sourdough bread and cut several 1-inch slices. Jake wanted his plain, but Carla wanted hers toasted, drizzled with olive oil and rubbed with a raw garlic clove. So, I put the second rack back into the stove, and she toasted them under the broiler (not burning them like I did for Tracey). After the olive oil and garlic, she cut them into 1-inch wide strips and plated them.

They seemed to like the soup (even though I had to do a lot of fussing with this one, it was pretty good in the end). Jake cleaned up all the dishes and then they left about 5:00 PM. I sent home with them half the remaining dumplings (remember, I had made a double batch, you see) and the dipping sauce (I'll make more for my half), a four-cup container of the bean soup and the rest of Carla's garlic bread. BTW, I was just going to put the dumplings in a zip lock bag as is when Carla stopped me and suggested I put some olive oil in first and rub it around so the dumplings wouldn't stick and tear on the plastic (clever girl). So, I put away my leftovers the same way.

We said our goodbyes and they drove away. I made my way back to the kitchen to deal with the remaining bean soup! I got three 4-cup containers for the freezer and another four cups I put in the fridge for me next week.

I washed that stock pot, and the half sheet pan. I immediately refilled the stock pot with cold water and set it on the washer to air overnight (to get rid of the chlorine). I had used up all the water I had made up before to refill Newt's tank this morning.

So, it was 6:30 PM and black as midnight outside. I am sitting in the living room, enjoying a drink in front of the fireplace. All in all, I think this was a highly successful vacation. No, the shower's not tiled, but it's well on the way. I had a good doctor's visit, a storm door installed, a shower demoed, some good food, good company and some relaxing down time.

And, my Sunday night shows are coming on! What more could I ask for?