Thursday, March 1, 2012

potstickers, lunacy and snow angels

the last week of february 2012 will, from now on, forever be remembered here at the Manor as the week of "potstickers". poor jambaloney!!! we both love all kinds of asian food and back in the city had access to a variety of asian markets and restaurants where we could have our fill. here in cape breton, the asian section at our grocery store is one little shelf with a few bags of rice on it!

anyway, jambaloney went into town last week to pick up some groceries and supplies. being the dutiful wife, i stayed at the Manor, tended to the animals (2 sleeping cats) and spring-cleaned the house from top to bottom. i am a good wife like that. NOT! i got on the internet and checked out my favourite daily read blogs which includes a few recipe blogs (i did my daily chores after my daily read - teehee!). one of the blogs had a recipe for potstickers. i started drooling looking at the pics of the crispy, gooey pile of potstickers. so i sent jambaloney an email to his phone and asked him to look for dumpling wrappers. he searched high and low and finally found a package of 40 dumpling wrappers (dumpling wrappers is not and has never been on our list of "preps" so we don't have any. as you read below, you will see that has since been addressed!).

i scoured the internet for a variety of recipes for the potsticker stuffing and then combined them into my own kind of stuffing. i used ground beef, cabbage, carrot and green onion. i cooked the ground beef although the traditional way to make them is to put the ground meat in raw. once the meat was cooked, i shredded the cabbage, green onion and carrot and added it to the meat. i also dumped a nice helping of soya sauce and sesame oil into the mixture. it sure tasted good! i also made a dipping sauce of soya sauce, sesame oil, honey, a splash of apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger and green onion - that dipping sauce is divine!

when jambaloney got home with the dumpling wrappers we made the potstickers and really enjoyed them. it was about an hour later when the crack in my brain occurred. i wanted more potstickers!!! so we made more. i had 4 more, jambaloney only wanted 2. for our evening snack, i had 3 more.

the next morning, jambaloney asked me what i wanted for breakfast. you guessed it - potstickers!!! at this point we had eaten half of the package and jambaloney did not want any more. i plowed through the remaining 20 potstickers over the next 2 days. and then ran out of wrappers! but i still wanted potstickers?!?!?! what to do??? i had never made the little wraps from scratch and because they are so thin, i worried that i wouldn't be able to make them. back to the internet to do some research. gather some recipes, all of which were pretty much the same AND looked really easy and VOILA! i have enough dough made for 40 more! and when you make them from scratch they taste even better!!! and we have all of the ingredients for making potstickers from scratch in our preps - woohoo! and now i am an obsessed lunatic making 3 or 4 potstickers every 2 hours. and dipping their crispy, little gooeyness into that delicious dipping sauce!

poor jambaloney! he knows not what to do with me except to let me do my thing and make potstickers. he says that he will never eat another one. i was hurt because my potstickers are the best i have ever tasted! he agreed. he loved them. he just isn't ever going to eat another one! which actually just means more for me - woohoo!

i don't know when this obsession with potstickers will end. i plan on going and making some more in a few.

in other news, our friend Max left a comment on our last post about making snow angels. i told him that we would as soon as the snow stopped. it stopped in the early evening and i said "c'mon jambaloney - we gotta go make snow angels for Max". he said "oh for the love of pete!" and started putting on his mitts and boots and coat. so we went out and made the snow angels but of course my sucky little camera did not get a very good pic even though i took several pics. this is the best one. we held hands while we did the angels. yes, it was freezing out. Max, your welcome buddy!



off to make more potstickers!

54 comments:

  1. Oh my kymber...are you craving these things? Is there anything you need to tell us?

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    1. bahahahah! oh Mamma, i am so sorry. i did not even think that anyone would infer that but now that you mention it, if someone else had have written this post, it would have been the first thing i would have thought. no, not pregnant yet. still trying tho. so sorry Mamma - bahahaha!

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    2. LOL- I was wondering the same thing.

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    3. bahahaha! so sorry to mislead you Russell buddy!

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  2. Mama Bear, my thought exactly LOL

    So, kymber, you have two people asking you the same question...

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    1. oh Dani - read my comment to Mamma above. i never thought that anyone would thing THAT. i often go on "kicks" where i just want to eat one kind of thing for a few days. poor jambaloney says that this potsticker "kick" i am on is worse than the 2009 week of tempura! sorry for misleading you!

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  3. I feel honored that you made snow angels for me, they came out awesome! Thanks for being such good blogging friends!
    You both rock.

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    1. Max buddy - no prob! you asked for the angels and i thought it would be fun. we had a blast and laughed and held hands making angels - it was fun! so thank you for suggesting that we do it! i love my blogging friends - some of the best people i have ever met! and you rock, too, buddy!

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  4. Hmmmph, others got to the question first. Are you? I only craved cheese and orange juice. One day, I cried when someone ate the last piece of cheese.

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    1. sorry PP. read the comments to the others above. my bad.

      that's some weird cravings you got. quite a mix. i tend to go on kicks that always involve asian food. weird eh?

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    2. I often do just cook something and eat it exclusively until it is gone. It's like I have lost my good sense. I will eat something to the exclusion of everything else and against my better judgment.

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  5. Yum! I don't even know what a potsticker looks like, but your list of ingedients had me at the word 'honey'. I have to try making them you make it sound so easy. I could probably do that! lol Off to google some recipes :-)

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  6. oh Sue - they are so simple to make! and delicious! i have been to expensive asian restaurants all over the world and eaten some of the finest potstickers. none that compared to mine, tho - teehee! let me know if you make them!

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  7. So now we can call you the hot tub loving banshee screaming potstickers lover Queen of framboise manor ??

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    1. whoah Rob buddy - that sure is a mouthful! even in acronym form: thtlbsplQofm

      that's not a good acronym at all. we should just probably call me what jambaloney calls me: NUTS! bahahahah!

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    2. Crazy is more like it, crazy for each other...:)

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    3. buddy - you got our number for sure! thanks my dear friend! you are always so sweet and we really appreciate it!

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  8. One thing for sure, I am NOT going to send you the recipe for Lumpia. I have eaten it here, there, and in the Philippines and NO ONE makes it better than my bride.

    If I sent it to you Jambe would be hunting me with a sharp stick. And everyone would think funny thoughts about you again.

    Winston

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    1. oh Winston....i can't wait to go and check out some Lumpia recipes!!! oh no - have you started me on another kick?

      bahahahahahah to the sharp stick and the funny thoughts - you are too much buddy - bahahahahaha!

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    2. And then I stumble across your activities in the Cape Breton Liberation Army, HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAAA

      When last I was in your country the locals used to tell me, since I was there from Ottawa, that the fedgov in Ottawa was known locally as Ottawaski since it was as removed from their needs as Moscow.

      Do I need to say I did not fit in well in the cancerous gummit bureaucracy? Maybe that is why I kept having to mail my clothes home since my luggage always left Halifax burdened with fish, lobster, other yummy things frozen at minus 40 F. We DID eat well then, LOL.

      Winston

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    3. teehee. i try to keep my activities in the CBLA a bit of a secret....i still have my security clearance ya know?!?!?!?

      i spent way too long in ottawaski and hated every minute! thank god we are out of there!

      we eat really well, my friend. i can't believe the good food that we have at our access. which we will use until we can get our own going. we love being here Winston, buddy. we love it!

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  9. You could make about 100 of them, then freeze them. Then you could have them year round. And, if I may ask, what is Lumpia? And can it be done on my grill? Now, I'm going to go whittle me some chop sticks.

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    1. Flier - i keep planning on making and freezing about 40 of them at a time. my problem - see food. you know what i mean. so i keep eating through what i am supposed to be freezing. it's all good tho - teehee! lumpia is like a spring roll - have you ever had a spring roll. they are deep fried and delicious. very much like an egg roll and both of which are similar to a potsticker except that potstickers aren't deep-fried. have i confused you enough!

      good job on whittling up some chop sticks. i'd love a pair of Granddad's chop sticks!

      xoxo to both you and Kathi. hi Kathi!

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    2. Flier,

      Spring rolls are Chinese origin and usually have a vegetable filling, usually cabbage and bean sprouts. I have rarely found them with much, if any, meat in them.

      Years ago egg rolls, also Chinese, were more often with a meat filling, but as the years have passed I have most often found them with more veggies in the filling.

      Lumpia is a Filipino dish, usually a pork filling. I'm not telling the recipe because someone needs to restrain Bunny Ears a bit. Jambe???

      All are wrapped in Won Ton wrappers or similar.

      Winston

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    3. Winston - it seems that years ago, when i was doing my Korean Linguist training, that egg rolls and spring rolls had more meat in them??? i have had Lumpia at several restaurants but have never made them myself. i have never been a big fan of pork, except for bacon - yummeh - but i always enjoyed Lumpia!

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    4. Well my dear it is not simply ground pork in there. The additives turn nasty ole ground pork into something far beyond yummeh.

      As mentioned I have snarfed up all the lumpia sent my way and have never found anyone to make it as does my bride. Ed may have a clue what I mean, being in the inner circle so to speak.

      As for pork I have never tasted better than home grown root fed home slaughtered piggies. Something for you and Jamb to aspire to. Trust me here, it makes store bought pork utter garbage.

      And you are quite right about more meat in spring rolls and egg rolls only if you find some lovely young thing to make them. Restaurant fare uses little or no meat and lots of veggies. Cheaper don't ya know.

      Winston

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    5. Winston - we will be getting some of that home-grown, local, root-fed pork this summer! we found a local cattle guy who has sheep, cows and pork - woohoo! and now that we have our freezer we can get in on a deal with some friends for a 1/8 portion of each. i still want that recipe if you think that you can trust me - teehee!

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    6. HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAAAAAAA

      I'll see about that.

      Winston

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  10. one of my little men were looking over my shoulder while i was reading your post...he saw your snow picture, and asked where that was? I said in Canada at my friends house...he then says.. " I wish we lived in Canada too, so we could be by the North pole like your friend"...... Yes they think everytime they see snow that it must be the North Pole... lol

    Now, the potstickers sound good.. and your making me hungry... : )

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    1. bahahaha! that is so sweet! now i am thinking of going out and building a little igloo and you can show your little man the house we live in - bahahahahah!

      sorry for making you hungry, hon...i am still eating the darn things. man they are good!

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    2. that would be a funny pic to see...

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    3. i'll see if we can pull it off for your little man!

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  11. I love potstickers but I prefer the steamed ones myself.

    Potstickers for breakfast is the ultimate in survival food if you ask me.

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    1. PioneerP - i like mine fried nice and crisp! as for being the ultimate in survival food - i think you are right buddy! bahahaha!

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  12. HAHAHAHAHA...thought you were prego for sure!!!

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    1. bahahahaha! where have you been gurl! you haven't posted in ages and i miss you!

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  13. Noticed lumpia mentioned in your comments. Being married to a filipina, I eat lots of that!

    If I was closer, I would stop in and help you eat the potstickers whenever needed. I'm not sure I've ever eaten my fill of those things!

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    1. mmmm Ed - that lumpia sounds divine! i have never made it from scratch but have had it at the restaurant. i bet your wife makes some awesome lumpia!

      as an aside - you are so very interested in tracing your geneology - is your wife interested too?

      as for helping me eat the potstickers, that's a sweet offer my friend. however, i need no help. and would probably strangle anyone who was eating my potstickers - bahahahahah!

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    2. She is interested in genealogy but unfortunately, records aren't detailed in the Philippines and names are really hard to trace since the same couple dozen are used over and over. I have helped her go by word of mouth back to her great grandparents but that is about as far as it goes.

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    3. Ed - i am glad that you have helped her trace her family back to her great grandparents! i bet it means the world to her! and you! thanks for checking back, buddy!

      your friend,
      kymber

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  14. I've never had potstickers, we had pot-liquor which was juice left over from cooking turnip or collard greens.

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    1. Dear Duke - potstickers are a bit of an acquired taste - you really have to like asian cuisine to enjoy them. i recommend that you try them, tho....i love them!!! i also love turnip and/or collard greens - yummeh!

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  15. Sounds like someone may be be pregnant! Not that I know anything about that stuff. D I've never even heard of potstickers! I thought it would a label on a frying pan. :D

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    1. teehee. Joey - yer too funny! do you like asian food? not the crappy stuff that you get at commercial chinese restaurants where they serve crappy egg rolls, some crappy spareribs and rice - but the authentic kind of chinese, korean, japanese, thai, filipino, malaysian, etc. kind of places. if you like that kind of food you will probably like potstickers. i love them!

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    2. I like Indian food, not Asian. I do quite like a Spring roll though. :D I'm not much of a foodie I'm afraid.

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    3. Joey - if you like spring rolls, you would probably like a potsticker. they have similar fillings, although as already mentioned springrolls don't usually have meat in them.

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  16. LL beat me to it, you are pregnant....send pictures.

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    1. bahahah! sorry sweet one. not yet. still trying!

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  17. Ooooh ! I want to be a member of the Cape Breton Liberation Army. Does this mean we tell whales not to come too close to the beach to avoid grounding ? Does this mean we recycle voraciously ? Are the meetings at Tim Hortons ? Do we sing "Oh Canada" at the top of our lungs on the edge of the beach ? No wonder the Canadians won't let me stay past my vacation......I'm way too keen ! LOL.

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    1. bahahahahaah! Jane - you would definitely scare a canadian with your keen-ness - bahahahah! the CBLA does all of those things and more. and you would fit right in!

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  18. Kymber~
    I have an obsession with cream cheese wontons. They are to die for...Looovvvee them!
    Catman has to make a batch every New Years Eve to take to our friends house because they have turned into an annual request. ;)

    Have a great weekend!
    Love & Hugs
    ~Fel~

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    1. oh man Fel - i have never had a cream cheese wonton?!?!?!?! but they sure sound deelish! put Catman's recipe on your blog for us. i would love to get the recipe.

      love & hugs back to you all!

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    2. :) Kymber
      no recipe really.
      We use the store bought wrappers.
      Freeze the cream cheese for about 1/2 hour prior to cutting it up in little cubes, place in center of wrapper, fold up the edges and then drop 'em into the fryer. Very easy and sinfully delicious. ;)

      Love & Hugs
      ~Fel~

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  19. Fel, hon - those sound almost too satanic to try....i is scared, my friend! bahahahahah!

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