Fancy Shmancy

Before I got married, I remember asking my Aunt Mary-Anne how to cook.  She simply told me to cook what I like, and that I'd get good at it.  I believe she was right.  I also remember hearing from my mom and numerous others that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.  I believe they were right, too!

I love to cook.  I love being able to make exactly what I am craving and being able to determine just how much salt, butter, etc., that your own taste buds or waistline desires.  I love getting recipes from friends and family who are far away, cooking those recipes, and then it feeling like they're here!  I also love how food brings people together and how eating from handmade pottery makes it even more special.  It's a snapshot of normalcy in a hectic day when people are still and focused on food and togetherness.  I especially love to cook with my husband.  His new job as a dentist in the Army is keeping him pretty busy, so we don't get to cook together as often as we used to.  I still like surprising him every now and then with what we call a "fancy shmancy" dinner, though.  I love to see the look on his face when he comes home for fancy shmancy night.

One of our favorite "fancy shmancy" meals to cook together is Pork Dumplings with Ginger Dipping Sauce.  This is one of the many recipes I have loved from my favorite cookbook, the ultimate Southern Living Cookbook.  I got this cookbook from my stepmother, Mary Alice, as a wedding gift.  After four years of use, you can really tell what are the favorite recipes by which pages are the most stained and tattered.  Matthew and I first made this recipe when living in Memphis, TN, on an off-day from work, complete with a walk along the Mississippi River and watching Julie & Julia in our little apartment... a date night to remember!  The latter photos are from when we cooked it again this week in our new Colorado kitchen.

Hubby getting dumplings ready in our Memphis kitchen

Somehow we made that small kitchen work!

Garlic mashed taters and balsamic baby carrots on the stove

Basalmic Baby Carrots - yum!

Preparing the dumplings in our Colorado kitchen

Kinda yucky-lookin at first

These bamboo steamers are the bomb for steaming a lot at once!

Steam for 20-25 minutes, and voila!

We are in love with this ginger dipping sauce.  I think it'd be good on just about anything except desserts!

First time I made the dumplings, I couldn't find these easy breezy wonton wrappers in the Arkansas Kroger.  So naturally I decided to make the dough myself.  Bad idea.  These are much better and less gummy!

Dinner is served.  Please, come over and eat with us!!

From Southern Living~
This makes a bunch.  We typically make half and freeze the other half for later.  Prep takes about 1.5 hours.  Cook only takes 25 minutes.

Make-Ahead Pork Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds lean boneless pork loin chops, cut into chunks
• 1 (12-ounce) package 50%-less-fat ground pork sausage
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 15 water chestnuts, finely chopped
• 1 to 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons lite soy sauce
• 1/2 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon teriyaki sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 4 green onions, diced
• 2 (16-ounce) packages wonton skins
• Oyster sauce (optional)
• Thai chili sauce (optional)
• Ginger Dipping Sauce (optional)

Preparation

1. Process pork loin in a food processor until finely chopped.
2. Combine pork loin, pork sausage, and next 11 ingredients.
3. Cut corners from wonton skins to form circles. Drop 1 teaspoon mixture onto middle of each skin. Gather up skin sides, letting dough pleat naturally. Lightly squeeze the middle while tapping the bottom on a flat surface so it will stand upright.
4. Arrange dumplings in a bamboo steam basket over boiling water. Cover and steam 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with sauces, if desired.
5. Note: To freeze, arrange dumplings on a baking sheet; freeze for 2 hours. Place in zip-top freezer bags; label and freeze for up to 3 mounths. To cook dumplings from frozen state, steam for 22 to 25 minutes.  Serve with sauces, if desired.  Yield: 116 dumplings.

Nutrition

Per dumpling: Calories 40, Fat 0.8g, Protein 2.5g, Carb 6g, Fiber 0.2g, Chol 6mg, Iron 0.4mg, Sodium 101mg, Calc 7mg

 

Ginger Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons lite soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons teriyaki sauce
• 1 green onion, minced

Preparation

1. Sauté garlic and ginger in hot oil 1 minute; remove from heat. Whisk in remaining ingredients.