Dumpster Diving Momma

Pat is trying to teach Kelly how to ride the bike I so generously picked-up for her while dumpster diving in our subdivision. I didn't actually have to dive, the bike was propped up next to the trash. And it wasn't literally a dumpster, it was a standard trash can issued by the sanitation department. The only embarrassment surrounding the whole scenario was that the bike belonged to some folks renting a house a few doors down and my kids thought I was stealing it from their driveway. I saw the mother take it out to the street one morning while I was loading my kids into the car. I knew better than to let that bike sit there too long because I lost out on a really nice Schwinn a few months back because I said to myself if that bike is still there when we get home, it's ours! Apparently I have some trash-digging competition in this neighborhood. Damn military people! Why don't we pay them more? God must have know what he was doing when I had that last bike snatched out from underneath me, because this one is a reeeeeeeal beauty! It was barely used. If fact, I never even knew kids lived at that house until they were there for about 4 or 5 months because I never saw any children outside. Come to find out they had two kids. They must have watched their fair share of The Cartoon Network because this bike is brand new.

By-golly, Kelly isn't gonna keep it new for long. She is gonna learn to ride this sucker!

And if she can't learn to ride it...

Pat will!

For you information, the bike's family of orgin has since moved away so there is no embarrassment what-so-ever when we peddle down the street and parade past their empty house. Ummmmm, well that's not exactly true. I am a little embarrassed that Kelly insists on wearing this vintage pink and white gingham dress I found at a consignment shop and agreed to buy her to wear as a "costume". This "costume" is now her favorite dress.

Life is great!

Everybody Dance Now

To celebrate Patrick's 6th birthday he had a few friends over to spend the night. Needless to say it turned into a dance competition. Everybody dance now. Dunt. Dunt-dunt-dunt.

My Teeth Don't Stink

Check out those two bottom teeth. Nevermind the strained green beans on his face; the teeth are the important part.

The better to eat you with, my dear!

And don't think he won't try it either. After about three hours if I don't feed him something he starts to chew on my ear lobes, knaw on my elbows and suck on my...well...let's just say he plans on putting these teeth to good use one day!

Until then, the strained green beans suit him fine.

A Secret I've Been Keeping

I have a little secret. I started another blog that will be exclusively for my recipes. This way, I can keep this blog "private" with family photos and the like and the second blog can "go public" with recipes for the whole world to try. And taste. And then delete.

So from now on you will find more personal stuff on this site (UPS man stories, examples of my bad parenting, photos of my children's snot bubbles).

If it is recipes you enjoy, try out this new blog I've been keeping from you. If it is snot photos you like, stay tuned here! Snot--it's what's for dinner!

Oh and one more thing. At this new blog I have a recipe index so you can look up my past recipes for your conveinence and cooking pleasure. Or not.

Pot Stickers

This evening our visitors have left our home to visit the home of someone else. I have been dying to make something interesting and add something new to my cooking repertoire and since the audience was gone, I had plenty of room to make a fool of myself alone in the kitchen. So tonight for my eating pleasure and my children's disgust I made Pot Stickers.

I have always enjoyed eating Pot Stickers - the kind you get in the frozen food section of Wal-Mart have suited me well. Oddly enough it wasn't until I actually made them tonight that I figured out just why they are called Pot Stickers. Indeed, they do stick to the pot and the crisp bottoms make them all the tastier!


Many of these ingredients are also used in my Steak & Portobellos with Sweet Soy Ginger Sauce so if you have them on hand you may as well make both recipes...eventually...before the ingredients go bad...within a year or two.

Oh, and by the way, since Lorie is loaning me a digital camera I thought I would take it for a test drive tonight before she leaves me stranded with a piece of equipment I can't operate. I know, I know, I am no photographer, but it was fun giving it a try anyway!




Pot Stickers


Potstickers:
1 cup bok choy, finely chooped (in my case, sort of finely chopped)
1/3 green onions, chopped
1 T. low sodium soy sauce
1 t. salt
2 t. fresh ginger, minced (in my case, sort of fresh ginger)
1 t. grated lemon rind
1 t. dark sesame oil
1/2 pound pork sausage

24-36 wonton wrappers
3-4 T. vegetable oil
1-1 1/2 cups water


Sauce:
5 T. seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
1 T. honey


Combine bok choy and next 7 ingredients (through the sausage) and mix well.

Take one wonton wrapper and moisten edges by lightly brushing with water. Spoon 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons pork mixture into center of wrapper. Bring 2 opposite ends together and pinch to seal. Then bring remaining ends together to seal and pinch all 4 edges together. Set aside and continue.

Heat 1 T. oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Careful to not crowd pan, fill with pot stickers. Cook 2 minutes until bottoms are golden. Add 1/2 cup water to pan, cover and cook 4 minutes. Uncover and cook 3 minutes or until liquid evaporates.

Repeat procedure until all pot stickers are cooked and the house smells like a Chinese restaurant.

Prepare sauce by mixing ingredients and serve alongside the delicious Pot Stickers.

This is bok choy folks. It is also good served as a side dish. Maybe I'll post a recipe for sauted bok choy someday.

I bought myself a citrus peeler for Christmas ($$ big spender $$) and now I am finally using it! It feels like Christmas all over again (except our trash can isn't overflowing with wrapping paper and my sink isn't overflowing with dirty dishes).

This is where I take off my rings and dig-in with my hands.

I tried to get the wrappers to pinch together without first brushing them with water...big mistake. The water is apparently a key component to this recipe. Use it!

What a beauuuty!

(to be read in Steve Erwin's Crocodile Hunter voice. God rest his crocodile-wrestlin'- soul.)

After the water is added...bubble...bubble...bubble!

eat me! eat me!

Cook's Notes:

~ Next time I will mix 1/4 pound of pork sausage with 1/4 pound of ground chicken or turkey to cut back on the greasiness (although there is something really authentic about greasy Pot Stickers).

~ Add matchstick carrots, Napa cabbage and chopped water chestnuts to the mix.

~ This is not a kid friendly dish! Get the water boilin' for the Ramen noodles, baby!

Bouncy Bouncy

My visitor has loaned me an old digital camera to keep everyone abreast of our goings on here. Lo and behold, it has video capabilities. I call this little clip Bouncy Bouncy.

We Have A Visitor

We have a visitor...















she has a camera...






















can you name that visitor?