Wontons

I have memories of eating dozens of mom’s wontons for dinner as a kid. I would help wrap them at the kitchen table. Although not every year, we often made dumplings to celebrate the New Year, but as we made a tradition of making steamboat on New Year’s Eve, and a more elaborate dinner for New Year’s Day, it has been awhile since we’ve honored this New Year’s tradition.

Variations are endless with wontons. I prefer the thicker Northern Chinese style wrappers. One thing to keep in mind is to minimize moisture. Also, taste test for seasoning before wrapping by putting a sample of the filling in the microwave to cook.

Filling Options:

• Ground Chicken, Chopped Shrimp, Napa Cabbage (salted and squeezed of excess water), Cilantro, Shitake Mushrooms (rehydrated), Ginger, Garlic, Leeks, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil
• Ground Pork, Chopped Shrimp, Napa Cabbage (squeezed of excess water), Ginger, Garlic, Green Onion, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil

Wrap wontons by placing about 1 TBSP filling in each wrapper. Wet edges with a mixture of water and corn starch and crimp the ends.

Bring water to a boil and place wontons into the pot. Cook until they float, then add cold water to the pot and bring to a boil again. Repeat this proces two more times.

Wontons made ahead, then frozen (uncooked) individually on a tray. Store in plastic bags in the freezer

Lion Head Meatballs

First made for Kai Ming’s Chinese New Year Party 2007

*Note this is not mom’s recipe*

Yields 10 large meatballs

• 2 lb ground pork
• 2 TBSP soaked dried shrimp, minced
• 1 can coarsely chopped water chestnuts
• 2 green onions chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 TBSP minced ginger
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 TBSP cornstarch
• 3 TB2P soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt/pepper
• flour for dredging
• sesame oil for finishing
• napa cabbage cut into large pieces to trade the meatballs
• chicken broth, enough to cover the meatballs halfway up

1. Gently combine the pork, shrimp, water chestnuts, green onions,4 cloves garlic, 2 TBSP ginger,eggs, cornstarch, soy sauce.   Form into loose balls
2. Dredge in flour and brown on all sides
3. Lay the cabbage down in 2 layers, then place the meatballs on top
4. Add the chicken broth and drizzle on the sesame oil and a little extra soy sauce for color.  Add additional 2 cloves minced garlic and 2 tsp minced ginger into the broth
5. Bake at 350 degrees, basting occasionally till meatballs are cooked (~45 minutes)
6. Transfer to stovetop and reduce sauce till thickened

The first 8 months

Now that wedding and the honeymoon excitement has subsided, B and I have been focusing on building our little nest on a hill. We recently heard news that an acquaintance who married just 1 day before us just had his first baby. Doing the math in my head, that doesn’t really add up…but anyways….I thought about what we have been doing the last 8 months while R and L were preparing their own nest for their new arrival.
Even though we’d been together for over 5 years and spent lots of time together in the past, being married felt different to me (but apparently not for B, according to him!) I suddenly felt like were now co-dependent on each other. I felt like I should have dinner on the table and take care of household duties. B easily slipped into the roles of dishwasher and garbage taker-outer (as always), vacuumer and landscaper. Aside from uncertainty and instability at work, the first 8 months of marriage have been wonderful!
We’re gradually adding furniture pieces, the most recent are a second couch upstairs and 2 bedrooms chair, one of which I’m sitting in now. It took us about 7 months to hang the oil painting of Venice upstairs in the living room. It’s special since we picked it out together one afternoon spent in Coronado. Domestic items we have purchased that I’ve never considered to get before include and steam mop, and good sized collection of throw pillows and steam iron.
The past summer in particular has been one to remember. We started to get to know our neighborhood including the walking path to the local market and enjoying the Cabrillo National Monument. We took walks on warm nights to the park via the hidden staircase B discovered while jogging.
TRIPS:
Although we haven’t lived up to our agreement that we would travel somewhere far and exotic every 6 months, we managed to take a quick trip to Yosemite as part of our trek to Fresno for M and L’s wedding reception. Although we froze in a non-insulating permanent tent and used public showers and bathrooms at Camp Curry, it was a great trip, a true vacation. It was B’s first time actually seeing the summit point, and even though I had seen it before, we were both awe-inspired by the breathtaking view. We (actually more B) hiked along the path of the waterfall right when we arrived in the park. We completed the vertical hike along Nevada Falls which is about 7 miles I believe. When we finally made it to the top, we enjoyed the view from the fall’s break point and the serene waters with a very aggressive squirrel. The second day was spent going to Glacier Point, probably B’s favorite spot of the trip. We then took a short hike up and rock just a little smaller than Half Dome and took some fun pictured that made it appear that we were climbing a huge rock! On our final day we saw the Giant Sequoia’s, walking right through one of them! We met a couple who went to med school at UCSD and who were friends with an former pharmacy resident-small world!
Travelling to Santa Barbara is also a relaxing getaway and we can visit family at the same time. We stayed with B’s parents and traveled to wine country via Solvang. We got a great bottle (to be enjoyed) which has notes of smoke and coffee. A very complex flavor profile that I’m looking forward to drink!
CELEBRATIONS and PLAYING HOUSE:
My first venture in my new kitchen was making homemade scones with a recipe from the Cook’s Illustrated subscription I received as a bridal shower gift. The strawberry ones were so much better than the blueberries (when overboard on the blueberries). In any case, B’s work and Uncle P and Aunt L appreciated them.
We hosted our first dinner guests on out 1 month anniversary, cooking Thai food for 10 guests (our SSC group). I will definitely think twice about cooking Asian food for a big group next time!
C and M came over to make lamb shanks braised in red wine with risotto and strawberry shortcakes on one summer evening which really made the kitchen and the house feel more like home.
Thanksgiving was also another milestone in our 1st year that was so wonderful! I planned for quite a while, trying to find the perfect apple pie and pumpkin pie dish. Although my efforts to make homemade pie dough using bourbon was an absolute flop, the house-full of people appreciated our hospitality. The menu consisted of:
Herb roasted brined turkey and gravy, Mashed potatoes, Roasted sweet potatoes and yams, Mac and cheese, Cornbread stuffing with sausage mushroom apple and cranberry, Mixed marinated veggie salad, Mom’s Broccoli casserole and Rice stuffing, C’s grown-up’s string bean casserole. Dessert was skillet apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan squares and Nancy’s organic carrot cake.
For my birthday, B surprised me with a day at December nights, noshing on fried potato balls and papusas, visiting the natural history museum and listening to local groups perform at the Organ Pavilion. The night was topped off with a l dinner at Kensington Grill with D, M and H and dessert with Mae and Heaven Sent-Red Velvet of course!
After hosting a Holiday Party for B pharmacy staff, Christmas was pretty low key since I was battling a bad cold or URI of some sort. B gave me a beautiful pearl necklace, and he liked the Citizen EcoDrive watch I picked out for home. One new thing that we did that may become a family tradition was check out the Christmas lights and decorations on B stumbled across on delivery run for work. Although there aren’t that many houses, it was quite a sight…like Disneyland!

Our first extended house guests 2 families with 2 rambunctious kids, particularly the little 2 year old G who has a hot head and stubborn personality. C got a glimpse into parenthood and thought that kids were as cute as she had thought! Made J*’s little 6 month old A* seem like an angel from heaven. He hung out at our house for about an hour for dinner with little more than a bit of fussiness.  He chilled with B on the couch watching the Laker’s game with him and patiently sat in his carseat without a peep. So sweet! Just re-enforced that not all kids are the devil’s child!
Last weekend was Chinese New Year and mom and dad came to visit. This is their second visit since B started calling them mom and dad. Kinda weird….we celebrated New Year’s Day and Vigilucci’s which was surprisingly good! Traditional Chinese New Year Dinner was Saturday night when we split our time and stomachs between Auntie’s house and ours. Mom made big tempura shrimp, fried wontons and yummy sweet and sticky spareribs as appetizers. We feasted on miso glazed salmon, lion head, sugar snap peas and chai. M tried so hard to make an impression. He wore red (along with wearing ‘crimson’ after approval from C on Thursday night) and ventured to the local Asian market in search of a pomelo and mochi!
So far, it has been a great ride, and I am looking forward to continuing it. As my mom alluded to as I handed her a New Year’s red envelope for the first time as a married daughter, B is a part of the family now. Mom acknowledged that she is an in-law now….timing possibly related to the New Year? But she said that she was hoping that grand kids would be on the way soon. We’re still trying to squeeze in some fun travels, but we will see what the future holds!