Steamed Chinese Pork Dumplings

 

 

 

Dear Readers, thank you for taking the time to stop by my little corner of the world that has been really quiet lately.  Today I bring to you a recipe for Pork Dumplings.  You will love it because you can make it up in a flash in a bamboo steamer.  They are delicious and such a fun treat to make.

 

Years ago I received a steamer from a co-worker for a wedding present.  As the years went by, and we had many moves, it disappeared.  I never, ever used the steamer.  Recently I dropped by World Market and picked a steamer up to make some Pork Dumplings for a Chinese Feast we were holding.

 



Chinese Pork Dumplings

Inspired by Leeann Chin, author of Betty Crocker's Chinese Cookbook; we have used her recipes for years.

 

 

Pork Dumplings:

 

1 pound ground pork

1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (include some green)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 egg white

2 tablespoons corn starch

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (depending on whether salt has been added to pork)

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Round wonton skins

 

Sauce: 

 

Note:  We have also used Trader Joe's Gyoza Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup light soy sauce

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

 

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the pork, onion, cilantro, egg white, corn starch, salt, soy sauce, sesame oil and ground pepper.  Mix well.

 

Place one tablespoon pork mixture in the center of the circle.  Bring edges of the wontons up around the pork mixture, pleating the wontons as you work around the pork; leave the top open.  Note:  If you do not pleat enough the wonton skin will pull away from the pork as it steams.

 

 

Here is a picture of the pleating process.  Don't worry.  The process goes quite quickly.

 



 

Place steamer in a non-electric wok.



 

Place a single layer of lettuce in the bottom of the steamer; the lettuce will help so that the dumplings will not stick to the bamboo steamer.  You can also buy liners for this purpose, but lettuce works just fine.  



 

Add water to the bottom of the wok, making sure that the water level does not reach the bottom of the bamboo steamer.  Bring the water to a boil and then add the covered bamboo steamer.  Steam for about 15 to 18 minutes until pork is done.  You will have to add more water.

 

The dumplings happily cooking in the steamer.

 

 

 

I hope you try making these dumplings, and I hope you try cooking with a steamer.  Thank you for dropping by my Red Couch.

 

 





Greek Burgers Like Wolffy's

 

 

Right next to the campus of Gonzaga, there is a little diner frequented by the students of Gonzaga and the community of Spokane.  (Gonzaga is a perennial basketball powerhouse, and don't even think of pronouncing it wrong.  The "zag" is pronounced like "zig-zag." )  At Wolffy's, there can't be more than 20 seats, and there is counter seating where you can view the employees cooking the food right in front of you.  This little diner has been around for many years serving up burgers and fries and shakes .

 

 

 

You might want to add the Greek Burger to your summer hamburger repertoire.  All you need is feta and pepperoncini.  The only secret to their Greek burgers, is cooking the pepperoncini on their grill, right along side the hamburgers.  This kind of tones down the pepperoncini.  All my family loves these burgers, I hope you will try them. 

 



Cranberry Swiss Chicken

 

 

Dear Readers it is that time of year again, when I am so motivated to cook things in my oven. How about you?   Last night was a crazy kind of night because I had two meals going on.  For the family,, I was making this yummy, filling Cranberry Swiss Chicken.  It has sweet, crunchy, and creamy all combined to make it so delicious and so easy to put together on a busy evening.    I was also making  Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup (a family favorite) , and some potato rolls for a sweet neighbor who has been ill again, now with pneumonia  When he punctured his lungs recently, I brought him Bonnie's Cream of Chicken Noodle Soup and Jacqueline's Focaccia.  The other day he told one of my children that it was worth getting his lung punctured so that he could get the soup and bread!!  So cute!  I thought such nice compliments should be rewarded with more food, don't you?

 

I found this recipe on Pinterest that originates from the blog Jam Hands, and was adapted from an All-Recipes recipe, and of course I adapted it just a little bit too.
 

 Cranberry Swiss Chicken

Makes 4 servings
 

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (thaw before using)

 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup stuffing mix ( I just used Betty Crocker )

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup melted butter

1/3 cup slivered almonds.

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place chicken breasts in 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 baking dish, and sprinkle with cheese.  In a medium mixing bowl, stir together chicken soup, broth, and pepper.  Once mixed well, pour over chicken.  Place stuffing mix over chicken breasts, then add cranberries and drizzle butter over top.  Bake in oven for 40-45 minutes.  At the half hour mark, add the slivered almonds on top of the casserole.  Enjoy!

Mummies With Moldy Dressing (Baked Southwestern Eggrolls with Cilantro Ranch Dressing)

Zoulah is so proud to bring you her latest creation in her Bewitchen Kitchen.  The Red Couch Food Critics loved Zoulah's Egg Rolls and clamored for more.  They happily dipped their mummies (egg rolls) in the addictive moldy dressing (Cilantro Ranch Dressing).  The Cilantro Ranch Dressing is not her creation but Zoulah adores it as well. 

She could use the Cilantro Ranch Dressing  as toothpaste -- hmmm looks like maybe she did! She could use the Cilantro Ranch Dressing  as a face mask --- hmmm looks like maybe she did -- is that why her face is green?  She dipped her warty, gnarled fingers in the dip cackling with delight!  She thought the dressing would be good for hand moisturizer .

She is so thankful to Our Family Favorites for recreating this dressing from one of her favorite restaurants, Cafe Rio,  Cafe Rio is a Utah institution.  They are famous for their Sweet Pork Barbacoa Salads served with this Cilantro Ranch Dressing. 

Zoulah included a "leeeetle" tutorial on making egg rolls and reminds everyone that they are simple to do.

The Egg Roll Recipe -- Inspired by Annie Eats

Yield -- About 24

Ingredients:

2 cups frozen corn, thawed
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend or Cheddar
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained
Leaves from 1/2  bunch cilantro
4 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 package egg roll wrappers (about 24 total)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Mix well to blend.   See the tutorial for making egg rolls below.
Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Lightly oil a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place the sealed egg rolls on the baking sheet seam side down and drizzle the tops with olive oil.   Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly brown, turning halfway through baking. Serve warm with Cilantro Ranch Dressing.

Egg Roll Wrapping Tutorial

Place about 2-3 tablespoons of the filling on top of the egg roll wrapper.  Have the egg rolls cornters pointing towards you.  It will be a diamond-shape.

Tuck the nearest eggroll corner near you underneath the filling and make it tight.

Put a little bit of water on the egg roll and fold the left corner in.

Put a little bit of water on the egg roll and then fold the right corner in.

Roll the eggroll and then seal the corner with water. Bake the egg roll with this top down on the pan.

The Cilantro Ranch Dressing is irresistible!

The Cilantro Ranch Dressing Recipe

1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise ( Zoulah hopes that you would never use Miracle Whip)
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro -- washed, but you don't need to take the stems off.
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 to 1 jalepeno -- depending on your preference

Mix all ingredients together in the blender.

Zoulah hopes you enjoy these Egg Rolls!

Linked with the following:

Wow Us Wednesdays, Weekend Wrapup, Metamorphasis Monday, On the Menu Monday, Made By You Mondays

Spicy Spanish Sausage Ragu

So glad you dropped by today.  Come take a rest on my Red Couch.  On a return from a family camping trip, I made Spicy Spanish Sausage Ragu which is a soothing and soulful dish -- it pulls together easy and makes for a memorable delectible meal 

This was the sweetest campground ever!  I love the red rock ledge that protected us from the sun.  The campground had flush toilets, a damned creek to swim in and a congenial campground host. 

I  based the ragu on some chicken chipotle-jalapeno sausage that I had in the freezer.  For any of my Utah readers, I purchased this from Sunflower Markets.  I can't describe to you how soothing and soul filling this was after eating camp food for a few days.  As my family would love to tell you, I am not a great camping cook, so this tasted especially good after days of camping food.

Recipe for Spicy Spanish Sausage Ragu

1 large red onion, diced

1 large red pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, diced

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds sausage

1 can petite diced tomatoes (28-ounce), undrained 

2 pounds uncooked sausage

1/3 cup cilantro

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In dutch oven add onion, pepper, garlic, and olive oil and saute until onion and pepper are soft.  Add sausage, tomatoes, cilantro, and freshly ground pepper.  As sausage cooks, cut into medium-sized pieces.  Cook ragu until sausage is done.

Red Couch Notes:  I did not add any salt, as the sausage I used contained salt.  If you cannot find a seasoned sausage, you will need to add a little jalapeno and chipotle pepper. 

Talley, 10 Years Old, Foot in the Damned Creek

One more view of our stupendous camp site.

It was wonderful having you here!

Easy and Delicious Chicken and Sausage Paella



I first became acquainted with paella in my high school Spanish class.  We played endless games of Scrabble in Spanish and memorized endless dialogues.  Does the following dialogue ring a bell with anyone?   "Esta Susanna en casa?  Si, esta con una amiga...."  

I was the fortunate winner of a copper bottom paella pan from a contest sponsored by Michael West, hostess of  Designs by Gollum.    Thank you Michael!

See the clouds and my red geraniums reflected in the copper bottom?

I love the shape of the pan.

This is MY version of paella.  Traditional paella has seafood in it; seafood and I don't get along.  Have I ever told you about the time that I was coerced to eat an oyster shooter by my colleagues at a very fine seafood restaurant?   As soon as I ate it, I ran from the table.  They could have told me that you are not supposed to chew!  Okay, I didn't think I was eating Jell-O.  I digress, so this is my version of a sausage and chicken paella; it is delicious and easy to make.

Usually paella is seasoned with saffron.  Saffron is a very expensive spice; one bottle retailed for $18 at my grocery store.  So, I cheated and used Mahatma's saffron rice. 

Sausage and Chicken Paella

1 green pepper, diced in small pieces

1 onion, diced in small pieces

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 pound hot Italian sausage, cut into small pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

Place pepper, onion, garlic, sausage, and oil in paella pan or medium-sized dutch oven.  Saute until sausage is browned and thoroughly cooked.

1 pound chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 to 2-1/4 cups chicken broth

1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced tomatoes

2 packages of Mahatma saffron rice -- you could also use arborio rice

1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes -- depending on your heat tolerance

Sliced green onions

Sliced green olives

Add chicken, chicken broth, tomatoes, rice, and red pepper flakes to the sausage, pepper, and onion mixture.  Bring to a boil and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour on low heat.  Garnish with onions and olives.

Note:  If you used arborio or long grain rice, you will need to kick up your dish with some additional spices, such as cayenne pepper or saffron. 

Now you know that yellow mushy rice doesn't make for a great photo.

Thanks for dropping by my Red Couch.

Linked with the following parties:  Foodie Friday

Nedra's Gnocchi --- Tutorial

You are going to love my mother Nedra for this recipe.  My mother passed away over 21 years ago, but she still lives on in many ways, including her recipes.  She found the gnocchi recipe years ago and it is a favorite with our family!  To me, Gnocchi, are perfect potato pillows!  They are melt-in-your-mouth heaven.  Did I tell you?  This is a cheater version; you make it with a mashed potato mix!  I know, I know, I never make instant mashed potatoes, except when I make gnocchi.  I even lived in Idaho for awhile so I know a teeny, tiny bit about potatoes.  Trust me on this one, you won't know the difference between dried and fresh potatoes,   I would sing for these gnocchi; I really would.

It took me 70 minutes to make this Gnocchi recipe, including time to take photos of the process.  I tell you this because it would take you longer to drive to a restaurant and order it.  You also wouldn't get the satisfaction of hearing your husband say, "These are better than in the restaurant...."  It is also very economical to make; it could be considered "peasant food."

Recipe for Nedra's Gnocchi -- There are photos of the process below.

Prepare mashed potatoes for 12 servings using half of the water and milk as directed on the package.  My package ( I just used the Wal-Mart Mashed Potatoes) had me add milk, water, butter, salt, and the potatoes. Make sure that you do boil the water and that you add the dried potatoes before you add the rest of the ingredients.  You need hot liquid so that the potatoes reconstitute.

1. Stir in about 1-1/2 cups flour, 1-2 teaspoons of salt and 3 eggs.  You need to be careful on the salt.  If you added some to your potato mix, taste the potatoes, before you add the eggs, and adjust the salt as indicated in step 1 accordingly.
2. On lightly floured surface, roll the dough, with your hands, into ropes about 3/4 inches thick and about 8 to 10 inches long.   The dough should be smooth and soft, not mealy.  Just work with the dough a bit.  You may need to add a little bit of flour.
3. Cut into 3/4-inch lengths.
4. Use a fork to make the indentations on each gnocchi.  This will flatten the pasta a bit, so plump it back up with your fingers.  You want the dough to have the indentations to trap more sauce.  There is a tool for this that I don't have.
5. Bring a large kettle of water to a boil.  Add 1 tablespoon salt.  Place the gnocchi in the boiling water.  The gnocchi are cooked when they rise to the top.  This happens quite quickly and not all will rise to the top at one time.  Remove gnocchi from the boiling water with a slotted spoon.  Serve with desired sauce.
6. We like gnocchi best with a bit of browned butter, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and fresh herbs.  I used some German Thyme that wintered over.

Gnocchi Dough

Rolled and Ready to Cut

Cut into 3/4-inch Slices

After the Fork Markings Have Been Made

Lovely Gnocchi Waiting to Be Cooked

A platter of Perfect Potato Pillows

Thanks for dropping by my Red Couch.

Posted with the following:  Foodie Friday Tickled Pink, Motivate Me Monday, Tuesday Night Supper Club. Take-A-Look Tuesday

Turkey Cranberry Wreath

This recipe has been around for awhile and it is one that I pull out from time to time.  It is a great recipe to employ to use up your leftover turkey.  I received the recipe from a lady at church, but I think it was most probably a Pillsbury recipe.  Have fun making this delicious wreath in the kitchen.  It whips up quickly.  The cranberries and honey  mustard give it a kick and the swiss cheeese gives it balance.  This is always a hit with my family.

Turkey Wreath Recipe

2 packages crescent roll dough

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons honey Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper

2 cups cooked, turkey, cut in small pieces

1/2 cup celery, sliced thinly

3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

4 ounces Swiss cheese, grated

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

1 egg, separated

Combine all the ingredients except the crescent rolls and the egg. 

Open the crescent roll tubes and separate the triangles.  You should have 8 triangles in each tube.  Take 8  triangles and place the wide ends in the center in a circle on your baking sheet.  It should look like this.

Take the remaining 8 triangles and line up the wide ends to the wide ends of the first 8 triangles.  The points of the triangles should face the center.  The points of the first 8 triangles faced outward.  Seal only, by pressing down with your fingers, where the two wide parts meet.

This is what I mean by lining up the wide ends of the triangle.  I drew it out on paper, because the photo I took didn't really show the wide ends meeting.

 Scoop the turkey mixture, where the wide ends meet, in a circle.  Weave the dough, outside piece, inside piece, alternating all the way around to make a wreath.  I didn't do a great job doing this and it turned out just fine.  As you do the weaving, tuck the ends of the triangle underneath the wreath.  There will be portions of the turkey mixture visible, this is fine.  Take the white from the separated egg and brush over the pastry wreath.

The wreath ready to be baked.

 Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.  Note:  If you don't have leftover turkey, try making it with chicken or a good quality deli turkey, bought in a chunk.  I hope you enjoy this as much as my family did!

Thanksgiving Challenge

Today I am thankful for good teachers.  My son has a nice Driver's Education teacher who worked with him to get his license.  The Driver's Education teacher takes his job seriously and put in extra time and effort with my son.  Yesterday, my son passed the test for his Driver's license.  I am also thankful that I don't have to wake up at 5:20 a.m. to get him to drive with his teacher anymore!

Posted with the following:
Foodie Friday, I'm Lovin' It, Feature Yourself Friday, Tickled Pink, Weekend Wrapup, Made By You Monday, Tasty Tuesday

Grilled Chicken with Tangerine-Honey Glaze

This grilled chicken recipe would be great for a Father's Day Barbecue.  I said at the beginning of the week that I would be posting "on the grill" recipes in honor of Father's Day as many of the men in our life enjoy grilling.  We tried this grilled chicken on the grill when we had a friend over for dinner last week.  Yes, my husband did the grilling!  We all liked it a lot!  I liked the tangerine-honey glaze so much I could have eaten it straight!  This recipe has been ever so slightly adapted from a  Bobbie Flay recipe.  I found it in the June 2009 Parade Magazine.  It was a winner in our home. 

A picture of my German Thyme; I just love its scent!

Recipe for Chicken with Tangerine-Honey Glaze

2 cups of tangerine or tangerine-orange juice.  Don't use juice from concentrate; I used Tropicana.
5 fresh thyme springs.  I used German Thyme because that's what I have growing.
1/4 cup clover honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
2 tablespoons ground fennel seeds.  I used fennel seeds, not ground.
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine the juice and thyme in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 1/2 cup; remove the thyme stems and discard.  This does take a bit of time, but the concentrated flavor from the reduction is worth it!  Whisk in the honey until incorporated and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.  Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.  Heat grill to medium-high.  Stir together the paprika, cumin, mustard powder, fennel, and 1 teaspoon each of the kosher salt and black pepper in a small bowl.  Brush both sides of the chicken with the oil, and season with salt and pepper.  Rub the top of each breast with some of the spice rub and place on the grill, rub-side down.  Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until the breasts are light brown and a crust has formed.  Turn the breasts over, brush the tops of the chicken with some of the glaze, flip them, and continue cooking until done.  Remove from the grill, brush the spice-rub side with more of the glaze, tent loosely with foil and let rest five minutes before serving.  My husband did the grilling; I can't guarantee that he followed all these grilling steps, but nevertheless, it tasted great!

I am posting this with Designs By Gollum Foodie Friday.

Bacon Jack Grilled Chicken and Winner of Napkin Rings!!

Last week we held a party at our home for about 20 people.  It makes giving a party so much easier for ME to have my husband do the barbecuing!  Not just for party days, but on any day!  I have pretty much relegated the barbecuing to my husband and it is a role that he embraces and one that I really appreciate all summer long!  This week I am going to feature a few grill recipes in honor of Father's Day.  The recipe and instructions for the Bacon Jack Chicken follows the announcement of the contest winner.

We have a winner for the "Style Sisters" napkin ring followers giveaway which ended on Friday!

For this giveway there were 54 comments posted.  Thirty-nine comments were eligible for the giveaway. 
True Random Number Generator
Min:  1
Max:  39
Result: 7
Powered by RANDOM.ORG

The winning number was 7 which belonged to Linda who hosts the blog A La Carte who said:
"Your table is too cute! Love the peanuts for the elephants! Clever! I looked at those napkin rings and they are so cute! I would choose 4 each in 3 colors, Pink, Blue & White. Thank you for a chance in your giveaway and Congrats on 100 Followers!"

Congratulations Linda!

Recipe for the Bacon Jack Chicken

Chicken Breasts
McCormick's Monterey Chicken Seasoning
Monterey Jack Cheese -- One slice per chicken breast.
Barbecue Sauce
Bacon -- Two cooked pieces of bacon per chicken breast.

Season chicken breasts with McCormick's Montreal chicken.  Grill chicken.  When chicken is almost done, top with barbecue sauce.  We like to use Bull's-Eye. Then top with a slice of Monterey Jack cheese and two slices of cooked bacon.  This is simple and tasty!


I am posting this with Just Something I Whipped Up Monday.






I am also posting this with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Pork With Creamy Bacon Fennel Sauce

Hi, and welcome to Foodie Friday! See my GIVEAWAY right below! This recipe is a REAl keeper!  This pork recipe is one my husband keeps asking for!  The cream, fennel, bacon, and lemon juice mixed together make a memorable sauce.  It's easy to make and would be a great "go to" meal for company.  This recipe has been slightly adapted from Michelle the author of the blog  "Ya Get What Ya Get."  When I saw this on her blog, I new I would be making this soon!  This blogger has just given birth to a new little boy!  I thank her for this recipe because we will be making this for years!

Don't forget to enter my "100 Followers" giveaway for 12 "Style Sisters" napkin rings.  Just click on GIVEAWAY or click on the picture of napkin rings in the left hand corner of my blog.  The giveaway ends June 11.

Recipe for Pork With Creamy Fennel and Bacon Sauce

4-6 boneless pork chops -- I use pork sirloin.
1/2 cup flour
Dash salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 slices of bacon
2 tablespoons fennel seeds chopped and minced--Use dried fennel found in the spice aisle.
1 small onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup whipping cream --Just straight from the box.

Trim fat from meat. Tenderize meat with a meat mallot.  In a shallow bowl combine flour and a dash of salt and freshly ground pepper; coat pork with mixture. In a large skillet, cook pork in hot olive oil.  When cooked and browned; remove from skillet.  In the same skillet, cook bacon until crisp or near crisp.  When bacon is cooked, cut into small pieces.  You can also leave them in larger pieces like I did.  Add fennel, onion, and garlic. Cook a few minutes longer. Add lemon juice, then stir in whipping cream. Bring to slight boil, and return meat to pan.  Cook sauce util it has begun to thicken and quickly remove pork and spoon sauce over meat.

I am linking up with Michael Lee West for Foodie Friday where you will find lots of great recipes!