Happy Chinese New Year! It is the Year of the Rabbit, a kinder and gentler year, according to Chinese Astrology. I, myself, am a Monkey – no smart remarks, thank you. To celebrate, I’m trying out several dim sum style dishes, and I’m starting with Vegetarian Pot Stickers.

The concept of dim sum is similar to Spanish tapas: lots of little plates and tastes. It’s a wonderful way to try out different flavors and textures, and to stretch your cultural palate. For me, the problem with going out to a dim sum restaurant, is that it’s tough to find dumplings and pot stickers and so on, that aren’t filled with pork or some sort of seafood.

I decided that if I’m going to get to indulge in this delectable form of Chinese cuisine with abandon, I’d have to learn to make it myself. And you know what? It’s not particularly difficult to make at home, either. You can buy egg roll and won ton wrappers in pretty much any grocery store, and while there are traditional fillings, there’s no reason you can’t create your own, or modify the recipes to suit your own needs and tastes.

Vegetarian Pot Stickers
(makes 24 – double or triple recipe as needed)

Ingredients:

24 won ton wrappers

8 oz. mushrooms (your choice – I used half whites & half baby portobellos)
1 Tbs. tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp. sriracha hot sauce
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. fresh garlic (pressed through a garlic press)
2 scallions, white & green parts, roughly chopped

A little cornstarch
A little vegetable oil
1 cup water, divided

Special equipment: 10″ skillet with a tight-fitting lid, small bowl of water

Preparation:
Add all of the ingredients (except the wrappers, cornstarch, oil, and water) to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mushrooms are finely minced and all of the ingredients are well combined. It will help if you’ve given the mushrooms a bit of a rough chop first, or if you use pre-sliced mushrooms.

Place a won ton wrapper on your work surface, turned so that it appears to be a diamond shape. Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper.

Dip a fingertip into the bowl of water and trace along the two edges farthest from you. Bring up the end closest to you, fold over the filling, and pinch the edges together to seal. Make sure you’ve gently pressed the wrapper around the filling so there are no air pockets.

Stand up your little triangle pocket so that the filling side sits on your work surface. Fold the top point down, away from you, and pinch. Now, give the edges on either side of that fold 2 little pleats and pinch. Your pot sticker will now look like it has wings. Place it on a large plate that’s been dusted with a bit of cornstarch, to prevent sticking.

Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Brush just a few drops of oil onto the hot pan surface, and place 12 of the pot stickers, upright, into the pan. Allow the bottoms to brown. Carefully add 1/2 cup water to the pan and cover it quickly. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed. Remove the pot stickers immediately to another plate to keep warm, and repeat the procedure with the rest of the uncooked ones.

Notes:

Traditionally, pot stickers are made with round dumpling wrappers, so if you have them, you can skip the part about folding the top point down. You still have to pleat, though.

Feel like you have to have meat? Substitute 4 oz. of ground chicken (or pork, if you must) for half of the mushrooms, just don’t run it through the food processor. Mix the processed ingredients with the ground chicken thoroughly and fill the wrappers as before. Add a full cup of water (instead of 1/2 cup) to the pan, and steam until the water evaporates, about 5-6 minutes.

Wouldn’t it be fun to do up a bunch of these for your Super Bowl party?

Happy New Year!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for following along over the last year. 2010 was a pretty exciting and volatile year for me. It was the year I stopped musing and realized that Life is indeed what happens while you’re busy doing other things. And having figured that part out, actually did something about it. So, Welcome 2011! Can’t wait to see around the next corner!

But, the weekend’s not over yet, and if you need something for a special breakfast, brunch, a light supper, or even the hors d’oeuvre table, this Spinach Strata goes with just about anything you plan to serve – especially bubbly beverages. It’s also loaded with spinach – a good luck food – to bring you health and wealth in the New Year!

Spinach Strata

(Serves 4 as main dish; may be doubled or tripled as necessary)

Ingredients:

1 tsp. butter, margarine, or Smart Balance Light Spread
1 medium potato (about 9 oz.)
4 oz. sliced or shredded cheese (such as Swiss or mozzarella)
4 large eggs, beaten
2 Tbs. milk
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2-3 cups baby spinach, uncooked
1 medium tomato, sliced thin
salt & pepper

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375º F. Grease a 1 quart oven-proof casserole dish with the butter.

Slice the potato very thinly. A small hand slicer or mandoline will be useful here. Line the bottom of the casserole with half of the potato slices, overlapping. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Lay half of the cheese over the potato slices.

Beat the eggs with the milk until combined, season with a little salt and pepper, and mix in the thyme leaves (which you’ve first stripped from their stems). Pour into the casserole.

Pile the spinach leaves evenly over the egg mixture and cover with the sliced tomato, followed by the remaining potato slices. Arrange the remaining cheese over the top, making certain to cover the potato slices completely.

Bake for 30-35 minutes and let cool for about 5 minutes before cutting, to allow the strata to set.

Notes:

Swiss cheese will create a crisp, cheesy crust on top (think frico), so if you’d prefer a softer and creamier top, use something like mozzarella.

I traditionally like to make a brisket – pan seared and oven roasted with onions, carrots, and potatoes – on Erev Yom Kippur (Yom Kippur Eve). Of course, I like to make brisket every so often during the year – holiday or no – but especially for those of us observing the fast on Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement) this Saturday, a hearty meal will be required so we’ll be able to stay vertical from sunset on Friday until three stars are observed in the sky on Saturday night. Best of all, it practically cooks itself!

Oven-Roasted Brisket
(serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

1 3lb. brisket
2 large cloves garlic
Kosher salt
2 – 3 Tbs. olive or canola oil
Ground black pepper
4-6 carrots, peeled and cut into thirds across
5-6 medium potatoes (reds or golds are best), washed & cut into quarters
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into quarters
1 cup strong black coffee
1/2 cup water

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375º F. Rinse the brisket under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.

Peel the garlic and cut into slivers. With a sharp paring knife, cut deep slits all over the brisket and stuff a garlic sliver into each slit. Sprinkle that side of the meat with a little kosher salt.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan (large enough to hold the meat and vegetables, and able to withstand oven temperatures of at least 375º) or a roaster on top of the stove over high heat. If using a roaster, you’ll probably need to use 2 burners.

Place the brisket, salted side down, into the pan and sprinkle additional kosher salt and a little ground black pepper on the raw side. Turn it over when browned a deep mahogany color, and brown the other side. Remove from the heat.

Arrange the vegetables around the meat, add the coffee and water, and season the vegetables with a little additional salt and pepper. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, or if you don’t have a lid, use a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil, crimping the edges tightly.

Put the pan in the oven and cook for at least 2 hours, or when it’s fork-tender. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain.

*Hint: Cook this the day or night before you want to eat it, and refrigerate it when done and cooled. The brisket is sliced much easier when it’s cold. You can then lay the slices in the pan in its own jus, cover and heat at 350º till heated through.

I find that coffee brings out the “beefiness” in beef, but no, it doesn’t taste like coffee!

Ruby-Throat Hummingbird giving 2009 “The Ass”

And don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out. Bleah.

I’m not going to get into national issues here. Yes, the economy has tanked. The Republicans, aligning themselves with the fringe right-wing, have sabotaged health care reform and national security purely in self-interest and seem to have only one goal: driving this country into the ground and blaming President Obama and/or the Democrats. But I’m not going to talk about that, right now. I don’t need to go that big. To review:

If you recall, the year began with MJ’s mother going from hospitalization to dead in roughly 7 days’ time, the news of neither event being volunteered to us by his father, except that we happened to call him, coincidentally. Said events also giving rise to the only time in my life that I have uttered the word “fucking” as a modifier to the word “jewelry.” And as “Mom” was in charge of the family finances, and “Dad” was too self-absorbed in his own problems to notice and/or give a rat’s ass about her mental and physical deterioration (take your pick), we discovered that bills hadn’t been paid in several months, their power and phone were about to be cut off, and their mortgage was in danger of foreclosure.

Moving along, MJ was himself diagnosed with Type II Diabetes and hypertension. The quack doctor we were then seeing, decided it would be great fun to scare the crap out of me with a possibly serious thyroid condition, then disappear to a convention without leaving his staff authorization to share the test results with me.

At the end of June, the day after we returned from Sarasota and a week of R & R with good friends, our house was robbed, resulting in several months of dicking with the insurance company and endless – to this very day – recriminations from my mother.

Work has, quite simply, sucked. Believe me when I tell you that I am fully acquainted with my shortcomings. (No! Really! It’s true! I’m not perfect!) Without going into detail, I will only say that it’s just not necessary for other people to create them for me.

MJ’s father’s cancer has spread to his leg/hip. He pretty much stopped eating, had no appetite, and wouldn’t let his nurse’s aide fix him anything to eat. In his weakened condition, too self-absorbed in his own problems to notice and/or give a rat’s ass about much of anything, we discovered that bills hadn’t been paid in several months, his power and phone were about to be cut off, his mortgage was in danger of foreclosure, and all of his credit cards were cut off and their interest rates jumped to something usurious like 35%. We had him put on medication to stimulate his appetite, and while his strength and interest have increased, as a result, we’re keeping a closer eye on him.

But, it hasn’t been all bad.

As a result of MJ’s health concerns, he lost over 50 pounds and is on the cusp of being taken off the diabetes medication. We hope that will happen after the next blood test, which I’m putting off until February, because we’ve both been very very very bad children this holiday season.

I have become a relatively more regular blogger. It really is an incredible means of self-expression. I have ranted about life and sensitive issues like politics and the environment, expecting flames, and received praise and encouragement, instead.

Since joining Twitter, I have become friends with an incredible number and variety of people all over the world. With my “Recipe Monday” features, I’ve also somehow managed to be sucked into “Foodie World.” I’m baking bread with HBin5; I’m baking French macarons with MacTweets; I was flattered to be invited to bake 12 kinds of holiday cookies for “The 12 Days of Cookies”; and I will be attempting something else I’ve never done, in the coming year – canning – with Tigress’ Can Jam (I’ve got everything but the jars & lids!). I keep saying I’m not a “food blogger” – initially, I was super-intimidated to be included in such company (they all make such pretty things, and “pretty” is just not something I’ve really concentrated on!) – but, as we’ve all gotten to know each other, I discovered that experience counts. I learned that I have something to offer, and what I don’t know, others will help me learn. There is such a supportive food blogger community out there, and I’m proud to count myself as one of them. There. I said it.

I believe in giving back, and you’ll see more of that, as well. You will still see the occasional sponsored post, but what little money I make from that usually goes to sending packages to our troops in Afghanistan. While I don’t support war, I support our troops. I consider that two separate things. And since I didn’t have time to send them holiday packages, this year, I donated to eMOM so she could send packages on my behalf. I’d like you to click that “Chip In” button at the top of this page and chip in $5 or $10 so she can make her goal. Today is the last day to make that deadline. Please give what you can. * They made it! Thank you!

All of that being said, however, I am equally proud of being – for all intents and purposes – somewhat of an environmentalist and enthusiastic promoter of creating backyard wildlife habitats. If you have room for a bird feeder and/or a bird bath in your yard, you’re well on your way and should click that button in the sidebar to find out more. This is the perfect time of year to start and plan. So I will equally enthusiastically continue to participate in Nature Notes, too.

———————————————

Appearing yesterday (my birthday!) was this female Red-bellied Woodpecker. I love this shot because you can finally see the streaks of red on her underside that gives this bird its name! You can click on it to see it in better detail – I forgot to re-size it.

I leave you with this terrible quality video I shot yesterday through my dirty window, of a squirrel storing away nuts for the winter. This may be old-hat to most of you, but I’ve never actually seen this behavior before, and certainly never thought South Florida squirrels found it necessary to do that.

Maybe he knows something I don’t know about the future. Maybe it’s a warning. Maybe I’m anthropomorphizing. Maybe I’m crazy. Maybe I need to wash my windows.

Wishing you all a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, and Peaceful New Year!

When it’s already been said better than you can possibly say it yourself, why reinvent the wheel?

At sunset tonight, wherever in the world you are, the Jewish New Year 5770 begins. I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy & Peaceful New Year.

From The Whitehouse Blog:

Warm Wishes for Rosh Hashanah

Posted by Danielle Borrin

Read translations of the President’s Remarks here. Languages include Arabic, French, Hebrew, Persian, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.

At sundown this Friday night, the Jewish community here in the United States and all over the world will celebrate the start of the new year. Rosh Hashanah, literally “head of the year,” marks not only a time of prayer and self-reflection, but also a time of celebration, rejuvenation and hopefulness for the days and year to come.

For many, the sounds of the shofar serve as an emotional high point during the period leading up to and during the High Holy Days. The sounds emanating from the ram’s horn awaken our spirits and compel the listener to repentance and to action. In the first Presidential video message for the High Holy Days, President Obama describes how:

“[T]his sacred time provides not just an opportunity for individual renewal and reconciliation, but for families, communities and even nations to heal old divisions, seek new understandings, and come together to build a better world for our children and grandchildren.

“At the dawn of this New Year, let us rededicate ourselves to that work. Let us reject the impulse to harden ourselves to others’ suffering, and instead make a habit of empathy – of recognizing ourselves in each other and extending our compassion to those in need.

“Let us resist prejudice, intolerance, and indifference in whatever forms they may take — let us stand up strongly to the scourge of anti-Semitism, which is still prevalent in far too many corners of our world.

“Let us work to extend the rights and freedoms so many of us enjoy to all the world’s citizens – to speak and worship freely; to live free from violence and oppression; to make of our lives what we will.”

As the new year begins, let each of us respond to the call of those who are important to us, of our children, our communities, our nation, our conscience. From the White House, we hope everyone has a happy, healthy, peaceful and sweet New Year.

Me, again: From our house to yours -

Shana Tova u’Mitukah שנה טובה ומתוק

Yes, I know it’s Tuesday. What’s your point?

The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, is coming up in a couple of weeks, beginning at sunset on Friday, September 18th. In case you’re unfamiliar, Rosh Hashana begins a ten-day period of introspection, atonement for misdeeds during the previous year, and of giving charity and doing good deeds, to hopefully have your name sealed in God’s “Book of Life” for the next year.

We wish each other a Sweet Year and mark the occasion by eating special foods, such as apples dipped in honey and other foods touched with sweetness, like honey cake. For Rosh Hashana, the challah bread you might be familiar with, is not braided, but coiled into a smooth round shape, signifying the Circle of Life and God’s Nature – there is no beginning and no end.

MJ and I will be spending the first evening at my mother’s and the second evening at my brother’s, so I won’t be doing any of the actual cooking, this year, but I am baking the challahs and honey cakes for both dinners, by special request. I’m even baking challahs and honey cakes to order for my co-workers at $10 apiece, and donating the money to the Komen Foundation to find a cure for Breast Cancer!

Some people equate the New Year honey cake with the Christmas fruitcake – traditional, but more useful as a doorstop. I proudly admit that I like fruitcake – properly aged in a fine Irish whiskey – and I love a good honey cake. This is one of them.

I posted a recipe for my favorite Honey Cake, last year, but as with all things, evolution happens. I’ve tweaked this a bit further, adjusted a couple of measurements, and added a little ground cardamom for even more dimension.

This is my new favorite.

Honey Cake

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup hot strong coffee

Handful of sliced almonds (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325º F.

Grease and flour a 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan.

Sift together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, beat together the wet ingredients in a large bowl until blended, about 3 minutes.

Beat in the dry ingredients in 2 additions, alternating with coffee, until batter is smooth.

Transfer batter to prepared pan. If using sliced almonds, sprinkle them on top of the batter in 2 columns, on either side of the center. Bake until cake is brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour (test with a wooden skewer).

Cool cake in pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto a rack; cool completely.

Wrap cake in plastic wrap and store at room temperature or if preparing ahead, seal in freezer storage bag and freeze.

Makes about 8 servings.

Of course, you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy this honey-sweetened spice cake! It’s the perfect first taste of Fall – try it topped with a big ol’ scoop of vanilla ice cream and cup of coffee or tea on the side. Mmmm… This freezes really well, too, so make it now, wrap it well, put it in a plastic freezer storage bag, and you’ll have one less thing to think about, when preparing your holiday meal!

And speaking of charity and doing good deeds, now would be a really good time to donate to the Susan G. Komen Foundation to cure Breast Cancer through my page! Remember – I’ve pledged to add $2.00 out of my own pocket per donation made through my page, no matter the size – so please click here and do a good deed! Thanks!

If you’re good, I’ll give you the challah recipe next week!