Hot Day? Cold Sesame Noodles!

We've found a way to beat the Temp-Rapture - my mom's cold sesame noodles! I was just throwing it together so apologies for no specific measurements.

Cold Sesame Noodles
1. Cook egg noodles (we used thin spaghetti), rinse with cold water and toss with sesame oil. Put in refrigerator.
2. In a blender, add:
- Sesame paste (we only had peanut butter so that worked)
- Soy sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Sesame oil
- Chicken broth
- Siracha (or wasabi)
- Garlic
- Ginger
3. Blend sauce until smooth and to your preferred seasoning. Toss with noodles.
4. Prepare toppings. We had left over chicken and scallions. Other toppings: julienne cucumber, scrambled egg, ham, etc.

Chinese Herb Duck Soup

As the days have gotten colder, I have been craving my mother's Chinese Herb Duck Soup. The slightly bitter taste is addictive and honestly, cures everything. The problem was, I knew what it was called in Chinese ("Dong Quai") but couldn't find it. Finally, I just went through the entire dried herb aisle smelling every bag. The english name is "Angelica sinensis diels". I had my dong quai, duck bones (breasts removed for ragu and legs, wings and thighs for confit) and was ready to go.

Ingredients:
- Duck bones
- 2 pieces of dried dong quai
- 1 piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dried shitake mushrooms
- 1/2 cup rice wine

In large stock pot, add all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Skim off any frothy pieces that rise to the top. Lower heat and simmer for at least an hour. Enjoy with some white pepper.

Dumplings

People say, "I've become my mother." To me, that's the highest compliment - I wish I could cook as well as her. As a kid, dumpling day was particularly festive - mom rolling out thin round dough with one hand, all the chopping and mixing, the air filling with the aroma of the filling and our mini "couches" of dumplings lined up on a floured bake sheet ready for a swim in boiling water and a dunk in her amazing dipping sauce.

With winter upon us, I thought it would be nice to have some dumplings in the freezer for those nights where I didn't feel like cooking. My friend C graciously offered her home for our dumpling party. With the fabulous company and many bottles of wine, everyone made plenty of dumplings to boil, fry and take home. And yes, C, you get an A+ and are now a certified Asian woman.


Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp corn starch
- black pepper
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 1 oz fresh ginger (peeled and finely grated)
- 2 scallion stalks (root and tips trimmed off, minced)
- 4 napa cabbage leaves (finely chopped)
- 5-6 dried shitake mushrooms (reconstituted and minced)
- 1/2 lb shrimp (peeled, deveined, minced)
- 2 packs of dumpling wrappers (I prefer the white round kind)



Mix all ingredients (except wrappers) in a large bowl. Set up your wrapping station: clean plate, small bowl with water, floured baking sheet, teaspoon. Take a wrapper and put in on the clean plate. With the spoon, put a marble size of filling in the center. Dip your finger in the water bowl and trace the edge of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half and pinch the center of the arch together. From the middle, pleat the wrapper in the back while pressing it to the flat front until the dumpling is completely sealed and resembles a small couch. Line up the dumpling on the floured baking sheet.

To boil a fresh dumpling, put fresh dumplings in boiling water, stir so they don't stick and cook for 3 minutes. Strain and stir in some sesame oil so they don't stick.

To fry a fresh dumpling, heat oil in a skillet, cook each side until golden brown.

To boil a frozen dumpling, separate and put frozen dumplings into boiling water. Stir so they don't stick. When water comes to boil, pour in a cup of cold water. Do this 3 times. When the dumplings float, remove from water. Strain and stir in some sesame oil so they don't stick.

To fry a frozen dumpling, heat oil in a skillet. Gently add frozen dumpling (swish in oil before finally placing so it doesn't stick). After one side is browned, add 1/2 a cup of cold water and allow water to steam off. Once water is fully evaporated, brown the rest of the sides of the dumpling.

Dumpling sauce: thinly sliced ginger, 1 part black vinegar (or rice vinegar) and 1 part soy sauce.

Got Beer? Got duck?

I love my mom's recipes because they are easy, there are a handful of ingredients and so very yummy. Since I had used the duck breasts for the ragu, I had to find a way to cook the rest of the duck. Behold, beer duck! I made it in the afternoon and brought it over to H's house for dinner. After eating it, my godson said, "More! More! More!"

Beer Duck
1. In a thick pot with cover, put the duck, a can/bottle of beer (we used Sam Adams Lager), a cup of soy sauce and thick slices of ginger.
2. Cover and cook over low heat (make sure it's still bubbling) for an hour.
3. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

Some variations: maybe add a small handful of black peppercorns, some hard boiled eggs, tofu, etc.

Momma's Meatballs

This is an easy and versatile dish that basically gives you the inside of a dumpling and fantastic sauce. I remember the house filling with an amazing aroma and having it with rice for dinner and with somen noodles the next day.

Momma's Meatballs
1. Mix 1 pound of ground pork with finely diced ginger (half a thumb), diced water chestnuts, chopped 2-3 stalks of scallions, 1/4 cup of soy sauce (we use reduced sodium), 1/4 cup of rice wine, tbsp of corn starch and a splash of sesame oil.
2. In a 3 qt saucepan with lid, make a layer of little meatballs (about 1 inch in diameter) and add 3/4 cup water, 3/4 cup soy sauce, 3/4 rice wine. Bring to boil.
3. Cover and lower heat to higher than a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes.

Mother's Day Bash

M and I made it to Leonia with the help of all of her devices and in spite of the the overpowering fragrance of half a bushel of steamed and spiced blue crabs. Mom ran out the door and the first thing she asked was not, "how are you" or "how was the ride". No, it was "Where's Petunia??!?!"

And of course, Mother's Day would not be complete without a trip to Mom's and my favorite place in the whole world: Woodbury Commons. Surprisingly, the two people who dislike it spent the most money (Dr. Do and M)! I only bought 2 pairs of thermals. The little kitchen things I picked out were not worth waiting in line for.

Even the geese had a nice Mother's Day together.

And then, in addition to Petunia, blue crabs and Woodbury, our final mission of Mother's Day was to get mom tanked. She totally rocked out! We had a great evening of Rock Band and Kareoke Revolution with old family friends.

Stronger than Blood

Besides mom, M has been a major recipient of gifts this year. My father gave her a remote controlled helicopter, a refurbished cigar box and a handmade shank. My mother gave her a Swiss Army knife and luggage. The children my parents have given birth to have received nothing. They must really like her.

And why are they always giving her knives?!

M's answer: they know I have to protect myself from Wellesley girls.

Again, it's not that the girl went to Wellesley, it's that she was a computer science major.

Christmas (If Baby Jesus was a Premie)

As you may or may not know, I cannot keep a secret. And, I'm a planner so I usually get people gifts way before the gift giving occasion. So, people usually end up knowing and/or receiving their gifts early because I just can't help myself.

We got mom a 32" TV for her birthday/ Christmas present. See how thin it is! Her birthday is the Friday after Thanksgiving. Although we got her the TV, she bestows her deepest appreciation on M who put the thing together (we didn't even open the box). Can you imagine, the DVD player, cable, Wii and XBox 360 are all plugged into the TV and we don't have to reach behind to plug and unplug things. Amazing!

M also took Mom to Woodbury Commons today where she bought 2 bags. M got 7 sweaters - 6 of which are argyle. And I temporarily lifted the shopping embargo to get 3 dresses from Barney's. I was doing was doing so well - I didn't buy a thing from JCrew. But, I got to Barney's and they were taking an additional 25% off sale items and the dresses were made out of 100% silk and 100% wool respectively. You can't get those gorgeous fabrics for that cheap anywhere. When we got home, Mom ran upstairs and brought down a Swiss Army knife for M. "Merry Christmas, M," she said (Mom hasn't gotten her children a Christmas present since the early 1990's).

The keys to mom's heart are to (1) take her to Woodbury Commons, (2) fix electronic/ technological problems, (3) do whatever she says (i.e., risk life changing light bulb). Today Mom asked M if she was coming for Christmas and then remembered that M is going to spend it in Orlando with her mother and brother. Mom then said, "I'm gonna miss you." For me, that was the greatest Christmas gift from Mom ever.

Mom also said that I was good at cleaning and that I should clean M's toilets.

Another nice thing was that M's mom asked if I would be coming to Orlando for Christmas. Very sweet.