So, I really love the fried dumplings you get from some Chinese places. I'm actually kind of picky about them, and I know which restaurants have the best. But the trouble with dumplings/wontons is that you never really know what's in there. I'm pretty sure they are pork and spices, but I decided to try and make my own version that are somewhat healthier. Plus, they will be nice for bento lunches too!


So here's my version, and let me tell you, they are yummmy! Also, this makes a lot of dumplings, and then you have filling left over, which I pan fried into patties. You could probably half everything and fill up a package of wonton wrappers no problem.



Four nice sized leeks
Half a bag of carrots, roughly chopped
sea salt to taste


One tube of turkey sausage
Three eggs
a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
a teaspoon of ginger paste
a teaspoon of chopped garlic

wonton wrappers
vegetable oil
bowl of water



Fill a stock pot about halfway with water and put it on to boil while you prepare the leeks. Pull off the outside leaves and rinse well, remove the bottom of the stalk and cut into thick slices. Boil these and the carrots for about 45 minutes, until everything is super soft. Then strain off the broth (I freeze this for later use) and try and squeeze out as much of the moisture as possible. Then add some sea salt and crush it up with your hands until it is all mushed up.

Add the sausage, eggs, cilantro, ginger and garlic and mash up well. Then lay out your wrappers on a cutting board or something. I do about 9 at a time. Put about a teaspoon of the filling in the center of each one, then wet the forefingers of each hand and paint a little sweep of water along two adjoining sides. Then just fold them over, pinch the corners, and you have little triangle dumplings, ready to go.

Put about three tablespoons of oil in a pan and put in a layer of dumplings. You want to brown them on one side, which takes a couple of minutes on medium high heat for me. Don't turn them over! Just add about half a cup full of water and cover as they bubble, for about a minute. This steams the filling and the top of the dumpling really well. Then remove the top and cook until the water is just about gone. Done!


To dip them, I like a traditional sauce made from soy sauce, white wine vinegar, ginger and green onions.

From Obacci Jacket Lunch Box:



( Some more of my favorites! )

Braaaaaaiiiins!

Me biting twisted_tulip.

( Lotsa Zombie Pictures! )

When we bought this house eight years ago, I found a box full of old cookie cutters in the cabinet. I called the lady that we bought the house from, and she said she didn't think they were hers, so they may have been around for a seriously long time! I went through them and got rid of ones I would probably never use, and put the rest away beck under the cabinet years ago. I completely forgot I had them, and they will be perfect for bento! I pulled them all out, and found a couple more I've picked up here and there on a whim, and also found two silicone baking cups, one a star and one a moon, that I bought with the intention of making offering cakes and then never got around to. I am inspired!

Look out for cool bentos!

I broke down and bought a couple of real bento boxes online, two pretty bento sets for me, one black with strawberries (yay!) and one blue with dragonflies. For Corey I bought one with a skull, and one with a koi fish, but neither of his are sets, so they will hopefully fit in his lunchbox. That's better anyway, someone would probably steal it if I got him a nice one! He has had his entire lunchbox stolen several times over the years! The fucked up part is that he would have totally given them some of his lunch if they were hungry and broke, because he's just that kind of guy. *sigh*


( Here are pictures of the bento boxes I bought, in case you are curious. I want more, but I'm trying to control myself! )

Register to win a Prius and get a free sample of o.b. Tampons and a free carrying case. (if you want. The case is cute!)

That would be super cool to eat my lunch from on days when I'm feeling a little violent and crazy!


(this is the commercial that River from Firefly/Serenity was set to lose it on.)

Click for bigger size


Today, I kept it pretty simple. It's nice to make the two of our lunches at once, because I find that it sets up better portion wise.

Celery and carrot sticks, dolmas wrapped in parchment, mini hot dogs underneath two cups of tzasiki (cucumber yogurt) sauce.

Heart half apple, half orange, half banana, and a container of caramel dipping sauce under a tiny tin with a spearmint inside. I'm looking forward to it!

I have had my dreads for 10 months now. My husband's are nine months or so.


My thoughts on getting dreads right before I did them:

http://myrrhdusa.livejournal.com/482008.html

My thoughts on them now:

I love them, even though sometimes I have days when they seem floppy or too fuzzy. I never feel like I want to comb them out, and I can only remember one day, about a month in, where I had a single regret, and it was gone by the following day. I think, for me, it was the best decision, and it was the right time in my life to do it.

I actually feel like I look better with dreads than I did with straight hair (I know not everyone agrees, and that's okay.) I don't have to fuss with curling irons or brushes. I always hated when my hair would be in my face, and I hated that it would stick to my neck when it was hot. These are no longer an issue.

I love sticking my dreads into the wind in a car. I love that people remember me as the girl with the dreads and not the girl with the boobs. They are great conversation starters with strangers. People are eager to touch them, which is both flattering and creepy depending on the person, haha. I actually enjoy answering questions about them, and especially when I am able to enlighten someone about certain things, like washing dreads, or that you aren't neccesarily a pothead just because you have them.

I love finding things to thread onto them. I like tying my hair back with a knot or two. I love flinging the water out of my hair after a shower--it's like a great many-thonged whip and the pull of the swing feels good on my scalp. I love pulling them up into a big pineapple/fountain hairdo.

I've noticed other things too. I am a much calmer, happier person. I know no one will believe that dreads have something to do with this, but I really think they did. I am more able to let any anger or irritability flow away from me, and I also think that I'm somehow more intuitive about the feelings and concerns of others. Yes, I know that sounds flaky as hell. But it's the truth.

This is a link to the picture timeline I posted at eight months, in case you didn't see it:

http://myrrhdusa.livejournal.com/548702.html

The gods make the dreadlocks. You are the soil for their garden.