Guest Post: Courtney from the THIH Family
I am VERY excited to introduce my next guest poster: she’s about four inches taller than I am, much more athletic AND artistic, and she can coax a plant out of the ground with her voice alone. Ok, maybe she can’t do the last thing on the list, but she is on her way to becoming a Master Gardener. Did I mention I have a black thumb? Anyway, I’m very pleased to present my sister, Courtney!
What’s that? You say this is a picture of ME? Ah, my dear reader, look closely. Courtney is in the picture, too. Still can’t see her? Here, let me give you a hint:
Let’s take a closer look:
Yup, that’s Courtney, waving in the background and adding a little “extra” to my scenic shot. When I asked her which picture she wanted me to put up in this post, she said, “Use the picture of you with me in the background, adding class to the picture”. Class, indeed.
At least I got a nice picture later.
Whenever Courtney and I visit our dad at the same time, she’s always making some kind of delicious dish. When Courtney is visiting our dad and I’m not, I always hear from my dad about the wonderful things Courtney made for dinner, and while I say, “Oh, ok,” secretly, I’m JEALOUS!! Anyway, Courtney wanted to share a few recipes with all of you. Enjoy!
****
Strawberry Green Tea
Steep 3 bag of green tea – 5 min (but remember not for too long or else it will be very bitter).
Take a square foot of cheese cloth and double it over twice so it is 4 layers thick.
Take 3-4 large strawberries and mash them in a bowl.
Place mashed strawberries in cheese cloth.
Wrap and tie the cheese cloth to make a package.
Place the cheese cloth package in the green tea and let steep in the fridge until chilled.
Try this in the morning or as a nice summer drink.
Basil Lemonade
Lemonade:
6 lemons juiced
1/2 C sugar
8 C. water
You can adjust the water and sugar content depending on how sweet or tart you like it.
Muddle 4 lemon basil leaves at the bottom of a tall glass.
Fill with ice.
Pour lemonade over basil leaves.
Garnish with young basil leaves.
Courtney’s Dumplin’s
1 1/2 C. cabbage, chopped
2 carrots, shredded
5 mushrooms, chopped
1/2 C. tofu, crumbled (can substitute chopped pork or shrimp)*
to crumble tofu place small chunks in hand and squeeze until most of the water has drained out
2 green onions, diced
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs olive oil
3 tbs soy sauce
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 inch chunk of ginger
1 clove of garlic
salt and pepper
1 package of wonton skins
Place shredded cabbage in a bowl and mix with 2 tbs of salt. Let sit 15 minutes until cabbage starts to get “sweat”. While waiting for cabbage to “sweat” prepare other ingredients. Once cabbage is done rinse and drain. Mix together all the ingredients. Lay out wonton skins and place 1 tbs of filling into each wrapper. Wet edges of the wonton skin and fold in half, covering the filling. Crimp edges as you would a pie.
To fry dumplings: Place in heated skillet, covered in a thin layer of oil, and fry for 30 secs to 1 min per side, until golden brown.
To steam dumplings: Place each dumpling on a square of parchment paper. Place dumpling in steamer tray and steam 5 minutes if you don’t have a steamer tray, place chopsticks in a shallow bath of water and place a plate on top. Once steam starts to rise place dumpling squares on the plate and steam 5 minutes.
* if you use shrimp or pork pre-cook all raw meat
Dipping Sauce
1/3 C. soy sauce
3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs water
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 garlic clove minced
Mix all ingredients together and serve alongside the dumplings.
Q: Do you like dumplings? What are your favorite kind of dumplings?
