Putting kids to work

So my poor blog has an issue… apparently when I started it, I had used an old google account and now any of the pictures I uploaded with that account? Went bye bye… so I’m reposting recipes because I look them up myself when I remake things and well… they are just great.
Pot stickers! We love them! When we were in Washington DC before Christmas, our almost 4 year old niece taught us all how to make dumplings. My sister in law is an amazing cook and made fried dumplings but also dumpling soup – spoiler alert same dumplings, different shapes, different cooking methods. They were delicious. Our kids got to learn how to fill the dumplings and how to eat with chopsticks. It worked out perfect for us because for New Years Eve we wanted to do Pot stickers… spoiler alert – same method as dumplings – different cooking method… also different recipe. This is the one we love and make when we can. At first Andy thought we’d make half a recipe – but we just kept eating them! The kids had a few the next day for lunch but we polished them off. SO good and so easy. We normally get our wonton wrappers at the local grocery store, instead we found an Asian Market and supported them heftily… got all sorts of yummy things!

Pork Pot Stickers
What you need!
3/4 pound ground pork or other meat
1 cup minced cabbage
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 scallions, the white and green parts separated, both minced
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons good soy sauce
48 dumpling wrappers
1 egg, lightly beaten in a bowl
4 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil, more or less
1/4 cup rice vinegar or white vinegar

What to do!
1. Combine meat, cabbage, ginger, garlic, scallion whites and 2 tablespoons soy sauce in a bowl with 1/4 cup water. Lay a wrapper on a clean, dry surface, and using your finger or a brush, spread a bit of egg along half of its circumference. Place a rounded teaspoon of filling in center, fold over and seal by pinching edges together. (Do not overfill.) Place dumplings on a plate; if you want to wait a few hours before cooking, cover plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Or freeze, for up to two weeks.
2. To cook, put about 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet and turn heat to medium-high. A minute later, add dumplings, one at a time; they can touch one another, but should still sit flat in one layer. Cook about 2 minutes, or until bottoms are lightly browned. Add 1/4 cup water per dozen dumplings to pan, and cover. Lower heat to medium, and let simmer about 3 minutes.
3. To make the dipping sauce, combine remaining soy sauce, green parts of scallions and vinegar. 4. Uncover dumplings, return heat to medium-high and cook another minute or two, until bottoms are dark brown and crisp and water evaporates. (Use more oil if necessary.) Serve hot, with sauce.