Lunch, Bowling, Vincenzo’s.

Thursday we started our Seniors Travel League bowling. We meet once a month at different alleys around the area and just have a fun afternoon of bowling. A number of us meet for lunch first. This time we went to The Red Lobster which is the nearest restaurant to Towne Bowl which, these days, is home alley for Matt and I. Having checked on line I found that the dish of garlic shrimp was 150 calories, I thought that’s what we had eaten and enjoyed before. Turned out I was wrong, it was the Sweet Chilli Shrimp, so both Matt and I chose it. I limited myself to one of their biscuits only as they too were 150 calories. When I got home later, I checked on line and was horrified to find that the Sweet Chilli Shrimp was 1,040 calories, almost my whole day’s allowance. Horrors. Delicious as it is, I will not be eating it again any time soon. However, if you like things a bit spicy and are not counting calories, I can highly recommend the dish.

On to bowling which was fair, I actually had a turkey today (three strikes in a row) which I haven’t done in a long while. Matt too was bowling well – he was on another team. On these Travel Leagues we always have coffee and donuts. I had allocated calories for a cake type donut. I had only eaten one biscuit and now one donut, thought I was doing fine. Hah!! A bowling friend brought his wife along to bowl too, she had never bowled before and much to our delight she was getting spares and at least one strike. She played two games and was hurting so stopped. Not sure if she wants to join us again or not. I do hope so.

Today, Friday, we have nothing special to do although we will probably go to Vincenzo’s to investigate the kimchi and horseradish situation. The first time we ever went to that store, we met a friend coming out and she expressed the hope that we had left our credit cards at home. It is a very tempting store and we would find it very easy to spend a small fortune on goodies there. This is an article about the store. This is the store’s website. They have the most wonderful cheese counter amongst all their products. Also wonderful cakes and such, but I avoid that section. There is a Chinese girl who works there, several days a week, making dumplings which are to die for.

Obviously, now I have to give a recipe for dumplings. Matt used to make a similar potsticker years ago, will have to get him to do so again. As I recall, he used to buy the wrappers in the grocery store rather than make them himself.

Chinese Dumplings - Potstickers - Panfried Pork Dumplings

By Rhonda Parkinson, About.com

Potstickers are one of the most popular types of Chinese dumplings. This recipe includes a dipping sauce and instructions on making the dough.

Yields about 48 potstickers.

Ingredients:

• Dumpling Dough
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup boiling water
• Filling:
• 8 ounces celery cabbage (Napa cabbage)
• 3 tsp salt, divided
• 1 pound lean ground pork
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions, with tops
• 1 TB white wine
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Dash white pepper
• Dipping Sauce:
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Other:
• 2 - 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation:

Cut the cabbage across into thin strips. Mix with 2 teaspoons salt and set aside for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the excess moisture.
In a large bowl, mix the celery cabbage, pork, green onions, wine, cornstarch, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and the white pepper.
In a bowl, mix the flour and 1 cup boiling water until a soft dough forms. Knead the dough on a lightly flour surface about 5 minutes, or until smooth.
Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a roll 12 inches long and cut each roll into 1/2-inch slices.
Roll 1 slice of dough into a 3-inch circle and place 1 tablespoon pork mixture in the center of the circle. Lift up the edges of the circle and pinch 5 pleats up to create a pouch to encase the mixture. Pinch the top together. Repeat with the remaining slices of dough and filling.
Heat a wok or nonstick skillet until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, tilting the wok to coat the sides. If using a nonstick skillet, add 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil. Place 12 dumplings in a single layer in the wok and fry 2 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.
Add 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook 6 to 7 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining dumplings.
To make a dipping sauce, in a small bowl, mix the soy sauce with 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Serve with the dumplings.

Have a great day