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ClemKadiddlehopper said:
I do them badly. Twenty five years ago, I could do them fast and furious. Now, I have to start from scratch and my co ordination sucks.

The dough is just flour and water so it's OK to waste some trying to get the consistency and rolling technique down. Just think of it as remedial kindergarten.

Every time I move, I have to re learn any recipes that use flour. Flour is different everywhere and also has more or less moisture in it in every new location. Here, I need to figure out how much less to use.

Dumpling filling is easy. It can be anything you like, but make sure it's not too wet. The hard part is keeping it on the wrap while you pleat them.

Example: sourkrout and pork with a bit of grated carrot is interesting. I can't get the traditional Chinese veggies here.
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A friend of mine makes them. I think she steams them. I did get a steamer at a yard sale to steam some. There are many recipes online, and it was the Chinese New Year on February 10, so it is the perfect time to make them.

Tomorrow is also Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday. I have been wanting to make some red beans and rice, but I am too busy working on cleaning and reorganizing my kitchen.
 
Tirediron said:
this won't make much sense without Amish Heart's part, but I read sawmill, and I was guessing automotive type battery, and was really wondering how a weed whacker would help with that.
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Well now if you had a mechanical mind like me 🤪 it would make perfect sense 😂
Weedygarden said:
A friend of mine makes them. I think she steams them. I did get a steamer at a yard sale to steam some. There are many recipes online, and it was the Chinese New Year on February 10, so it is the perfect time to make them.

Tomorrow is also Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday. I have been wanting to make some red beans and rice, but I am too busy working on cleaning and reorganizing my kitchen.
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Tomorrow is fat Tuesday already 😲 Whoa! What year are we in? Time does fly.

Had tons to do earlier - now caught up for the most part.
 
Grrrr. I had been wondering why I hadn't gotten any mail lately and then all of a sudden today there was three weeks worth in my box. I've had nothing but trouble with forwarding after I moved but these were all to the right address. I went in and asked at the PO, turns out my carrier is timid or lazy and didn't deliver because there was a bungee cord on my box. It was there because after the snow plow went by the first time, my expensive cheaply built new mailbox caved in on the side and the door wouldn't stay shut. It did not prevent opening the mailbox though! Friday we had really warm weather and I got some outdoor chores done, including removing the ugly bungee cord and installing a spring on the inside of the box to hold the door shut. Same principal, just different method. I guess the carrier saw the cord was gone and finally decided to gift me with the mail she'd held back for a month. Just makes me so angry, I had tax forms and cards and letters in there that I needed to see! She could have at least left me a note or the PO could have called me to say they were holding the mail. I guess she just left it in her car all this time. Uff da!
Sorry, maybe this should have been in the rant section!
Today was sunny and warm again, had too much work to do to get much done outside but I did fix up the birdfeeders and install some little solar landscape lights along the front of my house.
The wood stove guy says the measurements are all good and he's sending me a quote for installing the stove; says it will take a few weeks so we'll be getting toward the end of the heating season but I am looking forward to seeing how much I can keep the furnace turned off for the end of March and into April.
I envy those of you with snow in the forecast, send some my way, will ya?
 
backlash said:
My wife had 2 doctors appointments 50 miles away.
The first one at 7:45 and the second one was at 2.
First one sent her to an imagining center for a chest X-Ray then the second one sent her back to the same place for an X-Ray of her shoulder.
The whole day wasted at the doctors.
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Hugs to Mrs. Hope you took a good book with you.
 
I’m proud of myself I made this cake for an event and then did not eat any of it at the event. Drank coffee, worked, ate salmon for dinner. Started shallot seeds. I will dream tonight about eating a slice of homemade German chocolate cake.
IMG_3053.jpeg
 
Bluedanube said:
I’m proud of myself I made this cake for an event and then did not eat any of it at the event. Drank coffee, worked, ate salmon for dinner. Started shallot seeds. I will dream tonight about eating a slice of homemade German chocolate cake. View attachment 124399
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I don’t even like German Chocolate cake, but that is beautiful!
 
Bluedanube said:
I’m proud of myself I made this cake for an event and then did not eat any of it at the event. Drank coffee, worked, ate salmon for dinner. Started shallot seeds. I will dream tonight about eating a slice of homemade German chocolate cake. View attachment 124399
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Give us a holler when you cut into that!!! PLEASE
 
My absolute favorite is german chocolate cake. That looks yummy!
I know a thing or two about day long doc visits. Had 2 all day ones last week that were kind of unexpected to be all day long. I always bring a book. I'm loving the one I brought, almost done with it, such a fun read..."Homestead Tsunami" a Joel Salatin book. Recommend it highly.
Thanks for the battery photos, Ben...husband finally got the battery off, and then told me not to use the bigger batteries, to use the small one because the big one gets stuck. Well, geesh. He's wondering why I didn't get out the battery operated chain saw and use that, but I haven't used that yet, and will probably need someone out with me the first time so I know what I'm doing. And I bet that has a big ol battery, too.
 
Weedygarden said:
A friend of mine makes them. I think she steams them. I did get a steamer at a yard sale to steam some. There are many recipes online, and it was the Chinese New Year on February 10, so it is the perfect time to make them.

Tomorrow is also Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday. I have been wanting to make some red beans and rice, but I am too busy working on cleaning and reorganizing my kitchen.
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-I use a flat bottom non-stick frying pan with a leaky/vented glass lid to cook them. Frozen dumplings work just dandy.

-I add about 1/8-1/4 C olive oil depending on how many I am cooking. I usually steam/fry 26 dumplings at a time.

-Arrange the dumplings in the cold pan with a smidgen of space between them.
-add about a cup of water. More water rather than less is better.

-put the lid on and set burner to medium heat. Patience young Padi Wan, don't rush to bring them to a boil or they don't have enough steaming time.

-Let them boil/steam until the water is gone, and then it becomes a matter of frying until the bottoms are caramelized brown. They will stick, so use a spatula to carefully work them loose to check on the level of brown on the bottoms.
 
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@Weedygarden I heat the frozen dumplings often. Just like @ClemKadiddlehopper makes them. It's just me so i use an 8" nonstick skillet. i add oil, 5 frozen dumplings, water, then bring it to a boil. Brown them when the water is gone. But first... i'll put a cup of rice in the steamer and then make a dipping sauce for the dumplings. Makes a quick simple meal.

If you buy them frozen they come with brown sauce in packets. My sauce is better. Dipping sauces are easy.
-----------------------------------

Went to the big town today, had to go, no choice. But i also picked up a few things i needed. Got chinese for lunch, even stopped by the guitar shop. Found a book by Steve Kaufman, flat picking on several old gospel songs I like. Found a decent chord book too. Not as in depth as i was looking for but it covers a good selection of, 7th, 6th, 5th chords and a few augmented variations. These days i find myself looking for sounds/chords in songs. for instance an old guitar song, black mtn rag. Bought a cd with it recently. The guy playing on a recording uses a chord i don't recognize, time for a review of rarely used chords.

So it was a decent day, rained hard off and on. Slept to long when i got home, was tired. Was up til 3am running the sump pump. Up at 8am to go to town.
 
Regular Tuesday job this morning. Had an extra job after that but it got cancelled. So I'll be home about 12:30 and doing some yard work! Finishing preparing my raised beds and pots, everything I grow this year will be in them! Our weather looks like one more cold spell Saturday, I may start seeds soon?! I will also get the pool ready soon. As long as no artic air is coming it will be fine. I have two 2×8's stained and ready, replacements for the pool deck. The one that the steps that go into the water needs to be replaced. I'm also replacing the plastic sand bag weights under the steps with kettlebell weights, so I can't do that until I can actually get in the water! My apologies to you all, my head is in the pool in February!🤔🙄🤪😃
 
ClemKadiddlehopper said:
I do them badly. Twenty five years ago, I could do them fast and furious. Now, I have to start from scratch and my co ordination sucks.

The dough is just flour and water so it's OK to waste some trying to get the consistency and rolling technique down. Just think of it as remedial kindergarten.

Every time I move, I have to re learn any recipes that use flour. Flour is different everywhere and also has more or less moisture in it in every new location. Here, I need to figure out how much less to use.

Dumpling filling is easy. It can be anything you like, but make sure it's not too wet. The hard part is keeping it on the wrap while you pleat them.

Example: sourkrout and pork with a bit of grated carrot is interesting. I can't get the traditional Chinese veggies here.
Click to expand...
IMG_0716.JPG

Here is some of mine. I put in raw ground pork, shredded cabbage, chopped green onions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, chinese cooking wine, salt, pepper
 
It’s snowing here. Lucky me gets to go to work. Hopefully it’ll be a fairly quiet day with no one coming out. Tech that works with me in the morning. Won’t be in class today is her dad’s funeral. I feel so bad for that girl.
 
Spent a bit of the weekend at a miniatures show — had a good time, still not great at driving in slush, but improving.

Gotta buckle down and get the house chores done quickly this week. We’re doing an avalanche avoidance class this weekend, as it seems like a useful thing to know given Colorado.
 
Peanut said:
@Weedygarden I heat the frozen dumplings often. Just like @ClemKadiddlehopper makes them. It's just me so i use an 8" nonstick skillet. i add oil, 5 frozen dumplings, water, then bring it to a boil. Brown them when the water is gone. But first... i'll put a cup of rice in the steamer and then make a dipping sauce for the dumplings. Makes a quick simple meal.

If you buy them frozen they come with brown sauce in packets. My sauce is better. Dipping sauces are easy.
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Thank you! I see them at Costco. Once I clean out my freezers, which are pretty full right now, I'm going to get some. Now if only I could find gluten free dumplings for my daughter. She went to a Lunar New Year's party hosted by a friend of hers who is Chinese. I wondered if there was anything that she could eat there. I do know you can make egg rolls with rice paper wraps.

Actually, Marion has made some dumplings. I watch most of her videos.
 
I have wasted the morning on the internet. I must return to playing music tomorrow morning. I haven't for over a month which is shameful. Music is a great way to get my day started.

Beautiful day coming up, so I must get motivated to get some outside work done. There are still leaves that need to be shredded for compost. I just realized this is Tuesday and not Wednesday and that is good. One day younger than I thought I was.

Just remembered I didn't finish my laundry yesterday, so off I go to get that done.
 
High overcast yesterday and today.. Temps the next few days 35/20F, normal barometer and wind back out of west, north west.. Usual weather pattern, just April warm for here..

Did a few hours of volunteer work at the local food pantry this morning sorting and shelving produce.. Now a short nap and assault the senior discount day at the thrift store.. Don't need anything from there... But will go for ...the thrill of the hunt...
 
Walked at dawn this morning.
Took DH to new Neuro doc at 8 am. He will be getting an mri of head and bloodwork sometime this month.
Stopped at thrift stores looking for a new to us couch- nothing today.
Went to Post office to follow up on an undelivered package on ebay.
Will walk dogs in a few minutes.
May go pick up trash from Saturday's mardi gras parade near the Church.
 
Morning chores and getting husband ready to go to his doc appt in a bit. But he's not doing well today at all, so we'll see how this goes. Supposed to get his midline out. Wouldn't be surprised if they admit him. I did get the extra battery in his portable O2 so he can use it in the truck on the way. I had left the portable O2 in the truck overnight on one of our freezing nights, and it blew the battery it had in it. I won't do that again.
 
Had a rabbit escape this morning. Roo found the cage open and the doe missing. I went out to help recatch her and started calling her name like an idiot. When Roo came back after getting Juju to help she pointed at my feet. There was Honey sitting at my feet waiting! I bent to grab her and she ran right into her cage. Easiest capture ever! I reminded Roo to use the spring clips to close the cages and hopefully she listens.

Getting more things purged for the move and things cleaned so there is less to do to get our deposit back.
 
Continuing with the being grumpy thing , making a coffee, eating cashews and dark chocholate . MMMM
 
The guys didn’t work because it was too muddy today. I took the day to fix some problems with equipment. I had been trying for a couple of weeks to get a window in a trackhoe replaced and couldn’t get anyone to come out. I figured it would be easier to do it myself. I replaced a couple of teeth and topped off all of the equipment so the would be ready in the morning.
 
Trying to keep up but brain is not working and I'm exhausted. I have a rant for rant thread but will save it for after my nap.
Didn't sleep last night-- couldn't get my brain to let me rest. Kept thinking about having to get up early. Took brother to eye doctor. He has diabetic retinopathy & very high blood pressure. Doctor said he could have a stroke at any moment and wanted him to go to urgent care. He didn't want to go to urgent care. We grabbed food and headed for walmart curbside pickup and then headed home. I ate a little but found I don't have much appetite so gave my food to Mom. Had about a 30min nap which did help, but I'm still exhausted. Got woken up by the phone- yay, it's fixed! But mom got to it before I did. It was fedex asking about directions but they ended up not delivering anyway. So I hit up fedex online and samsclub. Didn't go well.

I had to drive my brother to work since he can't drive until he gets new glasses and can get his license renewed-- About 2 weeks on that.

Going to nap until its time to take my meds and go pick him up.
 
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