Potstickers and life
When I don't have leftovers to give the kids, I often make a batch of potstickers for them to take for lunch. There was one week where they had it probably 3 times, and while they love potstickers for lunch, I was just feeling guilty for serving up packaged Trader Joe's food for them so much. So I did what I always do, and that is go homemade. Let me tell you, I have gotten good at making them! Which is my sly way of saying they are the bomb. Haha.
This last batch of potstickers I made on December 31st. I'll tell you what, when I am making homemade potstickers on the reg for my kids, you just know that life is going good. In fact, the past few months I have felt like we've turned a page in our parenting stage of life. Our youngest is long out of diapers, able to skip out on naps every now and then, doesn't require a stroller, can get her own snacks. I mean, what gets better than that after 10+ years in the thick of infant/toddler/preschooler world. We would often go places and look at each other and say, it wasn't this easy a year ago. Not that life is easier by any means (wow, just wow hormones), it's just a different kind of hard now and seeing that our kids are maturing is good. There were so many times in the past few months where I felt pretty comfortable and prepared and had the slightest feeling that things were "easy." Of course, of course, I should have known better...
Before I get into that, let me get back to the potstickers. There are only a handful of things that give me more joy than watching my kids go to town on my food. They devour these, especially when they get to have them hot. We all fight for the last ones in the pan and all do our best to scrape up the crispy fried noodle that gets stuck. So good.
One medium sized napa cabbage sliced thinly without the center piece of the leaf.
Add about 1 tsp of salt and let set for about 30 minutes which pulls the water out of it.
Meanwhile, chop up some garlic, ginger, and green onions.
You put about 1 Tbls. of filling into wrappers. I personally prefer thick gyoza or potsticker wrappers. They hold together better!
Get the edges wet with water so when you pinch them together it will seal well.
To cook you add enough oil to lightly cover the bottom of a pan on medium heat, place potstickers in, and add water to fill the pan about 1/4 inch. Cook covered over medium heat until the water dissolves and the bottoms get browned and crispy. I don't know the amount of time, but I just keep checking the pan to see if the water is gone. If the potstickers are frozen, this will take longer!
Those crispy edges! Delish!
...
Lindsay's potstickers
1 medium napa cabbage, approximately 8 cups, thinly sliced
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbls. garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbls. fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
2 lbs. ground pork
3 Tbls. sesame oil
2 Tbls. soy sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 packages of thick potsticker or gyoza wrappers
Thinly slice up cabbage leaves. Sprinkle 1 tsp. salt over cabbage and mix. Let the cabbage sit for at least 30 minutes.
Chop up garlic, ginger, and green onions.
Squeeze water out of cabbage.
Mix cabbage, garlic, ginger, green onions, sesame oil, soy sauce, salt and pepper into ground pork.
Drop 1 Tbls of meat mixture into the center of one wrapper. Wet edges of the wrapper with water. Fold the wrapper in half, fold and pinch one edge into the other edge. Repeat until you have closed the half circle.
Heat enough vegetable oil to lightly cover an entire pan over medium heat. Place potstickers in the pan. Add water until is about 1/4" deep. Cover and cook on medium heat until the water is evaporated and the bottoms of the potstickers are crispy and brown.
...
Any notion that things were getting "easier" should have sent all the warning flags. You see, just a few days after I made this last batch of potstickers, days into our first week of 2018, we were told by our property manager that the owners of our home had plans to sell. It wasn't until a week later that it was official, we had 60 days (by March 8th) to get out of this place.
We've been here over 4 years, great milestones have occurred here, lots of celebrations happened here, and countless memories were made. This has been the only home we've known since moving to California. Words can't even describe how disappointed we were to have to leave and on such short notice.
There is never good timing in these situations, but we had these first months completely packed. Mike had a work trip in Taiwan last week, we are off to Tahoe this weekend, my grandma was supposed to be coming in town the next weekend, we are going on a family vacation for the President's day break, and we have our annual church retreat the first weekend in March. I mean, there was no time to pack up and move!!
The two days before Mike left for Taiwan we searched for rentals all over the south bay. Thankfully my dad was in town and we didn't have to take the kids around! However, people really were drawn to their cute faces! Mike left and I was at home searching, dealing with property managers, and potential landlords, all the while trying to figure out where in the heck we wanted to land. You see, the house we are currently in is going on the market for an insanely disgusting amount and if you know our address you can go do your own homework. There is no way we could stay in this neighborhood even if we wanted to. Mike also felt like he received a Word to "Get up! There is something better for you!" So we have been heeding that in the midst of fear of the unknown and all sorts of anxiety if we are making the right decision to move the kids out of this school district and neighborhood.
To make this already long story shorter, after one LONG week (haha!) we have found a new place. We are moving to a new neighborhood, a new school district, in a pretty much brand new house. I have never lived in a new house before so this is exciting. You guys, my kitchen is huge and it is going to be awesome! I am ready to throw down in that kitchen! However, this excitement is mixed with all sorts of sadness. The kids are SO sad to be leaving their school. I am SO sad to be leaving their school. It is a wonderful, magical place. Of course it has it's imperfections, but mostly it is a warm and nurturing environment for social, emotional, and academic growth. And I have told my friends there, but I haven't uttered the words to a teacher or other staff member. I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it. It's registration time for next year's kindergarten class and I even looked up how to register Ava for this school district we won't even be at. I don't know if it is denial or what, but I just can't bear leaving McAuliffe.
The good news is that Mike and I still like and love each other. We have been getting lots of extra cuddles with certain children that are sad. And mostly, we have seen the providence of God in this big move as we look back at how we got where we are, and we will continue to as the rest of this part of our story unfolds.
Please do pray for us and our little ones who are very excited and feel brave at times, but also have moments of sensitivity and fragile emotions. It's a rollercoaster for sure. Lastly, make some homemade potstickers and enjoy them for us, because once I run out we'll be doing frozen ones once again. ;)
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