Chinese Dumplings

Well, it's almost dinner hour and I just ate my breakfast. I had ordered some fried +Chinese_dumplings with my combo plate a couple days ago, but because my tooth was hurting pretty badly, I didn't eat much of either one. Plus, the dumplings I received weren't exactly what I had imagined in my mind. You see, these were the kind that are shaped like a little drawstring pouch. They're often in a steam pan at the Chinese buffet. I've never actually tried them before. They looked like the first picture you see here, but pan fried on one side.

What I was expecting to get looked like these +Gyozas in this picture. I just love gyozas. They would be called Pot Stickers, but I also thought they were called dumplings. Thus, my confusion. I get these pot stickers at the Chinese buffet all the time with the soy/garlic/ginger sauce to dip them in - they are wonderful, if done well.

Anyway, I had put them away in the fridge so that I could eat them later. There wasn't anything wrong with them other than they weren't what I had expected them to be. So, that's what I just had for "breakfast". My tooth is feeling pretty good today, so I knew I'd be able to chew them. They really aren't bad. I was going to reheat them in the microwave, but decided to toss them into my small fry pan and brown their unbrowned side so they would be more like they were when I got them. Now that I know what they are and how they taste, I may just order them again.

I do personally prefer the very thin, almost translucent, dough wrappers, whereas this dough is much thicker. But, there was plenty of meat filling and the dipping sauce was pretty good, so I've added them to my list of things I'm willing to order off the menu.

How about you? Do you like these +dumplings? Do you like them steamed or fried? Do you like +PotStickers, too? And, which dough wrapper do you prefer?

Keeping Current - or at least trying to

I thought I'd take advantage of things and try to stay a bit more current with my blog. I still haven't done any real cooking other than throwing some hot dogs in with some Bush's Baked Beans and heating them up. Yet, I did enjoy them. I happen to like beans with wieners quite a bit. I'll even put the beans in the roll with the dog instead of mustard. So, that's one foodie item I can post about. That was yesterday's lunch.

Later in the day, Tom and I went to Starbucks for some coffee (hot for him, iced for me) and then to the store so he could get cat food and orange juice. Then we went to a local thrift store because they were having an end-of-summer 50% off sale I wanted to check out. I was able to get three new tops for myself plus a couple shot glasses to send to my son who collects them.

Buffet Interior - food tables

Then, last night, my friend Tom and I went to the largest Chinese buffet in the area up in Cinnaminson. It's called Hibachi Grill and Supreme Buffet. They're reasonably priced and have more food than any place I've ever been. And, if someone in your family hates Chinese food but everyone else wants to go, they'll be OK because there is an entire section of "American" food like mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted sirloin, roasted prime rib, baked ham, green beans, corn, pizza, rolls, and other tasty items. They also have the largest fresh fruit table I've seen with HUGE strawberries! I don't even like strawberries and I was impressed.

After eating, we drove to Bottom Dollar Foods where I picked up some hamburger for just over $1/lb. It's 73% lean, but heck - for that price, I'll pour off the grease! It's a great deal! I also picked up some cereal, milk, dry cat food and cat litter, both of which I needed badly. We humans can find alternative sources of necessities, but house-bound cats can't.

Today's breakfast was a couple more hot dogs and beans and a small cup of chili my daughter made at a friend's last night. She does make some mighty good chili - I was disappointed that there wasn't more. But, tonight we had Chinese takeout. Both of us had sweet and sour chicken with fried rice. She doesn't use the sauce and I do. Sometimes, having something that's breaded and fried just satisfies a craving like nothing else can.

And, just now, I was able to acquire a handmade box to keep the litter box in that helps keep litter from getting all over the floor and being in view of anyone walking nearby. I have to go pick it up tomorrow. It's on the big side, but we have three cats, so anything that can help control things works for me - plus, it should cut down on some of the dust they scatter as well as the gravel.

Now, off to watch my Storage Wars marathon. I do like that show, even though I'll never be someone who can afford to buy a storage locker. It gives me some ideas on smaller items that might turn a buck down the road.

The Challenge is Over

For two straight months, I participated in two separate blogging challenges, posting daily - first in alphabetic order and then in reverse order. During the second challenge, I added a couple more challenges (actually three plus one for writing an article a week - again in alphabetic order) and got a little lost and overwhelmed by what I'd put on my plate (see - a perfect foodie analogy!) But, I finished the daily blog challenge (a day late) and have taken a few days off to rejoice in the temporary lack of mandated posting.

My other blog challenges are posted on my sister blog, A South Jersey Girl Writes. I still have to write my blog post for one of those challenges. It is due no later than tomorrow. Another is due on Monday. Thankfully, they're each one per week, so once I'm caught up, I should have little difficulty keeping up. I've also begun writing news articles for Gather. Their requirement is eight per month - two per week. I got seven in last month. I hope to make the minimum this month. One is done - seven to go.


I've been out to dinner a few times since the Memorial Day weekend began. It's been nice to get away after a few weeks of going nowhere. The first outing was to the Elgin Diner. I posted about that as one of my reverse alpha postings. Then, I went to the Colonial Diner where I enjoyed "The Big Pig". That was a pulled pork sandwich topped with crispy bacon, cheddar cheese and five huge onion rings. It also came with French Fries. They also had a wonderful seafood bisque on the menu that I enjoyed.


Then I went to the local Chinese buffet and ate WAY too much for my comfort. But, I still enjoyed it (until later that night, of course). Pizza, General Tso chicken, stuffed shrimp, sweet n sour chicken, Wonton soup, fried rice, and my first fresh papaya in years! I thoroughly enjoyed that papaya.


Last night, we went to the Colonial Diner again and this time I ordered the meatloaf with potato pancakes and applesauce. It came with soup or salad plus dessert. I had salad, three good-sized slices of meat loaf, two potato pancakes and a small plate full of applesauce. I've had far better meatloaf. I was very disappointed in that, but the potato pancakes and applesauce were very good. My cats enjoyed the last slice of meatloaf, though. They were very happy cats!


Tonight, though, we went to Gagan Palace, an Indian buffet in Stratford, about eight miles away, if that. They had goat curry and lamb Do-Pyazza plus chicken tikka masala, aloo & chana (potatoes and chickpeas) plus several other vegetarian choices (including Palak Paneer, a spinach and cheese cube dish). Of course, the naan was plentiful (a flat bread baked in the Tandoor oven). And this time, I tried the Sambhar soup - a VERY spicy vegetable soup whose heat quotient was so high I couldn't taste it after the first spoonful. So, I didn't finish that one. The little bit I did taste was actually pretty good, but it was far too hot for me to eat again. I finished up with some fresh watermelon and mixed fruit in a fruit sauce that tasted a lot like mango. The fruit was obviously fresh, so I can only guess that they make it themselves. I didn't eat any goat because none of the pieces was bone-free. The lamb was delicious as was the chicken. I also enjoy the Navarattan Korma, a blend of nine vegetables in a creamy sauce. Basmati rice with peas is also on the menu and a must with the saucy selections offered. Despite the searing heat of the spice-laden soup, I enjoyed my meal.


I plan on making dinner tomorrow night, so hopefully I'll be back with news about that.


Time for Caturday!!


Cats of the past.

This is Pepper. She is Chloe's mama.

This is Johnny being held by my daughter when she was around eight.

This is beautiful Chelsea. RIP 1980

             

Ordering Out

Ordering out, ordering in or ordering delivery, no matter what you call it, it's a very popular option in our house. We often (too often, probably) don't want to be bothered cooking because we've waited until we're hungry to decide we want something to eat. Because we don't feel like going anywhere either, we start going through our collection of menus to see which delivery place calls out to us the loudest. When my daughter's home, it'll never be Caribbean or Indian (unfortunately).


We live in the shadow of Philadelphia where there are a variety of different food cultures. Some of that overflows to our area and we are fortunate. We have the choice of Italian, Caribbean, Indian or Chinese in our area. Of course, most food delivery isn't up to the same caliber as being seated at a top notch restaurant. The Indian delivery, however, is from an actual full-service restaurant that has won awards, whose chef worked for award winning restaurants before opening one of his own. He believes in giving everyone access to good food, so he also offers the delivery service. Of course, his prices are the same for delivery as they are for the meal in the restaurant, but that was still nice when it was snowing and no one wanted to be on the road (they were brave souls, I  must say).




I haven't yet had delivery from the Caribbean restaurant, but I have eaten there more than once. It is excellent! The menu leans heavily towards the Dominican Republic, but they also have Cuban, Puerto Rican and some Mexican thrown in for a more pan-Hispanic flavor. I do wish, though, that we have a Mexican restaurant that delivered. I'd be one of their regulars!

hoagie

Our Italian places are more accurately called steak and hoagie shops, but don't ever think that's all they have to offer. Some have fried chicken, fried seafood, crab cakes, seafood bisque (granted, some are better than others), hamburgers, pasta platters, traditional pub grub appetizers and, a pleasant surprise for some, hand-dipped ice cream and milk shakes. 

pizza turnover

I personally like pizza turnovers, which are similar to calzones, but not the same thing. Think of having a pizza with sauce and cheese and folding it in half, sealing the edges and either deep-frying them or baking. Although frying them is not the healthiest way to have them, that's my favorite way to have them. 

Cheese steak extra cheese

I also like chicken cheese steaks with fried onions. So so so good!!! And, if I can get it in a wrap, even better. Now, you may have heard of Philly Cheese Steaks, but don't overlook the cheese steak's little cousin. When done right, they're just as flavorful and tender as the original; thinly sliced chicken cooked and seasoned on the flat-top grill with cheese and/or peppers, onions, mushrooms, etc.on rolls only bakeries in the Philly area can supply. Talk about comfort food!

Sicilian Pizza

Pizzas come in all styles (except Chicago), from New York thin crust to Sicilian thick crust. Some have excellent sauces, but questionable cheeses; others hit the mark on both things, but the bread used to make the crust is lacking. Yet, each place has something to offer that the others don't. That's why we keep the menus on hand because we never who we'll be in the mood for. 

General Tso Chicken

The Chinese deliveries are fairly basic and have almost identical menus with different prices. They differ only in the taste of their items. The one I like the best uses garlic more heavily than the rest (which is surprising given my dislike for garlic). They are also the cheapest. There is one that just began delivery service that I haven't tried yet, so the jury is still out on them for me. 


Everyone has to go or take out service (or take away, as it may be called where you are), so if we desire, that is also an option we can take. But, when we're not in the mood to go out, it's not likely we'll be in the mood to pick up. 


And, now a few images from CATURDAY!!

Really, Mom? Another picture?

Fishtail Kitty

Sleepy time baby