Lunch: Spicy Peanut, Carrot and Snap Pea Wraps
I have been making this recipe for over a year now. It is super easy, quick to make and quite filling. I use whatever veggies I have. In this case, shredded carrots, cucumber, snap peas and cilantro. I also tend to make it after having tacos when I have tortillas on hand.
Fun tip: Soft taco shells freeze easily and thaw within minutes. I generally have a few frozen at all times. These were almost thaw by the time I was done preparing the sauce and washing the veggies.
Things I learned from this recipe:
Don’t skimp on the peanut butter. Properly measuring the chili paste and the soy sauce and being slightly off on the peanut butter can turn it a little more Asian than what I like. Sounds funny, I know, but for lunch I really want peanut butter with a hint of soy sauce. Not the other way around.
Would I make this again?:
Absolutely.
The recipe
Dinner: Classic Chicken and Dumplings
I was excited to make this recipe. Any excuse for me to get more use out of my cast iron Lodge Dutch oven is good in my book. Steps one and two were long but came out looking great. The chicken smelled good and the soup looked tasty even though I was hesitant of the 10 cups of water vs. using any amount of broth for flavor. Step four called for making dumplings. I’ve never made dumplings before. I’m pretty sure I’ve never eaten this type of dumpling. In fact, it’s strange for me to call this lump a dumpling. I did as the recipe said and “dropped the mixture” in the soup and waited for it to firm. And wait I did. And then there was more waiting. I’m pretty sure I gave them an additional 10 minutes of firming time and I don’t believe they ever got as firm as they were supposed to. We eventually ate the soup and chicken and I didn’t serve the dumplings. The soup was bland and the chicken was okay. The spices were okay but there could’ve been more. We went back for seconds because we were eating nothing else and I decided to serve the dumplings (they had been cooking on low the whole meal). Eric thought they were fine (code for: It’s not my favorite but I’ll eat it). I on the other hand thought they were gross. It tasted like dough. I was left feeling hungry for the second night in a row. Perhaps this is my new weight-loss plan?
Things I learned from this recipe:
There is a real reason to use bone-in skin-on chicken: much needed flavor. I watched this episode of Top Chef after making this meal. Thank you Tom Colicchio for enlightening me.
Read the reviews of what you're cooking. Even though I’m making a concerted effort to follow all recipes step by step if it is the first time I’m making them, some of the reviewers made extremely valid points about lack of taste and dumpling texture. Both things I had issues with (they suggested using chicken broth and more spice).
Would I make this again?:
Maybe