Happy Chinese New Year!

Today is Chinese New Year and begins the year of the Ox.  Food surrounds most of what Chinese people desire. No surprise there. I made homemade jiao zi with homemade wrappers, shrimp, shitake, leeks, scallions, sesame oil, soy sauce, and garlic. Make some new years delights yourself - here is a great list. I have fond memories of making wrappers with my mother with her small wooden rolling pin. I had to resort to a small glass. Oh the joys of an unequipped kitchen. Here is a small piece of good luck advice: When you eat the dumplings, you are not supposed to count how many you eat. For the new year - you don't want to have to count your pennies, so don't count how many you eat. Good luck and prosperity to all this new year! 

Boiled dumplings; (shuijiao) literally "water dumplings" (水餃; pinyin: shuǐjiǎo).

Before They Are Boiled