New Year's Eve Party

Our New Year's Eve party consisted of four people. Paul, me, Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin. I love Anderson Cooper, he's a Vanderbilt you know...very stuffy and then there's Kathy Griffin, the most abrasive red head in the whole world (beside Carrot Top). Paul and I prefer watching the CNN coverage to the Ryan Seacrest guy - his unnaturally white teeth freak me out :) Even though CNN has more technical difficulties than General Conference.


Of course we had good food! Chow Mein, rice balls, teriyaki yakitori (with rib-eye instead of the traditional chicken), orange chicken and pork won ton.

Can I just say, that yakitori is simply divine! Using rib-eye is definitely the way to go, it's just melt in your mouth deliciousness. I just have to make sure the skewers get marinated also, so they don't burn, lol!

Here are the won ton... gau gee... whatevers all finished up with two of the sauces; Sweet Chili and Sweet Sesame. *Sigh* YUM!

To drink we had the usual over-load of beverages...Panna Acqua from Italy (tastes better in glass than plastic), cran-raspberry mixed with ginger-ale, cream soda and a bottle of Apple-Grape Martinelli's (it was disgusting).

For dessert we had creamy/fluffy tapioca pudding - apparently Paul's new found love.

Paul and I had a great time; eating, chatting, watching Anderson and Kathy. We also started a new tradition. I picked up some Chinese fortune cookies and whatever it says in them, we have to work on or do for the New Year. This is what they said...lol!

Paul's: Be assertive and you will win.
He's already trying this out on me. I keep reminding him, that assertiveness comes at a cost :)

Mine: Kindness makes for happiness.
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL :)

HAUOLI MAKAHIKI HOU!!!!!

Won Ton...Gau Gee...whatever....How To

1 # - 1 1/2# of ground pork, 1 whole egg and pepper...just pepper.

Finely minced: 1/4 medium onion (I ALWAYS cook with sweet onions); 1 Tbl fresh garlic; 1/3 cup each, cilantro and basil. Sliced 1/2 cup green onion.

Funny thing about the cilantro and basil, you may not think that it goes with Chinesey things, but if you've ever wondered what that different flavor in shu mai (pork hash) is - it's Chinese parsley aka cilantro.

1 - 8 oz can whole water chestnuts, grated.

Water chestnuts don't add any type of flavor, just a crispier texture on the inside. It also breaks up the ground pork better, like cabbage in an egg roll.

Add all veggies to the meat. Then add 1/4 cup sesame oil and 3 - 4 Tbl shoyu (this is why I don't add salt...use the shoyu as salt and flavoring). Mix, mix, mix! With your hands of course!

A word on soy sauce. In Hawaii we use Aloha Shoyu, not that Kikkoman crap everyone in the Mainland uses. And yes I do know that Aloha Shoyu is relatively synthetic compared to Kikkoman, but Aloha Shoyu is just the way to go, better flavor.

Sometimes people use Patis instead of the sesame oil, I don't recommend it...fish sauce is not something I would ever recommend.

Because you can't really taste the pork in this state, after it is mixed...smell it. The won ton filling should smell exactly how you think it should taste. At the forefront I like an even blend of sesame oil, basil and cilantro, with just a hint of shoyu (salt), and right at the end the bite of garlic and onion. You should always hone your olfactory skills when cooking!

NOTE: All my measurements for the recipe are approximates...I go by look and smell, not measurements.

1 - package (about 50 - 60 skins) of square won ton wrappers. (I couldn't find square ones at the store, so I used the round ones that you usually use for potstickers - if using round skins, buy double - these hold less pork mixture).

Egg wash - Mix: One large egg and 3/4 cup milk.

Use a regular teaspoon to dollop the pork mixture in the center of the won ton skin. Fold in half and use egg wash to seal them up. Don't be excessive on the egg wash - don't want everything to get sticky.

Place on baking sheet lined with waxed paper. If your kitchen is warm, you should keep this in the freezer. Actually these can be made a couple days in advance and freezed. (I freeze them anyways until I deep fry them.) Make 5 - 10 at a time and add them to the stack in the freezer. If the won ton wrappers get to room temperature, they get sticky and it will be a mess when you try to pull them apart when you fry them...sad and laughable memories.

Fry won ton in canola or vegetable oil. Do not use safflower oil...trust me. The won ton should take 3 - 4 minutes to cook, anything under that the pork won't be cooked. So heat your oil accordingly.

Enjoy with a sauce:

Plum
Sweet and Sour
Sweet Chili (my personal favorite)
Hot mustard mixed with Aloha Shoyu
Sweet Sesame: 1/4 cup shoyu; 1 Tbl sesame oil; 1 heaping tsp white sugar; sliced green onion; dash of sesame seed; dash of red pepper flakes - mix... don't expect the sesame oil to mix in...obviously.