Duck Potstickers

I have mentioned before that my husband is a very avid duck hunter. I usually make him responsible for figuring out how to cook what he brings home, but since it was Valentine's Day, I decided to take an interest and cook some duck for him. His sister gave him a fabulous wild game cookbook called, "Eat Like a Wild Man" (compiled by Rebecca Gray) and I found this super delicious recipe. By the way, Miss 7 absolutely loved this dinner and I'm sure Miss 6 would have, if she wasn't a non-meat eater.

1 duck, skinned and boned or 1 1/2 cups skinned and boned meat from back and/or legs
(if you don't eat duck, I think chicken or some other meat would work just fine)
1 1/2 tbsp thin soy sauce (I didn't try to find thin, I just used regular)
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced (this is one case where you should buy fresh, don't try powdered)
1 c cabbage, finely chopped
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 c water
1 package wonton skins

PASTE
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water

Grind the duck meat in a blender. Remove to a bowl and stir in soy sauce, onion, garlic, ginger, cabbage, cornstarch and water. Scoop about 2 tsp of filling in the center of each wonton skin. Mix the paste ingredients, then moisten the edge of the dough with paste, fold the skin over the filling, and pinch the edges to seal. Place the potstickers, well separated, on a cookie sheet. Keep them moist with a damp towel until needed. In a frying pan, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Set in the potstickers without letting them touch each other. Cook uncovered until the bottoms are golden brown- about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, add 1/4 c water; cover and steam 6 to 8 minutes, until the water evaporates. Remove them with a spoon and serve with soy sauce or favorite dipping sauce. Makes about 3 dozen.

So Delicious!!!

Orange Chicken

I have a great love of Mexican food. But after ten years of marriage, I am finally starting to open my eyes to the fact that my poor husband does not share my love. He doesn't hate it, but it is not his choice. I am starting to notice that his default choice is Asian food. When I eat a chimichanga, he chooses an egg roll. So I've decided to improve my Asian cooking skills. Now, I am not too worried about being totally authentic, so if that's what you want, this won't satisfy you. But I did find this incredibly delicious recipe for http://www.food.com/. (they called it Panda Express Orange Chicken, but the instructions were kind of weird, so don't bother looking- just use my version.)



Ingredients

1 or 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, chopped into bite sized pieces

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp salt

pepper

oil (for frying)

1/2 c cornstarch, plus 1 tbsp

1/4 c flour

1 tbsp gingerroot, minced (or if you don't have it, use powdered ginger about 1/2 tsp)

1 tsp garlic, minced

1/2 tsp crushed hot red chili peppers (I left this out)

1/4 c green onions, chopped (I never have green onions, so I chopped up a green pepper. yum)

1 tbsp rice wine (again, didn't have it so I used rice vinegar and it was fine)

1/4 c water

1/2 tsp sesame oil



Orange Sauce Ingredients

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp water

5 tbsp sugar

5 tbsp white vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp orange juice concentrate



In one bowl combine all the ingredients for the Orange Sauce.

Heat your oil to 375 degrees. (I used a deep fat fryer) In a small bowl combine 1/2 c cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper. In another small bowl, crack and egg and mix it up. Dip your chicken into the egg, then coat it in the flour mixture. Fry the chicken for 3-4 minutes, until golden and crisp. Then drain it on a paper towel.

While frying the chicken, add 1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil to a frying pan or wok (I don't have a wok). Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Then add crushed chilis (if you're using them), green onions (or green peppers), and rice wine (or rice vinegar). Stir fry until the veggies are done. Now add the orange sauce and bring it to a boil. Add the chicken and stir until it's coated in the sauce. Mix 1/4 c cold water with remaining 1 tbsp cornstach and stir into the chicken. Heat until the sauce is thickened. Serve over rice.

My husband really, really liked this. He seemed a little surprised that I had made it and not gotten it from a mix or something. I really, really liked it too. Enjoy!