Lemon curd

Yes, the word "curd" doesn't sound like something super appetizing to eat, but hear us out. We made lemon curd, also sometimes called lemon butter, and it was delicious. Here's the recipe:

2 whole eggs

2 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons butter, cut in pieces

In a saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks and the whole eggs until combined. Add the lemon juice, zest, and a pinch of salt and mix until just combined. Add the sugar and whisk until combined, then set over medium heat. Add the butter pieces and stir the mixture constantly until all of the butter melts and the mixture thickens and reaches about 170 degrees.

Remove the curd from the heat and pour into a fine mesh sieve set over a clean glass bowl. Use a spoon to help push the mixture through the sieve. Allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Recipe adapted from here.

In my opinion, the best way to eat it is a spoonful at a time, right out of the jar. ^^

Vegetable gyoza with spicy dipping sauce

 

 

I'm going to be totally honest here:  Before I made these, I had never eaten gyoza in my life.  In fact, I had little to no idea what they were.  But I happened upon a recipe for gyoza as I was aimlessly perusing Pinterest one day, and right away their cute little dumpling appearance had me sold.  I like potstickers, (which are apparently kind of the same thing?) and these looked potsticker-ish, and so I kept thinking of them, basically daily, for a couple of weeks before I broke down and bought the ingredients to make them (does this have something to do with being pregnant? A gyoza craving.).  As it so happens, they are both fairly simple to make and totally scrumptious to eat; I was actually very disappointed that we had to share them with Kelly and Laramie, because I could've eaten much more!

 

Disclaimer: I'm not even going to claim that these are authentic.  I'm pretty sure they're not, especially as Kelly and I were too lazy to make our own wrappers and used wonton wrappers instead.  But, authentic or not, they're pretty tasty.  And as an added bonus, they're cute to look at!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vegetable Gyoza with Spicy Dipping Sauce 

Sauce:

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Filling:

4 cups diced shiitake mushroom caps (about 3/4 pound)

4 cups finely chopped green cabbage

2 tablespoons chopped green onions

2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dark sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, minced 

Preparation:

2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided

Store-bought wonton wrappers

1. To prepare sauce, combine first 4 ingredients; set aside.
2. To prepare filling, heat a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook 3 minutes or until moisture evaporates, stirring frequently. Add cabbage; cook 3 minutes or until softened, stirring frequently. Stir in 2 tablespoons green onions and next 6 ingredients (2 tablespoons green onions through garlic); simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside.
3. Working with 1 wrapper at a time, spoon 2 teaspoons mushroom mixture into center of wrapper. Wet finger with water, moistening the edges of the wonton wrapper, then fold in half diagonally, pressing to seal all the edges. Bring the two points of the triangle together, sealing them with more water (they will now remind you of a miniature chicken, with the legs twisted behind it... or maybe that's just me.) Place dumplings on a large baking sheet dusted with flour; cover loosely with towel to prevent drying.
4. Heat peanut oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add dumplings; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until browned. Then add approximately 1/2 cup of water, cover and steam dumplings until all water has evaporated. Serve sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions, if desired, with spicy dipping sauce on side.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.