More stockings, Cats and How to MAKE Gyoza....

So I finally did it!   I decided to find out just how to make Gyoza.   It is so simple that I cant believe it!   Anyway, It is very fun stuffing those little wraps with the stuff.   The recipe I followed is fairly simple and easy to add things to or take away.   I 've already added fish instead of turkey/pork.  

Anyway,  it calls for ( and the proportions can be switched up to your liking)  1 cup cabbage, 1/2 cup of onions, 1 cup pork/ or chicken/ or turkey/or fish,  1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp vegetable oil,   any spices to your taste.....I like garlic and hot mustard.    I have substituted chives for the onions,  olive oil for the vegetable oil, horse radish for the other spices...and the list goes on.   

  Take the mixture and blend it up to a almost pate'    and fill the dumplings.   Dip your finger in water to make sure the one side will stick to the other and fold them like this....easy!  You can fry them or steam them .   

I have become addicted!    

Other than that,   we continue working at ACT on the MCAT and GMAT while doing stockings on the weekend.   Today we worked on some raccoon stockings.   We were planning on having this week off, but the GMAT asked for volunteers and we signed up.   It was one of those things where we need to do the stockings, but need the money now, more.   So,  my posts have been getting more and more infrequent.   

 But with only weekends, and the help of one of the shop cats,   we should have things to post...a little at least.   Hope everyone is having a great week/or month....depending on how often I post stuff.   We shall see. 

Gioza, Cats, and Continuing Stocking Production...

It may be just me, but I feel the desire to remind myself when I reread this a year from now to remind myself that we were, in fact, working on stockings.   We are on a bit of a leave from ACT at the moment, and that is great!  Because it allows us to catch up ( or at least work on) the stockings  as we work at the job. 

 By the way,  I hate having a job!   This is not saying ACT is bad....actually it is possibly one of the best jobs ever!  But it still requires me to get up in the morning and work an 8 hour day.   ACK!   I have forgotten just how much I hate it.  ( not that CIVCO was not an equal reminder) Anyway,  More felt is coming and that is good because we will be running out of our supply by the beginning of next week.  And since we have an entire week off of ACT,  It will be best to have felt to work with instead of sitting around with nothing to do. 

Ok,  Enough of that,   in other news,    the cats look cute as they sleep away the day while we work.   And   to add a little fun to the weekend....Gioza!  Also known as potstickers to those westerners....or dumplings.    I want to find a recipe to show me how to make our own....perhaps then we will have another "adventure in the kitchen" post.   Until then....hope everyone has a great week! 

Some More Weekend Origami! Blue Crab, Bear, And Dragon.

So, I played around with a blue crab this weekend and ended up keeping it, despite being rather disappointed with the experience. I somehow managed to mash it into something that kind of looks like a blue crab, so I guess it was a success. But it took about 4 hours and I was rather grumpy that it did not turn out as clean as I had hoped. Otherwise, my dragon and bear turned out pretty good. The Dragon is a rehash, but the bear was new and he actually looks pretty cute. I would like to retry the peacock again, but last time, it ended in a disaster....so I may wait till this weekend to try that adventure again.....We shall see.

An After Easter Blog...With An Origami Mantis

Sorry for the long delay among posts, but we have been preoccupied with things that have limited my exposure to the Internet. Anyway, Last week was Easter and Cheryl and I decided to work on our egg coloring skill. Now I know Martha Stewart makes this look easy, but anything outside of the Paas Easter Egg Coloring Kit is a challenge. I wanted to get creative this year and add some glitter and waxy color to my eggs. Cheryl stuck with the tried and true method of coloring with the little food coloring tablets. I think mine turned out to be a disaster! The wax melted more on my hand than on the eggs and the glitter was the same way. In the end, the color on the eggs ran together forming a wonderful "mud' color with glittery flecks! So what do you do with Easter eggs that are messed up? Why, turn them into Deviled eggs, Of coarse! We followed a recipe that called for smoked salmon....Yummy! I think they turned out well, just like the picture in the magazine. But everything looks better with a little garnish. Hiro Agrees! And on the other news, I worked on a preying mantis that turned out pretty good. Possibly my best one yet. ( I guess I always say that about my latest creation) Ah well, we shall see if can continue to get the opportunity to blog as the month goes by. Hope everyone had a great Easter.

Origami Lizard, Salmon Burgers, And Time to Finally Blog!

It has been a while since my last post, and there is a really good reason for that. You see, Cheryl and I have been working, once again, at ACT. The Gig will last through out the summer, and there will be times when we will have gaps in employment. This is not a bad thing, as we still have to work on stockings for Christmas and are seriously behind in our production! We now have the next week off so we should be able to catch up a little. Summer has come to Iowa, and things are beginning to get warmer here. At least today is nice and cool, but last week it could not make up it's mind on where it wanted to go. As a result, with the weather being fickle, and the hours of employment being random, we have been faced with irregular eating habits. We were planning on cooking at home, and as a result, Bought groceries. Fillet of salmon on whole grain wheat with stir fry vegetables! However, we have found it easier to just order take out at Panda Garden on our way home after work. But now! Now we will not be in Iowa City every day, so back to the stove for me. In the mean time, as this post is required to be crammed in with all the things that have happened, I have made several origami Lizards that I have been very proud of. I could have taken better pictures, but they were a quick snap as we were out the door. Hope everyone is enjoying spring! The weather ( today anyway) is nice and cool, great time to get outside for a walk to smell those lilacs.

My New Favorite Origami Frog.

I'm not sure why, but I got on a frog kick lately. I'm not sure what caused the diversion, but I was just fooling around with a frog design I had in my head with a scrap piece of paper and boom! I have created a frog that I can't stop admiring! The pictures don't really do it justice, but somehow I managed to create a tongue that curls up. It is not quite long enough to reach over his eye, but I am so pleased with the final design that I simply can't stop looking at it. I'm sure I could fold another one and it would look slightly different. What gets me is that it was a scrap piece of paper I was going to throw away. Now I don't want to part with it ( as I do most of my other sculptures.) Well that motivated me to work on another frog ( toad) that turned out pretty cool as well. I have been taking existing patterns and messing with then a little to give a standing crane feet, or a frog design toes or eyes where the pattern does not call for them. The technique is called "grafting". I have been reading up on it from Robert Lang's book. It's fun! Because all those other patterns now take on a new life. Hope everyone is having a great week so far. Cheryl and I have been running out of felt and now await another resupply. Summer feels like it has arrived suddenly! Time to get out those summer shirts!

Some Origami Jewels.....

It is finally at a stage where I can take a few pics and it looks almost done. There is still much to mess around with, but I really wanted to post something on this blog about my current origami project. Anyway, What could be more colorful than humming birds and flowers. It may be true that many of the flowers ( and humming birds) are simply made up with their color combinations. However, I do have a few that are true to life. I discovered a way to add a third color to the birds where it will look good with the folding. I have been exploring it with other hummers as well. There are just so many very colorful hummingbirds out there. Being on the other side of the Mississippi you only have the ruby throated. But out west there are many many more. I also added a couple pics of the frogs while I was at it. My goal is to color the ceiling with flowers, leaves and birds. IT will take some time...but I have all summer to make it happen.

Wellman Water Worries, Curious cats, & Springy Iowa Weather

Can you believe that it actually snowed just two days ago? And today ( and yesterday) it is well over 60! It's nice, though a little dramatic. We have had the windows open for a couple of days now and the warm breeze blowing in is refreshing. Even the cats are enjoying it as they have begun to sit in the window once again. That may not sound strange, however, they actually avoided the window and instead, hung out on the new leather sofa. Speaking of cats: Cheryl decided to purchase a few more cats toys for the poor home bound cats. So we bought a could of small scratching cardboard for Hiro ( and Rash, even though she has no claws, she still used them) Hiro was fascinated with me hooking one up next to the door frame. Hopefully he will find this more attractive than the wooden molding of the frame. Other than that, and the constant stocking production, Cheryl and I have been dealing with the Wellman Water Problem. It may be difficult to imagine here in IOWA ( Not surrounded by water, as is the case in Michigan, Alaska, & Florida!) But I have never had such a problem with water as I have here in this state. It floods, The water is Poisoned! Or it doesn't run at all! It is highly mineralized! ( i.e. Brackish, Hard, filled with calcium and lime!) Surprisingly, when it does run and is safe to drink, it doesn't taste too bad. But it is not as sweet as water from Michigan or Alaska. Enough about my rant, but the latest drama happened today as there is no water at all in the small town. It made for a unique morning experience. No shower ( I'm ever so thankful that I take showers/baths in the evening to help me unwind) No washing dishes, no flushing the toilet. With all that, We decided to come to Iowa city where at the very least, we can use the bathroom and find beverages to drink. Anyway, I hope they fix the water system soon and that the weather holds out. Cheryl says that the forecast says it should for the next couple of weeks anyway. We shall see!