Yummy Wonton Soup

     The weather is finally beginning to turn colder here, and as my two year old would say, "it's brisk mom!" There is nothing I love more when it starts cooling down than soup (with the exception of an expertly brewed cup of joe). There really isn't anything that can warm you to your bones the way a good bowl of soup can. As an added bonus not only is soup pretty simple to prepare, you can usually feel guilt free having a second helping.

     Given the current economic climate  soup can also be a great way to fill your family's bellies without breaking the bank.  This is especially true if you choose not to add meat to your soup,  and instead opt for something similar in texture like mushrooms. The following soup recipe was adapted from Veggie Num Num's Enoki Mushroom Wonton Soup with Grilled Baby Bok Choy.  Some of the ingredients in the original recipe are a little expensive or hard to find, and I usually have the stuff in my version on hand.

*Sorry about the glaring lack of pictures, I ate the soup before I got a chance!*

1 package of wonton wrappers (you'll find these refrigerated near the tofu)
1 large package slice baby portabellas
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 baby bok choy
3 tablespoons honey
8 cups vegetable broth
Soy sauce
2 tablespoons peanut oil (but olive oil or butter will work)
1/4 inch minced ginger
1/2-3/4 cup shredded chinese cabbage (but purple cabbage will do too)
Salt
Pepper


First you want to saute about 3/4 of your mushrooms in 1 tablespoon peanut oil until they start to soften. Then you'll add the cabbage and after it softens add in the oyster sauce and honey. At this point you can go ahead and taste for flavor, and if you like you can add a dash of soy sauce and salt and pepper (you'll notice I fly by the seat of my pants often when cooking).

Bring the vegetable broth to boil with the ginger

Empty the sautéed mushrooms into a bowl so you can re-use  the pan ( I hate dishes, and it adds to the flavor). Slice up the bok choy (including the leaves) and add to the pan to sauté  in the  remaining peanut oil until the leaves wilt and the body starts to soften.

In the mean time you should be adding a teaspoon-ish of the mushroom mixture to  each of the wonton wrappers and folding them up according to package instructions (you'll have way more wonton wrappers than mushroom mixture). If you're as good as I am, at this point your water won't yet be boiling, your bok choy will be ready to be added to the broth, and you won't have the wontons done yet!

If you're not as good as me then you can go ahead turn the broth down to a simmer, remove the ginger, add the bok choy, and the rest of the mushrooms you didn't sauté. Let the broth simmer for a few more minutes, and give it a taste (we're flying by our pant seats again).  Go ahead and add some soy sauce until you like the flavor (add slowly though, the laws of science say you will not be able to undo it).   Ok, so now that you've got the wontons done (Whew! Your family was starting to look like they might eat you!) you can add them to the broth, and let  them sit in the warm broth for a few minutes (which you turned the fire off on because your smart  despite the fact I didn't say to earlier).  If you haven't already eaten the entire pot , you can dish out some bowlfuls for your family.

Just Because You Can, Doesn't Mean You Should

I’ve been brainstorming all week, and I’ve really felt like I’d hit a road block when it came to writing another blog.  That was until my very best friend acted as a muse of sorts and sent home a point I think is important in all of our lives. “You posted WHAT on your Facebook?”

Seriously, we all do it, think that our Facebook is a place where we can post whatever we like, and we sometimes forget that we have friends from all different backgrounds. Sometimes your ex box doesn’t actually want to see a fully unclothed woman (well maybe he does, but trust me not one giving birth). Yet it happens every day, and we don’t even think twice about it. 

As parents we try to teach our children discretion, compassion, and manners. Yet, often as adults we fall so very short of this in the little virtual worlds we have created.  Social media, and Voyeurism have taken such a hold on our society that we’ve lost a lot of the values we hold so near and dear to our hearts.  Words we wouldn’t utter in public for fear of judgement are suddenly plastered like wall paper over our virtual “homes”. Do we really think people have stopped judging our words and actions, can we really condone this behavior for ourselves when we know we wouldn’t dare allow our children to behave the same?

I for one know I wouldn’t shout the word penis out in the mall during holiday shopping (though I’ve considered it when people were in my way...everyone moves out of the crazy person’s way), or drive down the street with that special four letter word painted in neon colors on the side of my car. But oh, what I won’t post on my Facebook page for all to see.  It’s hard to swallow the idea that something you find innocuous could be hurtful to someone you care about despite your best intentions. 

(see this post really is so much better than holiday crafts and baking)

Of all the things I want to leave my children, the legacy of respect, boundaries, manners and empathy are very close to the top.  What I don’t want to leave them with, is the idea that we can use social media to anonymously  force our opinions or ideas onto other people.  I also plain just don’t want them putting crazy things out there so people wonder what kinda parents they have anyway. Let’s face it, my 2 year old can already operate a lap-top and start her own Netflix movies. I’m thinking it’s only a few months before she has a Facebook page with posts that read, “I hate you, and spinach because you don’t like me.”

Wool, Wool and more Wool

Little A in knit Wool Shorties

Winter and I have a love hate relationship. I really despise cold weather, but I love all of the other things that come along with it. I love eggnog (to much probably), stews, potpies, layered clothing, pops of color against a gray sky, the smell of snow, and chimneys puffing with smoke. But of all the things I love about winter, the things I love most are woolen. 

Wool is one of those magical things God gives us that is multipurpose, and makes you feel good about using it. The Navy was the first  place I found love for wool, and I loved my standard issue woolen hat, peacoat, sweater and blanket to death. I loved them for their warmth, but I didn’t know much about their other secret powers. Yes, I said secret powers! It’s true, if you’ve ever worn a pair of woolen socks you know what I’m talking about. Even on the hottest day of the year inside a pair of heavy boots somehow your feet stay dry, and the temperature is magically regulated. Of course if you are like me, you just love your wool socks and never considered the science behind them.

It wasn’t until the birth of my son that I ever even considered that wool might be useful for anything other than naval wear, or socks. Actually as much as a I loved my wool I always found it a bit itchy, so when I discovered people were putting it on children (newborns even) I shuddered at the thought of their poor inflamed and sensitive skin screaming to be released from such torture.  It never occurred to me that the Navy might haven chosen the cheapest wool possible to use in the production of our uniform articles. The thought kept nagging me though, these wool lovers were constantly talking about how soft (unlikely I thought), and breathable their wool was, and how it was waterproof (“absurd..” I yelled..”it’s fabric!”), and how they only had to wash it once every 4-6 weeks (gross, even after it comes into contact with urine!?)  It sounded like some sort impossible alien invention from another planet to me.  

The impossible alien invention from another planet feeling, and my genetically ingrained nerdy-ness is what finally pushed me to purchase a pair of wool longies (woolen pants). I thought for sure I could put them to the test, and prove with science that wool was an inadvisable option for use as a cloth diaper cover.  I ordered a pair of Sustainablebabyish longies in charcoal because they were supposed to be the best wool on the market, and if I was going to break something I wanted to do it right.  After completing my order I began to do some research on how and why wool worked as a diaper cover. Apparently, much to my surprise, sheep excrete an oil known as lanolin which covers their wool and makes it clean and waterproof. Additionally I found that lanolin reacts with uric acid (that would be pee) to create salt and water. So basically I discovered that wool has antibacterial properties, and it is self cleaning. I found from everything I read that in order to make my longies useable all I needed to do was give them a soak in a lanolin bath (made with Lansinoh nipple ointment, baby wash and a sink full of water). 

I’ll never forget opening the package when it came in the mail, and being so surprised at how ridiculously soft the wool was. If you’ve ever caressed a newly born bunny you know what I’m talking about. Oh, and I can’t describe how stretchy and squishy and thick it was! I was almost a convert after that brief moment of ecstasy, but I kept my head together as I had yet to test it.  After I followed the steps to make my wool useable, and waited what felt like an eternity for it to dry, I was finally able to put those bad boys to the test.  The good news is that they worked...well. So well in fact that my son still (at 10 months) sleeps overnight for 12+ hours in a fitted diaper under a pair of wool longies or a wool soaker.  The bad news is that I now fancy all things woolen, and have a full blown addiction  to wool diaper covers. I mean  c’mon, what mom wouldn’t want a diaper cover that also functioned as a piece of clothing...a piece of clothing that only needs to be washed once a month?! Yes please!