Tormented Kitchen

Potstickers, sometimes called gyoza, are a staple food in my house.  It's nice to come home from a busy day and toss some frozen potstickers in the pan, start some rice, and make a real easy small meal. My son sometimes says words incorrectly, which is normal for kids.  He wouldn't eat these if I called them potstickers. By calling them dumplings, they are suddenly delicious and he will ask for Chinese Ducklings. Yes, he means dumplings but it comes out as ducklings. I think that's pretty cute. This is enough for 50-60 potstickers, depending on the size of your wrappers.  Mine were on the small side compared to those I get in restaurants. I froze about half the batch for later.  Just a note on the potsticker versus gyoza name, it has to do with the seasonings.  This recipe is slightly more Chinese since I used Shaoxing rice wine. Japanese gyoza may contain miso paste, green onions, and sake. I think that is the difference. At least f...

Last week, my son turned 5. I have been a wee bit slow to get this post going. Just the craziness and excitement from Eric's birthday party and family visiting has been one thing.  Then I got him registered for Kindergarden. While at the doctor for his regular well-child check up, she discovered he had something stuck in his ear. She couldn't get it out. Two days later, we got in to see the ENT specialist, who quickly flushed out two small chunks of rubber playground mulch. I'm happy to say, Eric is totally back to normal. So with that weight off of my mind, I was able to get back to the birthday cake recap. Now, since this is where I do recipes and sometimes toss in a little family stuff for good measure, let me just say, this cake was the best tasting one I have ever made.  I've made this recipe quite a few times, but the strawberry mousse filling really set it apart. I love that this cake is technically a yellow cake, but it's not a deep yellow like store-bo...

Many years ago, I discovered the joys of drinking Italian Cream Sodas.  They were just so fun! They seemed so seasonal as well, creamy, but still light and refreshing. I think my favorite part of the drink  is the creamy layer of foam on top. It's just like the creamy foam you get from a root beer float. My secret to a good drink is a simple 1:2:3 ratio.  1 part flavored syrup, 2 parts 1/2 & 1/2 or milk, 3 parts club soda, in a glass with ice. Of course, I have tried different brands of flavored syrup but my favorite is Da Vinci. You can use any flavor of syrup you like for these drinks.  Some of our favorites are Vanilla , Irish Cream , Strawberry , Hazelnut , Cherry , and Peach . Let me just warn you one thing. These little drinks are so tasty, it's very easy to suck one down entirely without realizing it. They contain lots of sugar and fat from the syrup, club soda, and regular milk (or more if you use 1/2 & 1/2). If you want to shave...