Gyoza (Japanese Pot Stickers)

I learned to make these on my mission in Japan in the early 80's. They take a little time because of assembly. But they are such a crowd pleaser as an appetizer. Serve with soy sauce or sweet and sour sauce.

1 lb. lean ground meat
3 tbs. freshly grated ginger root
2 tbs. soy sauce
1 cup finely chopped cabbage
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 package of gyoza skins (wonton skins will work)

In a glass bowl, cook cabbage, onion, and soy sauce in the microwave until softened -- about three minutes on high. Allow to cool. Add ground meat and ginger. Mix well. Fill gyoza or wonton skins with 1 tsp of meat mixture and seal by folding over the skin and sealing with a little water. Place stuffed wontons on a cookie sheet dusted with flour until ready to cook.

To cook, use a fryer if possible. ( But it can easily be done in a pot on the stove). Fry until golden brown. Serve hot.

Alternate method:
In Japan, gyoza are steamed in a bamboo steamer. You can do the same thing on the stove. Add a tablespoon of oil and enough water to cover the bottom of a non-stick pan. Steam gyoza until done.

Spinach Casserole

I am feeling nostalgic for my childhood. This was a 70's Sunday dinner staple at my house growing up. The menu rarely varied -- roast, rice and gravy, salad, and spinach casserole. I rarely make it now because my family does not like spinach that much. Nowadays, people would consider this a dip. But we always used it as a side dish.

4 cans of spinach - drained as much as possible (do not use frozen with this recipe)
2 packages of cream cheese
1 stick of butter
1 can of artichoke hearts in water - drained
Italian breadcrumbs to top

Melt butter and cream cheese together. Add drained spinach and artichoke hearts. Pour in a casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees until hot and ubbly.

Easy Almond White Cake

This is so easy I am almost embarrassed to post it. But it is my most requested cake. Simple but elegant, it can be made as a layer cake or as a sheet cake. 

1 White Cake Mix (Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines are best) 

3 eggs 

1 cup water 

1/3 cup oil 

1 tsp almond extract 

 Mix with an electric mixer two minutes on medium speed. Pour in grease and floured cake pan(s). Bake in 350 degree oven until done (30 minutes for sheet cake). 

 Cool and ice with the following icing 

 1/2 cup butter at room temperature 

1/3 cup shortening 

1 lb of powdered sugar (1 box) 

2 tsps almond extract

1 - 2 tablespoons of water as necessary 

 Whip butter, shortening and almond extract together with mixer. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add a tablespoon of water. Whip. If icing is too thick, add another tablespoon. Ice the cake with decorative swirls.

Fried Catfish

The key to good fried catfish (or any other type of fish) is to get fresh, thin-sliced fish. Another key is to use Zatarain's Seasoned Fish Fri (available at https://www.mccormick.com/zatarains). Finally, you should fry in peanut oil if possible. 

 The process is really simple. First, use a cast iron dutch oven or other heavy pot. Put about 2 - 3 inches of peanut oil in the pot. On high heat, bring the oil up to about 375 degrees. If it is the right temperature, a little fish fri put in the pan will sizzle 

 Prepare the fish so that the fillets are thin - no thicker than 1/4 - 1/2 inch. 

Make sure that the fish is moist but not overly wet. Then dredge fish in fish fri. We usually do this by putting about 3 or 4 pieces in a tupperware container filled with fish fri. Shake the container. 

 Place the fish in the hot oil - do not crowd. Let the fish brown to a light color (about 2 - 3 minutes at most) and turn to brown other side. The fish will float as it gets done. Do not overcook as this will cause the fish to be tough and rubbery.

   

We also fry shrimp the same way. Shrimp should be large 20 - 30 count per pound. Cooking times are shorter on shrimp so remove when light tan or brown.

Billy's Hushpuppies

I am posting a lot of recipes my dad made. But, they come to me in a batch of memories and I can't separate them. These hushpuppies were always a hit at any fish fry. My parents didn't need much of an excuse to invite 20 or so people over for fried fish, hushpuppies, and coleslaw. They loved people and loved to feed them. I guess it is genetic    

1 cup yellow corn meal 

1 cup flour 

2 tsp. baking powder 

3/4 cup sugar 

1 egg 

1 can of corn (creamed or whole)

1/4 cup milk  (may need more or less depending on humidity) 

1/2 medium onion grated 

1/t tsp. Louisiana hot sauce (optional) 

1/2 cup green onion tops chopped. (optional)

Mix corn meal, flour, baking powder, and sugar and make into a well. Add egg, corn, milk, onion and hot sauce. You may need more or less milk. The mix needs to be thicker than pancake batter but not as thick as cookie dough batter) Fry spoonfuls in hot oil - we always fry them before the fish so that they will stay clean.

Billy's Coleslaw for Fish

This coleslaw is so different from what you get at the supermarket and in restaurants. My dad always made this to eat with fried fish (bass, catfish, etc.) But, it is great with lots of things. 

1 medium head of cabbage grated small -- use your box grater with largest holes 

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1 tsp prepared horseradish 

1/2 medium onion grated 

1/2 cup sugar 

1 - 2 tbs. of milk to make creamy depending on how loose you like your slaw 

1/2 tsp. salt (less or more to taste) 

Grate cabbage. in a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, horseradish, onion, sugar, salt, and milk to make a creamy dressing. Mix in grated cabbage and chill for an hour. Serve with fish, red beans, fried chicken, or any other good southern dish

Pumpkin Bread

My mother made this during the fall and winter. We used our jack-o-lantern from Halloween which was always boiled, drained, mashed, and stored in two-cup tupperware in the freezer. Canned pumpkin will work well but your own boiled pumpkin makes it taste best. This is really a great recipe -- the bread is moist and spicy. Great with a tall glass of milk. 

3 cups sugar 

1 cup vegetable oil 

4 eggs 

2 cups pumpkin (canned or fresh) 

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 tsp. salt 

2 tsp. baking soda 

1 tsp. cloves 

1 tsp. cinnamon 

1 tsp. nutmeg 

2/3 cup water 

Mix all dry ingredients together; in a separate bowl, mix oil and sugar - add eggs/water and mix - add pumpkin and mix; add all dry ingredients and mix well. Bake in two loaf pans (regular sized) or four mini-loaf sized pans at 350 degrees until done -- about one hour for large loaves or 40 minutes for small loaves. Be sure to spray pans with non-stick spray.