A Little Sticking to the Pot is Allowed In This One

My friend, CD, has been talking about this potsticker recipe for some time now. She always comes to work talking about how she "whipped up" this dinner before she came in for her family to enjoy while she is gone. Well, you know I like a simple, tasty recipe so I finally got it out of her! Thanks, CD, for the recipe!
Potstickers
Makes: about 20
Prep: 30 min. (can be prepared ahead of time)
Cook Time: 30 min.
1 lb. unseasoned ground pork
3-4 chopped green onions
3 cloves garlic
1 can waterchestnuts
1/3 cup cabbage
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 pkg. Won Ton Wrappers
1 can chicken broth
Oil to coat the bottom of pan

1. In a large bowl mix pork, green onions, garlic, waterchestnuts, cabbage, ground ginger, salt and sesame oil.
2. Lay out wrappers on a clean surface.
3. Roll meat mixture into tablespoon sized balls and lay into the middle of all wrappers.

4. Brush the perimeter of each wrapper with warm water and fold all four corners (teepee style) or one corner to another (triangle style) together.>

5. Heat pan with oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add potstickers. Brown the potstickers for about 10-15 minutes. They will turn brown and crispy. Make sure sausage cooks all the way through.

6. Once the potstickers have had a chance to brown, add about 1/2 can of chicken broth and cover the pan and reduce heat to low-medium. Let steam for about 10-15 minutes.
The potstickers should be soft.
Dipping sauce: (Can be made ahead of time)
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 cloves garlic
4 Tbsp. sugar
Cayenne pepper or Siracha (garlic-chili paste) to taste
Mix Ingredients together, microwave until sauce reaches a syrup consistency. If sauce is too thin, add sugar, if sauce is too thick, add soy sauce.

Oh my Hummus, it's Friday!

I don't know what it is about a Friday evening that makes me want to relax, enjoy a drink (alcoholic or not) and some yummy tidbits. My parents do it. Hub's parents do it. Maybe that's where I get it! I came across the recipe for Hummus randomly on the back of the Cumin spice container. I tried it. I loved it. I'm sharing it.
Hummus
1 can drained Chick Peas (Garbonzo beans), reserve 1/4 cup of the liquid
1 clove garlic (We like garlic, I bump my measurement up to 4 cloves)
1 teaspoon cumin (I like cumin, I bump it up to 2 tsp.)
1/4 teaspoon each of ground red pepper (cayenne) and salt (again, you can adjust these measurements to your own taste, i.e. we like a little spicy, I dash in some more cayenne)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Olive Oil
1. Pour chick peas, garlic, cumin, salt, red pepper, and lemon juice into food processor.

2. Pulse a few times to grind up ingredients.
3. Add reserved chick pea liquid and pulse until smooth.
4. If you are not satisfied with consistency (should be smooth), stream in olive oil until smooth.
Serve with pita chips, crackers, fresh veggies or whatever it is you enjoy dipping in Hummus!

I found these delicious Sweet Potato and Corn Tortilla Chips at the store. There are several variations to this recipe to tweak it up a bit. I have added sun-dried tomatoes and roasted garlic on different occasions. Although it is easy to stop into the store the next time you are headed to a get-together and grab a container of hummus and a bag of chips, as you can see above, with just a little extra effort for less money, you can wow your friends with this simple hummus recipe!