It's January 26, 2009 so let me be the first to wish y'all a Happy Chinese New Year!
I do love this time of year—I get to celebrate my new year. Recover. Celebrate Chinese New Year. Recover. Then I go straight into Groundhog’s Day, Mardi Gras, and the one I love the most—St. Pat’s Day. It is beautiful stuff. And as I write this, it is beginning to snow so all is well in the Valley.
I realize one could ask how could I so positive when it is well below freezing and after midnight (and yes, my pipes are frozen AGAIN) but I have reasons AND I am sharing. I'm optimistic because it is the Year of the Ox. Not that I am an ox. I am a sheep/ram/goat—see, even other cultures can’t define me—but an ox year is a good year for many reasons.
The ox is traditionally a sign of prosperity through hard work and confidence. But this is what I love. Traditionally, sweets are eaten at the beginning of the year to ensure the consumer a "sweet" year and sweeping the floor is forbidden on the first day of the ox year as it will sweep away the good that lies ahead. These two things alone ensure me a great Monday full of hopeful prosperity, hard (satisfying) work, good food, sweets, and no cleaning the kitchen. I wish every day could be this sweet in 2009.
To celebrate I have included a recipe if you are staying home to celebrate. But if you are going out—check out some of the fun events in the Valley...
Spring Rolls
Easy and quick to make. Yummy with a dill yogurt sauce - or a prepared store bought one.
Oil for pan
1 pound center cut filet of salmon
2 hard boiled eggs, cooled and peeled
1 pack spring-roll wrappers
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 bunch fresh dill, chopped
2 tablespoons of capers, finely chopped
juice from one lemon
salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly oil shallow baking pan and put salmon in center. Bake 25 minutes until opaque and flaky. Finely chop egg. Fill wide bowl with warm water. Working one at a time, plunge a spring roll wrapper into water and hold ten or fifteen seconds until it softens. Place wrapper on clean, flat surface. Using fingers, pinch off one tablespoon of salmon, shred, place in spring roll in a line near bottom of wrapper. Sprinkle tablespoon of egg followed by tablespoon of cucumber and red onion and one teaspoon of dill and capers. Squeeze lemon juice, sprinkle salt. Lift flap nearest to the filling over filling and roll wrapper until filling is surrounded. Fold in ends and continue rolling. Keep rolling until it looks like a cigar. Cut spring rolls in half on an angle and serve.
