I have never cooked Chinese food before but decided Chinese New Year would be the day to attempt something new. I have loved every one of Foodie Bride’s recipes I have tried and the pot stickers were no exception. The downside to cooking Chinese food at home was the smell- I think it must be the sesame oil that just sticks around.
Pork Potstickers 
½ lb ground pork
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/3 cup chives
2/3 cup green onions
1 cup Napa cabbage, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Wonton wrappers (about 30)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 recipe Orange Sesame dipping sauce, for serving (follows)
Cook the ground pork over medium heat until done. Add the remaining ingredients (through garlic) and cook until the greens are wilted nicely. Let mixture cool just a bit and add it to the bowl of a food processor. Process the filling until it reaches the desired consistency.
Lay a wrapper on a flat, dry surface put a Tbsp of mixture in in the middle. Using your fingers or a pastry brush (save the dirty-dish sink space – use your fingers), wet the wonton wrapper surrounding the filling and fold the dumpling, pressing the seams together: bring two opposite corners to the center, bring the remaining corners to the center one at a time and press tightly.
Add oil to a skillet (a clean skillet) and add dumplings. Add 1/3 cup water to the pan and cover tightly. Remove from heat when the dumplings are golden brown on one side (about 4 minutes). (**I did not care for the potstickers in oil so when I made the leftover ones I steamed them- so much better that way!)
Orange Sesame dipping sauce (measurements are approximate) 1 tsp sesame oil 2 Tbsp lite soy sauce 2 Tbsp chives 1 small clove garlic, minced 1/2 tsp sugar 2 Tbsp orange juice
Whisk together all ingredients, adjust seasoning to taste.
Pork Fried Rice 
*I cannot figure out where I got this recipe, so if it is yours please forgive me for not giving you credit. If you message me I will add a link to your blog.
1/2 lb ground pork
1 Tbsp vegetable oil 4 cups cooked rice, cold
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/3 cup carrots, chopped
(I added an extra 1/3 cup)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup green peas
1 egg
2 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp soy sauce
Brown the pork over medium high heat, drain and set aside. Add vegetable oil to skillet over high heat, stir fry onions and rice. Add carrots and peas and stir fry for 2 minutes. Push rice to side. Whisk egg, pepper, and sesame oil and pour into skillet. Stir until egg is cooked and mix into the rice. Add pork and soy sauce, taste, and adjust seasoning as necessary.
From marthastewart.com 
5 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 large egg whites
1 c superfine sugar (I make my own by putting sugar in the Magic Bullet)
1 c all-purpose flour, sifted
pinch of salt
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp almond extract
nonstick cooking spray
1) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet liberally with cooking spray. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat, set aside.
2) In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and sugar, and beat on medium speed. Add flour and salt and beat until combined. Add butter, heavy cream, and almond extract and beat until well combined.
3) Pour 1 Tbsp of batter onto half of the baking sheet, and spread with the back of a spoon into a thin 5-inch circle; repeat on the other half of the baking sheet. Bake until edges of the cookie turn golden brown (approx 8 minutes).
** my cookies ended up way too big, use a small spoon
4) Transfer baking sheet to a heat-resistant surface. Working as quickly as possible, slide a spatula (an offset spatula, available at specialty kitchen shops, works best) under one of the cookies. Lift it up, and place it on a clean kitchen towel. Using your fingers, fold the cookie in half, pinching the top together to form a loose semicircle. Hold the cookie with your index fingers inserted at each open end, and slide your thumbs together along the bottom line. Press into the center of the cookie while bending the two open ends together and down to form the shape of a fortune cookie. This whole process should take about 10 seconds. Once the cookie hardens, which begins to happen almost immediately, you cannot fold it. Place the fortune cookie on the kitchen towel to cool, and shape the second cookie. Repeat until all the batter is used up. To speed up the process, bake four cookies at a time, staggering two cookie sheets by 4 minutes to give you time to shape. To avoid wasting batter, practice folding with a circle of paper first.
5) Write your message on a long strip of sturdy art paper, such as Japanese moriki. Thread the fortune through the cookie when it has cooled.
***I was busy making dinner and prepping lava cake for homegroup so I didn’t really take the time to figure out how to fold the cookies. They were quite delicious and I look forward to making them again when I have the time to focus on folding cookies and writing fortunes.
Ingredients: -1/3 c vegetable shortening-1/3 c butter-1/2 c granulated sugar-1/2 c brown sugar-1 egg-1 tsp vanilla-1 1/2 c flour-1/2 tsp soda-6 oz chocolate chips-1/2 c chopped walnuts (optional) Combine shortening, butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed until mixed thoroughly. Blend flour and soda; add to shortening mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonful 2″ apart on baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s doesn’t make too many cookies so I don’t end up either eating too many or throwing them out. 