Every Family Is Different, But We All Love Food!
I'm not sure who really reads this, so I'm not sure who knows about some of the more major things going on in our life and who doesn't. Therefore, I apologize in advance to anyone that this seems redundant to...
E has an older daughter that he had not seen in many years. When the mother got married, the decision was made to have her husband adopt Teeny Bear in the best interest of her happy and stable upbringing. We thought about her often and prayed for her more than she could ever know. It's so hard to know if decisions made were the right ones until the outcome shows up.
Last fall I was contacted by her mother on my social networking site. Teeny Bear was curious about her biological father and none of us were sure what we were getting ourselves into. After the adults got a feel for how much the other had grown and changed over the years, we felt prepared (well, not really, but who ever got anywhere by standing still?) to see how things would progress. We set up a meeting at a Starbucks and prayed our hearts out!
Since that day, we have continued to see Teeny Bear a couple of times a month. She is a fantastic, well-adjusted 15 year old with a good head on her shoulders and a great sense of humor. Baby Duck and Ladybug think she hung the moon and know that she is their sister. I thank the Lord for their unconditional acceptance of that fact with no question of how or why. We even had the awesome opportunity of reuniting Teeny Bear with The Munchkin when she was in town for the holidays! When I want to complain about the small disappointments of normal life, I need to remember how truly blessed my family is.
You all should know by now how much I love to tinker in the kitchen. I had really enjoyed preparing some of my favorite recipes for Teeny Bear when she came to visit. Yesterday, however was a milestone: I opened up my massive book of recipes, including a couple hundred I had torn out of magazines but not attempted yet, and handed it over to E and Teeny Bear. They chose one of the many that I had not attempted yet. This was my ultimate test of how truly comfortable I was with everything: was I really ready to risk such epic failure in front of this addition to our family who I wanted to please so much? Was it even about the food, or was it a metaphor for my fears of us not being what she expected? Well, I decided to go for it.
And that is the story of the birth of "Teeny Bear Wraps".
Teeny Bear Wraps:
6 T. mayonnaise
4 t. sugar
2 t. Sriracha
juice of 1 lime
...............................
1/2 c. carrots, sliced into matchsticks
1/2 c. cucumber, seeded, thinly sliced into half-moons
1/2 c. fresh bean sprouts
4 T. rice vinegar
2 t. sugar
4 t. minced fresh cilantro (or to taste)
salt and sesame oil to taste
...............................
2 T. vegetable oil
16 oz. ground pork
4 T. fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 whole scallions, thinly sliced
................................
6-8 burrito size flour tortillas
1 egg
1 T. milk
1 T. minced fresh cilantro
2 T. vegetable oil, divided
................................
6-8 oz. thinly sliced ham (approx. 18-20 slices)
Combine first segment of ingredients (mayonnaise, sugar, Sriracha and lime juice) in a bowl; set aside.
Toss second segment of ingredients (carrots, cucumber, sprouts, vinegar, sugar, cilantro, salt and sesame oil) in a large bowl; set aside.
Stir-fry pork in 2 T. vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up large chunks with a spoon. When cooked through, add ginger, garlic and scallions; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer pork mixture to a bowl and cover. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and return pan to the burner over medium heat.
Beat together 1 egg with 1 T. milk and 1 T. cilantro. Dip both sides of a tortilla in the egg mixture to coat, then fry in oil in the skillet until golden, about 1 minute. Flip tortilla over, fry another minute and transfer to a cutting board; dip and fry remaining tortillas in the same manner.
Assemble wraps by spreading mayonnaise mixture over each of the tortillas, then top each with 2-3 slices of ham. Divide the pork mixture between the tortillas, then top with the vegetable salad. Roll tortillas like a burrito, then cut in half on a bias. Serve immediately.
CL
E has an older daughter that he had not seen in many years. When the mother got married, the decision was made to have her husband adopt Teeny Bear in the best interest of her happy and stable upbringing. We thought about her often and prayed for her more than she could ever know. It's so hard to know if decisions made were the right ones until the outcome shows up.
Last fall I was contacted by her mother on my social networking site. Teeny Bear was curious about her biological father and none of us were sure what we were getting ourselves into. After the adults got a feel for how much the other had grown and changed over the years, we felt prepared (well, not really, but who ever got anywhere by standing still?) to see how things would progress. We set up a meeting at a Starbucks and prayed our hearts out!
Since that day, we have continued to see Teeny Bear a couple of times a month. She is a fantastic, well-adjusted 15 year old with a good head on her shoulders and a great sense of humor. Baby Duck and Ladybug think she hung the moon and know that she is their sister. I thank the Lord for their unconditional acceptance of that fact with no question of how or why. We even had the awesome opportunity of reuniting Teeny Bear with The Munchkin when she was in town for the holidays! When I want to complain about the small disappointments of normal life, I need to remember how truly blessed my family is.
You all should know by now how much I love to tinker in the kitchen. I had really enjoyed preparing some of my favorite recipes for Teeny Bear when she came to visit. Yesterday, however was a milestone: I opened up my massive book of recipes, including a couple hundred I had torn out of magazines but not attempted yet, and handed it over to E and Teeny Bear. They chose one of the many that I had not attempted yet. This was my ultimate test of how truly comfortable I was with everything: was I really ready to risk such epic failure in front of this addition to our family who I wanted to please so much? Was it even about the food, or was it a metaphor for my fears of us not being what she expected? Well, I decided to go for it.
And that is the story of the birth of "Teeny Bear Wraps".
Teeny Bear Wraps:
6 T. mayonnaise
4 t. sugar
2 t. Sriracha
juice of 1 lime
...............................
1/2 c. carrots, sliced into matchsticks
1/2 c. cucumber, seeded, thinly sliced into half-moons
1/2 c. fresh bean sprouts
4 T. rice vinegar
2 t. sugar
4 t. minced fresh cilantro (or to taste)
salt and sesame oil to taste
...............................
2 T. vegetable oil
16 oz. ground pork
4 T. fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 whole scallions, thinly sliced
................................
6-8 burrito size flour tortillas
1 egg
1 T. milk
1 T. minced fresh cilantro
2 T. vegetable oil, divided
................................
6-8 oz. thinly sliced ham (approx. 18-20 slices)
Combine first segment of ingredients (mayonnaise, sugar, Sriracha and lime juice) in a bowl; set aside.
Toss second segment of ingredients (carrots, cucumber, sprouts, vinegar, sugar, cilantro, salt and sesame oil) in a large bowl; set aside.
Stir-fry pork in 2 T. vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up large chunks with a spoon. When cooked through, add ginger, garlic and scallions; stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer pork mixture to a bowl and cover. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and return pan to the burner over medium heat.
Beat together 1 egg with 1 T. milk and 1 T. cilantro. Dip both sides of a tortilla in the egg mixture to coat, then fry in oil in the skillet until golden, about 1 minute. Flip tortilla over, fry another minute and transfer to a cutting board; dip and fry remaining tortillas in the same manner.
Assemble wraps by spreading mayonnaise mixture over each of the tortillas, then top each with 2-3 slices of ham. Divide the pork mixture between the tortillas, then top with the vegetable salad. Roll tortillas like a burrito, then cut in half on a bias. Serve immediately.
CL
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