Three Jiaozi Recipes to you Need for Lunar New Year

For the past month, my kitchen turned into a jiaozi testing kitchen as I tried, tested and tweaked jiaozi recipes in search for the PERFECT recipe to celebrate with on the Lunar New Years. Jiaozi, or classic Chinese dumplings, is one of the major foods eaten during the Chinese New Year and serving them is believed to bring prosperity. From his memorie, Mao's Last Dancer, I like to recall the image of the ballet dancer Li Cunxin eating plates of jiaozi with his family on midnight of the Lunar New Year in their small house with dirt floors. An entire meal of dumplings surrounded by loving family sounds like the perfect way to start the new year.

As each family has its own recipe for making jiaozi, there are potentially millions of recipes out there, with the cooking technique varying from boiled to steamed to fried, and the fillings ranging from pork (traditional) to seitan (modern) and even a desert jiaozi filled with ganache chocolate. Mmm. The better news is that the ingredients are not complicated and are easy to find, especially if you decide to tackle making the wrappers yourself instead of buying store bought wrappers (and I encourage this, since store bought wrappers are about 50% less delicious than homemade wrappers).

And so, in no particular order, the best porc, vegetarian, and dessert jiaozi recipes!

Pork Dumplings from Epicurious. This may have been one of the first recipes I tried, and I recommend tweaking the sauce by adding a bit of chili paste for those who prefer a bit of spice!

Sweet Potato Recipe from Food. I probably couldn't eat more then six or seven of these, but the novelty of sweet potatoes compared to traditional vegetarian jiaozi will impress your guests. The fresh cilantro is also delicious so even if it is a bit pricey buying fresh cilantro in February do not omit the cilantro!

Fresh Mango Dumplings by Wholesome Cook. Drool, drool, drool. I am drooling just thinking about these delicious dumplings, and both the steamed and baked ones equally worthy of being on your Lunar New Year's table. Although I was tempted to post the chocolate jiaozi recipe, the mango recipe is fresh and light.

Happy cooking!

Ten Celebrities born in the Year of the Monkey

February 8th marks the start of the Year of the Monkey. People born in the year of the monkey are intelligent, witty, clever, creative and have a magnetic personality (can you tell that the author is a Monkey, yet?). So which famous celebrities are Monkeys?

1. Jake Gyllenhall: Famous actor who was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting role, but we will forever remember him in his role in Donnie Darko. 
2. Channing Tatum: Famous for so many reasons, but we like him best for being the voice of Superman in The Lego Movie.
3. Ronaldinho de Assis Moreira: One of the great soccer players of our times, winning the FIFA World Player of the Year Award in 2004 and 2005. 
4. Miley Cyrus: Well, this is one monkey famous for singing who demonstrates the Monkey's eccentric trait very well.
5. Celine Dion: Our hearts will go on and on forever with our love for the Canadian Celine Dion and her voice! 
6. Guy Fieri: A foodie who showed us where to find the best diners, drive-ins and dives across the US, this restaurateur has the makings of a true Monkey with his love of practical jokes. 
7. Rachael Ray: She made EVOO a household word, this celebrity cook and businesswoman started by showing us how to make a meal in 15 minutes and with her sharp Monkey wit is now a lifestyle goddess. 
8. Tom Hanks: He makes us laugh, he makes us cry, he is an amazing actor that has us forever quoting "Life is like a box of chocolates..."
9. Elizabeth Taylor: Actress, businesswoman and humanitarian, she was known for her love of diamonds and being one of the first celebrities to take part in HIV/AIDS activism.
10. Johnny Cash: One of the most influential singers of the 20th century who may have also had a strong pull towards the Monkey's inquisitive nature (think, "Ring of Fire").

Visiting Scholar Wang Yinghong reflects on her first week in Vermont

On the eve of the new Chinese Lunar Year, Wang Yinghong’s plane was descending at the Burlington Airport. While Wang Yonghing has never traveled to Vermont before, the placement at Randolph Union High School is almost a homecoming since Yonghing had the opportunity to work with staff from the school. In 2009, Dean Meltzer, 8^th grade science teacher, and his wife Dona from Braintree School, went on sabbatical for a year in the Lijiang Province. Wang Yonghing met the Metltzers during their sabbatical and even had the chance to meet with their daughter.  

Wang Yonghing shared these thoughts of her first few weeks in Vermont:

“I'm getting used to being here. I can sleep well at night. Dean and Dona, my host family, cook different foods every day. They try to let me find the foods I like most.

       Everyone in the school are all very nice. I observed different classes last week. I had the most interesting math class here. I enjoyed the Spanish class even I can't understand a word in there. I learned a lot from the science class. I found a new way to teach English. I'm very surprised that the English teacher and the man who teach geography prepared a class together. Students can learn a lot about Africa when they learn from an African novel. I observed the students practice drama, and I joined the students in the gym.

     I will have class soon. I will share Mandarin and Chinese culture in my class. I also want to show them Ljiang (culture & scenic spots). I will teach Naxi dance with the physical teacher. I will do Dongba pictographic characters with the art teacher. I also will go to some elementary school to do some workshop.”