The long-awaited Neal visit!

Jenn and Matt came this weekend with their kids, and we had a BLAST! We love playing hosts, and Jason and Cory cracked us up...we never knew that our futon and Russian stacking dolls could provide so much fun for so long!
We went to the beach to dig for crabs, and again tried our luck with fishing off the pier, but again...no bites. I even pulled out all the stops and baited the hook with some leftover chicken, but those fish would have none of it. Shame...it was good chicken, too! It was Jenn's first time fishing, and maybe Matt's too? You never would have guessed from their amazing technique and finesse, though.







It gets pretty cold out there on the pier, so Jason borrowed "Uncle Miles's" jacket. He lost his arms a couple of times, and mainly flapped around looking like a sailor. So cute!




Miles and I decided to make things really festive, and we pulled out one of our new favorite recipes. HOMEMADE EGG ROLLS! Man, they are sooooo good, and now we finally have a second opinion! Jenn wanted the recipe, so I thought I might as well post it on here and share it all around. They're SO easy to make, and amazingly good.  I mostly pulled the recipe off Allrecipes.com, but the purple parts are my additions or helpful hints. Enjoy!

Egg Roll Filling (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-egg-rolls/detail.aspx)

Ingredients


1 pound ground pork (I used ground turkey--it's cheap and yummy)
1 teaspoon ground ginger1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 2 cups shredded cabbage
• 2 ounces shredded carrots
• (also I added liberal amounts of pepper and season-all to spice things up a little)

• 
  
• 1 quart peanut oil for frying (unless you have some handy, vegetable oil works great)

FOR PASTE:

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

1. Season meat with ginger and garlic powder and mix thoroughly. Heat mixture in a medium skillet, stirring, until meat is cooked through and no longer pink. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. In the skillet, cook the cabbage and carrots with maybe a tsp of oil until they're just beginning to be cooked--the cabbage will change color a tad and be less crunchy. When its ready, combine the cabbage, carrots and reserved pork mixture. Mix all together.

Egg Roll Wrappers (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/egg-roll-wrappers/detail.aspx)

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1-1/2 cups cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup peanut oil (if your pan is not a good nonstick. If it is, you don't need any oil at all)

Directions 

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, cold water and salt. Mix in all-purpose flour 1/3 at a time. Allow the mixture to stand 15 minutes at room temperature.
2. Heat a frying pan to medium/high heat. Pour about 1/4 cup batter on and rotate pan quickly to spread the batter, like a crepe. I've found that it works best if after this step you quickly spread the batter into a larger circle using a spatula, so that the wrapper will be thin and not crack when cooked. The ideal size is about a 9-inch circle.
3.  Cook over low heat 45 seconds to 1 minute, until bottom is golden brown and edges begin to curl. ONLY COOK ONE SIDE! Carefully remove from heat with spatula and place on a paper towel, golden brown side down. These do not stick together, so you can stack all you want. Repeat with remaining batter.
4. Allow the wrappers to cool completely. 

Making the egg rolls-Directions 

1. In a small pot heat a couple cups of oil to about 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) or medium high heat. (we just heat it until a little piece of dough thrown in will sizzle and brown quickly) While oil is heating, combine flour and water in a bowl until they form a paste. 
2. Put maybe 1/4 cup filling onto a wrapper. Fold in the sides first, sticking them down with the paste, then begin rolling from the bottom to the top. Use the flour paste to seal the egg roll shut.
3. Place egg rolls into heated oil and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels or rack. Eat large but not excessive amounts with great satisfaction, and share with friends.

So good! AND if you really want a delicious meal, serve it with veggies and this teriyaki sauce:

http://www.food.com/recipe/restaurant-teriyaki-sauce-133751  (I skip the honey and drop the sugar to 3 tbsp, and it's right on! Also, it thickens as it cools, so no worries if stirring doesn't do the trick)

Teriyaki Stix has nothing on us here in Long Beach! :)