Egg Roll

I was in a funk.  Valerie and I spent the whole day deciding what we were going to do.  The day was almost over, and we still were just poking around the house not doing anything.  It was a cold, wet, drizzling Saturday, and we were craving Chinese.  The problem was, our favorite Chinese restaurant is over thirty minutes away, and nothing else in the city really compares.  

Neither of us would commit to anything or make a decision, and I got tired of sitting around.  I looked outside, and it was snowing.  Frustrated and annoyed, I hastily left the house in a huff to get some items we forgot to buy at the grocery store earlier in the day.  We didn't really need them, I was just getting stir crazy.  

With the snow beginning to fall harder, I assumed we wouldn't be going anywhere for dinner.  Then it hit me - I'll make my own egg rolls!  A smile came to my face and there was a spring to my step as I headed over to pick up the egg roll wrappers.  Having never made my own egg rolls before, I used the back of the package as a guide and made my way through the rest of the store to pick up ingredients.

I got home and joyously announced our new dinner plans and Valerie looked at me with a lot of doubt in her eyes.  I didn't care; I was going to make these egg rolls, and they were going to be darn good, too!  The filling came together in an instant and I was ready to roll them.  The filling consisted of Napa cabbage, sliced carrots, ground pork, ginger garlic paste, and oyster sauce.  Quite simple, really.

Wrapping them was not as difficult as I imagined either.  I was afraid they would break open and spill their innards as I was frying them, but they all held together well.  When they were done frying, I was pleased that they looked like egg rolls.  The proof was in the tasting, and they were delicious!  The pork was flavorful and tender, and the cabbage and carrots were crisp and sweet. 

An evening that had all the makings to be dull and uneventful was suddenly transformed into something more.  It wasn't the most exciting, but it is always fun for me to try something new in the kitchen, especially when the results are as good as these egg rolls.