Mainly because I had never made any before. But they were easy and kind of fun to make. I could tell they were done when they floated to the surface of the boiling water.

This was one of those meals with lots of last minute preparation that can be daunting, particularly because all the recipes were new to me. But dinner was a success.

I sent all the leftovers home with my friends. I really don’t enjoy heavy meals like that anymore.

But I could eat a lot of dumplings: so chewy and dense and delicious. I sent them home, too.