Sunday Brunch: Cranberry-Strawberry-Tofu Dumplings

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1.5 cup Cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup Strawberries, diced
1/2 pkg Extra Firm Tofu, crumbled
6 Rice Paper wraps (or vegan wonton wraps)

In a medium pot, combine sugar, vanilla and water until dissolved, then boil. Stir in cranberries and strawberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until all the cranberries pop. When the sauce thickens, add crumbled tofu and heat for another 5 minutes (if sauce doesn't thicken, add small amounts of corn starch until it does, then add tofu).

In a large bowl, dip rice papers in hot water until they soften, then spoon 2 tbsp of filling and twist the top. If you are using wontons, spoon in the filling and then steam in a bamboo steamer before enjoying.

A Record a Week: Lonnie Mack - Whatever's Right

SIDE 1.
UNTOUCHED BY HUMAN LOVE
I FOUND A LOVE
SHARE YOUR LOVE WITH ME
TEARDROPS ON YOUR LETTER
BABY WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO

SIDE 2.
MT. HEALTHY BLUES
WHAT KIND OF WORLD IS THIS
MY BABE
THINGS HAVE GONE TO PIECES
GOTTA BE AN ANSWER





This is one of those artists that I feel I should've at least heard of, seeing his extensive discography. Apparently, his use of the tremolo bar in his song Wham! even led to the term 'whammy bar'. There's no denying that his playing is excellent and with the knowledge that he influenced others, I can see that in fact he doesn't sound like others like I originally thought, but they sound like him. He never gained the popularity of Stevie Ray Vaughan or Jeff Beck, but perhaps that's alright. There will always be artists that make a change to the sound of music without being massively famous.

This album was several years into his career, so his mark had already been made. This album is mostly cover songs, so his true solo ability isn't on here. Even without the virtuoso-type solos, though, this album still sounds excellent. However, I would definitely have to recommend his earlier stuff if you want to really hear the songs that changed the shape of blues rock and guitar 'virtuosos'.