Folding Origami Paper Balloons

Origami Paper Balloon

Step 1. Crease a square piece of paper in the manner shown above with the creases going in the same directions.

Step 2. Use the creases to fold into a triangular shape.

Gather the triangle faces together, as shown.

Step 3. Lay your triangle shape flat on work surface. Lift the front, lower corner and fold it up to the top center corner.

Step 4. Repeat Step 3. With the other front, lower corner. Then turn the triangle over and fold the remaining corners up, as well.

Step 5. You should have a square standing on it's corner, so that it is kind of like a diamond. Take a front, side corner and fold the point into the center of the square.

Step 6. Repeat Step 5. On the other top, side corner. 

Step 7. Fold a front, top corner down to the center of the square as shown. 

Step 8. Stuff the section that was just folded down from the top into a pocket made in the section folded in from the side.

Stuff it in and fold it securely. Fold the other top corner down and stuff it, as well.

Step 9. Turn paper over, from front to back, and repeat Steps 5-8. Fold the side corners to the center. Fold the top corners down and stuff the into the side corners.

Step 10. Locate the small hole in one end and blow air, swiftly into the hole to inflate your balloon.

Now you have a completed paper balloon! 

First Time Making Chinese Pork Buns And Recipe

I made Chinese Pork Buns for the first time last week.

The pork filling is the same as what would be put in to a dumpling. The wrapper is a simple yeast dough.

The buns are cooked in a steamer.

My steamer set up is kind of crude, but it did get the job done! 😊

I learned about Chinese buns from Mike Chen's YouTube channel: Strictly Dumpling.
Here is his demonstration video. I followed his recipe, with a few tweaks.

Dough:
3/4 cups warm water
1 tsp. yeast
1 tsp. sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour

Combine warm water with yeast and sugar. Set aside for 5-10 minutes until yeast makes a bubbly froth.
Add warm water to the flour in three additions.
Knead dough for 10 minutes.
Cover and let rise about an hour.

Filling:
1/2 head of cabbage chopped (5-ish cups)
1-2 tsp. salt
1 lb. ground pork (70/30 meat to fat ratio preferred.)
2 green onions, sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1 TBS. soy sauce
1 TBS. oyster sauce (I had to substitute soy sauce+1 tsp. sugar.)
1 TBS. white wine vinegar
2 tsp. corn starch
2 TBS. sesame seed oil

Place chopped cabbage in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and let will for 30 minutes. Transfer cabbage to a thin cloth and squeeze out all excess moisture.

Combine cabbage and the rest of the filling ingredients. Mix very well.

Cooking:

Divide dough into 12 even pieces. Roll into discs, trying to make the center of the disc a little thicker than the edges.

Fill the dough with a small amount of pork filling (1 TBS. or so). Close the dough wrapper by pleating and pinching the edges on place. You want to make at least 10 pleats. Leave a little hole at the top.

Put several cups of hot water into your steamer pot. Put the buns onto a piece of parchment paper in the steamer basket. Cover with lids. Bring water to a boil. Steam for 20 minutes. Turn off heat, but do not remove lid. Let rest 10 minutes before removing from the steamer.
Enjoy!

Paper Boats

BMW and I have been having fun making and floating paper boats. We have used regular printer paper, as well as news papers. 

Making paper boats is very easy. I had to look up some directions online. Once I had built the first one I was able to fold subsequent boats without the instructions.

This activity is a good way to spend quality time together and make memories. Folding and floating paper boats is very cheap entertainment! :)

We like to sail our paper boats in the kitchen sink and use marbles as cargo. We see how many marbles our boats will hold before they sink!

I have written some instructions for folding a paper boat. I have taken pictures of each step being done with a regular sheet of paper and with  a sheet of newspaper. Sorry some of the pictures turned out blurry.

At the bottom of the post there is a video with some very clear directions on how to make a paper boat.

Step 1. Fold Paper in half.

Step 2. Fold corners down to make a triangle shape.

Step 3. Fold the font bottom flap up onto the triangle shape.

Step 4. Turn paper over and fold the remaining bottom flap up on that side.

Step 5. Fold the corners of the flaps down, towards the back, at an angle.

Step 6. Fold the corners of the back flaps down, towards the front, at an angle.

Step 7. Open the triangle up at the bottom edge.

Step 8. Turn sideways and flatten into a square.

Step 9. Fold the bottom corner up to the top corner. Folding the front flap towards the front.

Step 10. Turn paper over and fold remaining bottom corner up to top corner.

Step 11. Open the triangle up at the bottom edge.

Step 12. Turn sideways and flatten into a square.

Step 13. Pull the sides away from each other. (This maybe confusing. It is hard to explain.)

Step 14. With some manipulation, shape the paper into a boat. Complete with sides and a hollow triangular center.

This video should help make the process clear: