Sesame Noodles (Good Luck Noodles)

This started out as something small, a pin from Pinterest. I thought I would make sesame noodles, steam some broccoli and have a little salad for dinner. Well, the noodles I made were DISGUSTING. The Lil Man could see how upset I was and asked for seconds. "They are actually pretty good mom!" Ugh. He is so sweet, I love that kid. These could be better. They HAD to be better.


For three days, I tried new variations. BLECH blech and more b l e c h. They just weren't doing it for me and at this point, I was looking for something easy. You know those days that you are yearning for some kind of Asian flavor KaPow for your palate, but you don't want to head into the store with an ingredient list half a mile long?


Finally, today, I started thinking about how I wanted them to taste. How I wanted them to be simple.


Then it hit me...ramen. soy. sesame. ginger. fish sauce. garlic (of course). heat. Yes.


I whipped it together in 7 minutes...no lie. Lil Miss chowed on these. She was grabbing them off of the chopsticks and shoving them into her mouth as fast as she could. I started thinking of the possibilities. Add your favorite variety of steamed veggies, some caramelized tofu and this is a simple and healthy dinner. Under 15 minutes. 

Our house was filled with the smell of the sauce and a friend came over and commented on the pungent smell of the garlic, pre-lunch. "I was working on a project, " I told her. 


To emphasize Lil Miss's love for these noodles, I give you the following scenario (and the photos to the right). After we finished off the bowl of noodles, she went missing. I looked around and found her on all fours underneath the table with her face right next to the floor. What?!? She had found a noodle that got away and was shoving it into her mouth. Apparently they are that good. Lick them off the floor good.


These noodles alone do not make a well-rounded meal, but they are excellent for an Asian side, or accompanied by veggies, tofu or your meat of choice. Most of all, they kick the craving. 


I made them with a package of ramen I found in the back of the pantry. I was having a bit of a temper tantrum with the rice noodles all week and needed to change it up. As a result, this recipe is written for a single serving. 


Make it. Try this one and you will thank me. I am going to make sure that we keep these ingredients on hand. 


Let me know what you add to it to make it a complete meal. Enjoy the joy of good "fast food" from your stove top and the smells that will envelope your house. The neighbors just might come a-knockin'. 

Sesame Noodles

1 serving

Ingredients

• Ramen noodles 3 oz
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tbsp ginger, minced
• 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• Siracha to taste
• Sesame seeds

Directions
**helpful hint** While the water is boiling, prepare garlic and ginger in one small bowl / ramekin and fish sauce, honey, soy sauce and Siracha in another. This will make the preparation of the sauce go much smoother.**

1) Boil water in a small saucepan. Add ramen noodles and cover for 4 minutes. Drain in a strainer and pour cold water over the noodles to stop the cooking process. Set aside.



2) In a small frying pan, heat sesame and olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and stir for about 30 seconds. Add fish sauce, honey, soy sauce and Siracha. Mix for 30 seconds. Add noodles and mix to cover noodles in sauce. Serve and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

National Pancake Day

Source: appforhealth.com via Val Curtis on Pinterest

Happy National Pancake Day! In honor of this glorious day (and since we frequently eat pancakes) I HAD to treat my kids to a plate full of cakes. Not just any pancakes would do, I knew they needed to be a little bit special. Lately I have been reading a lot about the Paleo Diet and many of the underlying principles work for me, except the no grain part. We are slowly working dairy out of our diet, in the form of cheddar and mozzarella cheese; however, I am a breadmaker and I am 1/8 Sicilian. I need my pasta.

While skipping through the pages of Pinterest last night, I came across dozens and dozens of pancake recipes and then I saw one that was Paleo. Really?!? Banana, peanut butter, egg, cinnamon and vanilla. Well it sounded good.

These babies need to be on low low heat and they take awhile. Also, they suggest using a non-stick pan and those do not exist in my house. So I used a tiny bit of butter to grease the pan. WHAT?!? Stop judging me like that. I never claimed to be Paleo!

Back to the pancakes. The consistency was new for me. Both kids, who are normally adventurous eaters, poo-pooed them. I chalked it up to the fact that they are sick. If I was a diet-minded person or a gluten-free person, I would try them again. Since I am not, I might have to throw in a tablespoon of whole wheat flour next time. Yes, flour.

Here is the link to Appetite for Health's recipe. They are called "Protein Pancakes". Now don't go lathering these babies up with maple syrup or anything like that. I will make another round for the kids tomorrow (yes, I do use whole wheat flour AND flaxseed). If you would like more breakfast and pancake recipes you can check out my Pinterest Breakfast Page .

Do you have a favorite pancake recipe?

Butternut Squash Risotto

My baby signed "more" today. Why you ask? She wanted more Butternut Squash Risotto.

The extra dishes and hour of prep and stirring were well worth it.

Last night, the Good Apple and I were watching Alton Brown's episode about rice.  He constructed this recipe while featuring the in's and out's of risotto. We watched it...twice, then we started talking. What would WE add? Which veggie? Which spices? Garlic? Of course. When would we eat it?

As the hour approached for GA to leave work today, I sent him a text. "Stop by store for Arborio and white wine?" His response, "yes". Done deal.

While making the masterpiece, we juggled kid duties back and forth. He felt this urge to keep taking the Dutch Oven off the heat. Ugh. Time for me to jump back in and... Put. It. Back. On. The. Heat.  "But Alton says...". Scoot over sweetheart, this is my recipe now. Said with a smile. Really. He can do his version someday, just not today.

This is a 3-pot-meal. One for the broth, one for the butternut squash, and one for the risotto itself. In addition, it is the frequent stirring that gives risotto it's creamy consistency that brought every family member back for more. This is not a dish where you can pop the ingredients into a pot and walk away for an hour. Watch it. Stir it. When the bottom gives you a little sizzley pop sound, it is time to add more broth.

Healthy. Affordable. Fills the belly. Perfection. Risotto. A new family fall favorite. More please.


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Butternut Squash Risotto

Adapted from Alton Brown's recipe as seen on Good Eats.

Ingredients:
8 cups organic chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Arborio rice
12 ounces organic butternut squash, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 cup grated Parmesan

Procedure:
In a medium saucepan with a lid, pour 7 cups of chicken broth and keep it simmering.

In a small pot, combine butternut squash and remaining cup of chicken broth over medium heat until, squash is just tender then remove from the heat. Do not overcook or it will become mushy when mixed with the arborio rice.

In a large 3 to 4-quart heavy saucepan or Dutch oven,  melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the onions, basil and a pinch of salt and sweat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the grains are translucent around the edges. Do not allow the grains or the onions to brown. Add garlic.

Reduce the heat to low. Add 1 cup of wine and some of your simmering chicken stock just to cover the top of the rice. Stir often with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula, until the liquid is completely absorbed into rice. Once absorbed, add enough broth just to cover the rice and continue stirring. Continue this process until you have used all of the broth. It will take approximately 45 minutes for all of the liquid to be absorbed. After the last addition of liquid has been mostly absorbed, add the butternut squash and broth and stir until risotto is creamy. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper until you taste perfection.

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Sharing Sunday: Icing & Crumbs

Since I began blogging. I have become part of an inspiring community of blogging women. Oh ok, and a couple of guys out there too!!  During conversations with friends I would find myself saying, "Oh on this blog there is......" quite a bit. As a person, I have always been about celebrating someone else's joy with them. When a friend has an achievement, I feel such a deep sense of pride for them.

With that in mind, I am going to start "Sharing Sundays". The idea is to share some of the amazing blogs I have been lucky enough to frequent over the past months / years. With that I wanted to start with Icing & Crumbs. 

Kristina is incredibly humble. She is a recipe machine. A GOOD recipe machine and a great writer. Although I have never talked to her, I can hear her through her writing. We reached out to each other and found that we had a lot in common beyond being island moms.

Born and bred in Australia (as well as several years spent living in the mid-west of the US), she now lives on the beautiful island of O'ahu, Hawaii. She is a mother to two beautiful children. She loves to cook and eat healthy foods, and she started blogging in hopes of passing these loves onto her young children. Lucky kids. 

Here are a few of my favorite recipes, but when you explore her blog, don't stop at the recipes. There is so much more!

• Chicken & Broccoli Pasta Bake
• Warm Sweet Potato & Spinach Salad
• Key Lime Cheesecake
• Goat's Cheese & Mushroom Bruschetta

And now we are lucky enough to have a post from her!! Thank you Kristina for joining us here.

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Sweet Memories

by Kristina Hoy

I have wonderful memories of my mother’s desserts growing up… especially those made when we had dinner with friends. Never plain or ordinary, her dishes were rich, full of flavour, and presented with an artistry usually seen among professional cooks. There is one dessert I remember particularly well – constructed in a manner similar to the savoury version, this sweet pizza was simple to make and looked amazing – the round biscuit crust, made from crushed cookies, was topped with a layer of cheesecake-like mixture, and then decorated with slices of fresh, colourful fruit, their brightness glowing through the brush of thin glaze.

My children love dessert… small bowls of ice-cream decorated with sprinkles or little chocolate chips; soft vanilla cupcakes topped with fluffy pink icing; tiny squares of brownies, their dark, fudgy crumbs smearing little fingers and lips as they are quickly eaten up… Ideally, I’d like for my children to have desserts that are always healthy (most nights dessert consists of just a small bowl of yoghurt and some fruit), but I am constantly drawn to the sweet dishes first made by my mother… Wanting to make a healthier version of her fruit pizza, I set to work in the kitchen today…

Little Fruit Pizzas

You need:

For the base-

240g of plain flour

1 teaspoon of finely grated lemon zest

120g of butter

3-5 tablespoons of cold water (enough to bind, but not leave the dough sticky)

½ cup of jam (warmed)

For the topping-

1 cup of ricotta cheese

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of honey

fresh fruit

You do:

To make the base, place the flour and lemon zest in a mixing bowl and, using your fingers, rub the butter through until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Slowly add the water and mix until the dough forms a smooth (but not sticky) ball. Shape the dough into a disc, cover in clear wrap, and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius (420 F). When the dough is ready, roll it out until it is a couple of mm thick, and using a large cookie cutter, cut into the desired shapes. Place the shapes on a lined tray and top with the warmed jam. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges have just started to turn golden.

 

Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool completely.

To make the topping, place the ricotta, cinnamon and honey in a small bowl and stir until evenly combined. Spread a layer of this onto each cooled base and top with pieces of fresh fruit.

These little fruity pizzas are so easy and so much fun to make with the kids! They can help mix and roll the dough, cut the shapes out and put the toppings on. It doesn’t matter what type of jam you use – we used apricot and blackberry, but any will do. We used mostly fresh fruit (watermelon, rockmelon (cantaloupe) and kiwi-fruit), as well as some dried blueberries – the combination is up to your imagination! If you don’t want to make all the pizzas at once, any left over uncooked dough or ricotta mixture can be kept covered in the fridge for a couple of days. The recipe above makes 10-12 small pizzas (depending on the size of the cookie cutter).

“Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love,

the things you are, the things you never want to lose.”

(The Wonder Years)

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