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November 24th, 2008
I found this Pad Thai recipe on the internet years ago and tweaked it to my liking with the help of a Thai woman with whom I used to work. Her recipe was a little different from that on the web so I combined what I liked best from each. Pad Thai is not one of my favorites, so I’m curious as to how I “tweaked it to my liking.” I don’t remember, but do know that W has always loved this recipe and just reminded me that he favors it over that that he recently had in New York. So you be the judge! Preparation is the key to this recipe. Have everything ready to toss into the wok because once the cooking process starts, it will move quickly…hmmm, the butter cookie bake-off comes to mind… This recipe serves six. INGREDIENTS 1/2 lb. dried rice noodles (1/8″ width) *I prefer fresh shrimp, but substitute what you like…chicken, pork or the traditional dried shrimp and/or firm tofu or any combination of these. Cover the noodles with warm water and soak for 20-25 minutes. (If you prefer, you can break these into shorter lengths for more manageable stir-frying.) The soaked noodles should be soft but not soft enough to mash between your fingers—they will soften more during stir-fry. Drain thoroughly and keep aside. Peel and devein shrimp. If using chicken and/or pork, slice across the grain into strips 1/8″ thick and 1-2″ long. Mix fish sauce, sugar, vinegar and lime juice and stir until sugar is dissolved. Set aside. Slice the scallions (white and green parts) diagonally into pieces 1 1/2″ long. Set aside. The cooking process will be fast, so get ready! Heat the wok and add oil, swirling to cover the sides. Add red pepper and garlic and fry until lightly golden (do not burn or it will be bitter). Add shrimp and cook until pink. If using chicken and/or pork, fry until completely cooked. When the shrimp or meats are cooked remove from the wok to prevent over-cooking. Add noodles, tossing lightly to coat with oil and garlic. Add the liquid mixture, bring to a boil and fold in noodles. Reduce heat to medium and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Using a spatula, lift the noodles to one side of the wok, drizzle a little oil on the wok’s opposite side then break an egg and drop into the oil. Break the yolk and lay the noodle mixture over the egg. Immediately repeat this process on the other side of the wok with the other egg. Add the shrimp or meats back into the wok mixture. Let the eggs cook over medium heat until almost dry. Add a little more oil if the eggs and noodles begin to stick. When the eggs are set, use the spatula to fold the noodle mixture over the eggs and continue folding until the eggs are broken and well-distributed. Add the bean sprouts and scallions and toss quickly, cooking for a few minutes until they are tender but not too soft. Turn out onto a serving platter and sprinkle with chopped peanuts and squeeze the lime juice over top. Hope you like it…enjoy!
November 2nd, 2008
Okay, have to get out of here now…I’m wired! Unlimited free refills if you use your Starbucks card! :o)
October 22nd, 2008
I’ve been searching for a recipe to make my own, but have yet to find one. If I find it, I’ll try it out and post the results!
October 13th, 2008
So, how can this be? How could I have grown up on Campbell’s chicken noodle, beef barley and tomato and not have held onto some sort of love for them? Having slurped these alongside tuna salad sandwiches throughout grade school, shouldn’t they at least qualify as comfort food? Well now, maybe these questions answer themselves. I’m sure we all remember soggy noodles, spongy chunks of unidentifiable matter and the experience of forgetting to add that all-important can of water before heating. Case closed. My soup-aversion does include a few exceptions, though, and they have never seen the inside of a tin can—they are Pho (pronounced phuh), a Vietnamese noodle soup and Mi Bo Kho, a Vietnamese beef stew. Introduced to Pho years ago, it was not love at first bite, so to speak. My husband and friends LOVED it so I tagged along on weekend lunches and eventually came to love it too. Although I still pick out the good stuff I truly enjoy this soup and the combination of ingredients blended with a well-made broth is heavenly. If lucky enough to find a restaurant that knows how to make the stock, which is the key to good Pho, you will be well rewarded. The steamy broth is fragrant with star of anise, ginger, cloves, onions, scallions and cilantro. It is topped with rice noodles and chicken or a variety of meats—eye round, brisket, flank, tendon and tripe. It’s accompanied by a plate of fresh bean sprouts, basil leaves, lime wedges and sliced jalapenos. My personal favorite is Chin, Pho with slices of well-done lean brisket. Now, not long ago I started venturing into other pages of the menu and found a new favorite—Mi Bo Kho. Tasting completely different from Pho, Mi Bo Kho’s soup base is seasoned similarly, but with the additional flavors of lemon grass and fish sauce. Slightly reminiscent of my mom’s Sunday pot roast, ingredients are a marinated stew-type of beef, carrots and sliced onions, topped with thin egg noodles. It’s accompanied by a small dish of pepper and salt for dipping the beef and lime to drizzle over the soup. Now this is comfort food! Although we’ve tried many Pho restaurants, Pho Hot in Annandale, Virginia, is our current favorite. If you’re not familiar with Pho but want to try it, do a search for Vietnamese restaurants in your area. If you’re ever in Northern Virginia there are plenty to choose from. Happy souping!
October 8th, 2008
I’ve got a beef with bananas…actually with the policy of the store that recently sold me bananas. It’s probably no big deal to most of you readers out there, but this kind of stuff really bugs me. So, if you have a few minutes to kill, read on. Some of you might agree that when you see this in the produce section of your local grocer the first thing you think is, “Wow…discount produce!” Okay, maybe you wouldn’t be that enthused, but being somewhat on the frugal side, I would. I like this kind of stuff. There’s nothing better than finding a good deal on something that’s on your shopping list. And this wasn’t just any old produce, say broccoli or iceberg lettuce, but one of my favorites, bananas! Eating bananas just about Now, once outside and after doing a quick scan of the receipt, I noticed that I had been charged not the .39 as advertised, but .59! Awww…cripes, next stop, customer service… Me: “I was charged .59 for these. The sign says .39.” So, apparently unappealing lone bananas are bagged and advertised as selling for one price but actually sell for the same price as the more expensive unmarred bunches, and the lesser price kicks in only when it’s marked on the bag. Is it just me or does this not make any sense at all? Okay, so there’s no arguing with dumbth, but in my flustered state I replied, “Oh…okay then…thank you…” Thank you? Thank you?? Did I really need to be so conciliatory? I didn’t even THINK to tell him what he could do with his bananas, which immediately brings to mind this… So, leaving the store with my seconds bananas (no pun intended) I felt much like Plastic Mancunian must have felt after getting an ill-favored haircut and then thanking the stylist. And after arriving at home I realized that in my befuddled state, after having decided to keep the duped purchase, I failed to exchange my misfits for proper replacements. So not only did I pay full-price, I paid full-price for inferior fruits! Okay, rant is over—now I’m going to go get a banana…
October 3rd, 2008
If you’re wanting for a special confection to simply WOW everyone, whether for the holidays or some other special occasion, I’ve got a cookie recipe for you. It’s nothing special in the sense that it has basic ingredients probably already on hand, and the recipe is likely buried deep in your treasure trove of holiday cookies, all dog-eared and butter-stained. I’d say almost everyone has heard of it as well as consumed it. And it is…the plain ‘ole butter cookie! I told you it was already in your recipe file! So why tout, and rant on, such standard fare in the cookie world that’s been around for ages? Well, what makes my (accidental) spin on the butter cookie special are not the ingredients, but rather how it is readied for the oven. I have found that it is not only this cookie’s simple, buttery nature that pleases the taste buds, but also its delicacy, i.e., its crispness, a result of the painstaking method of rolling. I don’t remember for what function I first baked this cookie, but I recall it was to be served to persons en masse. Not wanting to double an already hefty recipe (five cups of flour!) I discovered, intentionally, that by rolling the dough thinner than the 1/8″ suggested in the original recipe, I could strrrretch the predicted two dozen to a near-infinite number. What I did not intend was for folks to go gaga over them—apparently, the thinner the better. Hence, my beef with this cookie, the monster I have (kind of) created is that now, with any impending large-scale get-together I am called upon to bake a batch, and I immediately fret for what awaits me…that being Hell’s other kitchen. This is so because to achieve the sainted cookie you need as cool surroundings as possible (a hot oven is not your friend here), well-chilled dough, a cool working surface and the ability to move like the wind (time is sanity). If too slow rolling the dough, it quickly warms making it impossible to lift from the work surface, much less keep the shape in which it was cut. It’s a constant run between the counter top and refrigerator, grabbing dough, rolling it out quickly and thinly, cutting, lifting onto sheets and then shoving into the oven. Start the process all over again while remembering to keep a constant eye on the sheet so as not to burn. Baking the full recipe will keep you in this hurried state for hours. So, a handful of tips to help you come through successfully if you’ve lost all wits about you and still want to attempt this cookie, or I should say, this method (it is less painful to roll these out thicker and they’re still just as delicious!). What follows are the tips and the full recipe: 1. The dough freezes well and can be baked off whenever time permits, but you may prefer to halve it. A half recipe rolled thin should make approximately 7-8 dozen. 2 cups (4 sticks) butter, softened *omit salt if using salted butter Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cream butter and sugar in large mixer bowl (using beater attachment) until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder and salt (see *). Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix well. Divide the dough into at least fourths and flatten between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap. The flatter the better—this will make it easier to roll out. Refrigerate until firm. Roll out thinly and cut into shapes. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Bake 6-8 minutes until lightly browned. You’re now saying to yourself, “Holy cow! If I can complete this recipe any easier than this post then I’ll be thankful!” Yes, if that is the case, you should be thankful! Good luck and may the force be with you! 
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