Veggie Stirfry

This is almost always the meal I make when Joel is working late or has something going on that takes him away at dinner time. I wait until Noah goes to bed then whip this up and eat my dinner in peace all by myself! As much as I love those boys of mine, sometimes it’s really nice to just have some time to myself and eat something Joel doesn’t like while enjoying silly, ridiculous shows that he makes fun of me for watching. My life is happy and uncomplicated so I sometimes like to get a little fix of stupid drama, so sue me.

Anyway, this is healthy and simple to throw together using ingredients I almost always have in the kitchen. You can add in anything you like, I just have listed what I had on hand that day. I also really like it with green beans and/or zucchini. I always look forward to whipping it up anytime I have a night to myself.

Veggie Stirfry

6 oz. whole grain egg noodles
1-2 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 tsp. grated ginger (use microplane)
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. Sriracha
1/2 tsp. sugar
Sesame seeds
Additional add ins: green beans, zucchini, onion, carrots, mushrooms, peppers

1. Bring water to a boil then cook noodles according to package directions and add broccoli at the last 2 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha and sugar in a small bowl. Heat a wok over medium high heat. Spray with non-stick spray and crack egg into it. Scramble it quickly then let it cook until set. Flip and cook until no longer runny. Remove from pan and chop into tiny pieces.

3. Pour vegetable oil into wok then saute ginger, garlic and cabbage for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Add in pasta, broccoli and sauce mixture and saute for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Pad Thai

Joel and I love Pad Thai but for some reason it’s something that I have never attempted to make at home. I love cooking Asian food and do probably once a week so naturally this has been in the back of my mind to whip up. I think it just seemed intimidating but turns out it’s just as easy as any other Asian recipe I have made.

And I recently found out about an awesome Asian market in our downtown area so I didn’t have to worry about any unusual ingredients called for in the recipe. You wouldn’t believe the stuff I came home with after my first trip. There was almost an entire aisle of just noodles so you can only imagine how many types came home with me….let’s just say the pantry is stocked for quite awhile. Some of them aren’t in English so I have no idea what to do with them but they looked super delicious!

Ok, I totally got distracted by noodles. Not the first time and probably not the last. Anyway…the Pad Thai ended up tasting incredibly authentic and we were very pleasantly surprised with the outcome. And it was really pretty which made this meal even more appetizing.

Chicken Pad Thai
recipe from New Cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens

8 ounces rice noodles (Vietnamese bahn pho or Thai sen-mee)
1/4 cup salted peanuts, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. grated lime peel
3 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 1/2 tsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. Asian chili sauce with garlic
3 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size strips
1 Tbsp. finely chopped garlic
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/3 cup sliced green onion
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh cilantro

1. Place noodles in a large bowl. Add enough hot water to cover them; let stand for 10-15 minutes or until the noodles are pliable but not soft. Drain well in a colander.

2. Meanwhile, for peanut topping, combine peanuts and lime peel; set aside.

3. In a small bowl combine fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar and chile sauce; stir until smooth. Set aside.

4. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and garlic; cook and stir about 6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl.

5. Add egg to the hot skillet and cook for 30 seconds. Turn egg with spatula and cook for 30 to 60 seconds more, just until set. Remove egg from skillet; chop egg and set aside.

6. In same skillet heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over high heat for 30 seconds. Add drained noodles and the sprouts; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add fish sauce mixture and chicken; cook for 1 to 2 minutes more or until heated through. Divide noodles mixture among four plates. Sprinkle each serving with egg, peanut topping, green onion and cilantro.

Recipe linked to Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Cast Party Wednesday, What I Whipped Up Wednesday and Full Plate Thursday.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup {Crazy Cooking Challenge}

The Crazy Cooking Challenge is back again…this time with Chicken Noodle Soup. I have been putting off making my soup for quite awhile because we just haven’t been having soup weather. It’s been in the 40′s and 50′s recently which is incredibly unusual for Minnesota in January. I’ll take it!

I finally got to making my soup yesterday after searching through many blogs to find the perfect Chicken Noodle Soup. I’ve always enjoyed creamy chicken noodle soups so after reading this recipe over at Let’s Dish I knew it would be a huge hit in our home. It had a rich, deep chicken flavor along with a delicously creamy texture. The soup was thicker than most chicken noodle soups making it more filling and satisfying. I also loved the use of frozen egg noodles, they really are the best!

Be sure to click the linky tools link below to check out everyone else’s Chicken Noodle Soup recipes!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
recipe from Let’s Dish

2 tablespoons butter
2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
6 cups chicken broth
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 (16 oz.) package frozen egg noodles (I used Reames)
Salt, pepper and parsley, to taste

1. Thaw noodles according to package directions (if required). Meanwhile, melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.  Add the chopped onion, celery and carrots and saute until the vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes.  Add chicken broth to vegetables in pot and bring to a simmer.

2. Add chicken breasts and boil until chicken is cooked through, 8-10 minutes.  Remove chicken from pot and shred with two forks; set aside.  Add the milk to the pot and return to a boil.  Gently stir the thawed noodles into the broth, along with the shredded chicken.  Cook for about 15 minutes, or until noodles are tender.  Stir in cream of chicken soup and simmer a few minutes more.

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Recipe linked to Mangia Monday, Tasty Tuesday, Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.Full Plate Thursday, Friday Food and Fusion Fridays.

Stir-Fried Noodles

I’m an Air Force Brat. I have lived in Alabama, Germany, Georgia, Nebraska, North Dakota and Minnesota (the last 2 as an adult). As a kid, I didn’t mind it too much until our move to Nebraska after my 6th grade year. It was hard to leave my friends and I’m sure I was unpleasant and ungrateful towards my parents at the time. I didn’t consider that it was painful and incredibly difficult for my parents to leave their friends that had become our family.

But I got over it, made new friends and met Joel so it was pretty much a win-win for me. Looking back, the Air Force life was one of the best gifts my parents ever gave me. I got to experience amazing things and visit places that would have never been in my horizons otherwise. I met all kinds of different people and learned about so many cultures. In Germany, my mom learned how to make many traditional German meals and they quickly became family favorites. Now I make them for my family. We had a Vietnamese neighbor who made the best lumpia’s you’ll ever eat. Man I miss her.

Now we have friends all over the country. How awesome it that? It’s funny how something that you sometimes viewed as awful, terrible and just heartbreaking was actually quite the opposite after time and maturity kicked in. I’m so grateful for the choice that my parents made to provide the Air Force lifestyle to my brother and me. It gives me such pride to say that my dad served our country and I have so much respect and appreciation for all those who serve or have served and their families too.

Because of the life we lived, we only occasionally ate “normal” American meals. We picked up recipes of all different cuisines from friends, neighbors and co-workers which meant we rarely had spaghetti or casseroles on the table. Now that I have my own family to feed, I experiment with Chinese, Italian, Greek, Thai, Mexican, Indian….you name it, I’ll probably give it a try. So today I’m going to share a quick and easy side that I throw together to accompany our favorite Chinese meals. These stir-fry noodles take minutes to make and taste like the real deal.

Stir-Fried Noodles

8 oz. Chinese noodles (or linguini)

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup soy sauce

sesame seeds

red pepper flakes

1. Cook noodles al dente according to package directions. Heat olive oil over medium high heat in sauté pan. Cook garlic until soft then add in noodles. Stir until the noodles have been coated.

2. Add half of the soy sauce and stir to coat. Cook for 2-3 minutes without stirring (so you get some crispy brown noodles – my favorite). Stir then mix in the rest of the soy sauce. Leave alone for a minute or two then stir again.

3. If you like the noodles a little saucy, stir in a bit more soy sauce. You may need to lower or up the amount of soy depending on the kind of
noodles you use. This recipe is really up to your taste. Sprinkle noodles with sesame seeds and red pepper flakes if desired.

Corn Casserole

Let me start out by telling you I am not a casserole person.  Throwing random ingredients in a baking dish and calling it a meal is just not for me.  I have never liked them.  This is the exception to the rule.

Our family picked up this recipe several years ago from a friend and it has graced every holiday table ever since.  I think any member of my family, including myself, would throw a major tantrum if it wasn’t there.  It has humble, not so fancy ingredients but it is so so good!  And simple!

Corn Casserole

1 stick butter, cubed
1 cup orzo or spaghetti broken into small pieces
1 can corn
1 can cream corn
8 oz. Velveeta, cubed

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients in a baking dish.
3. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring frequently.

Linked to A Themed Baker’s Sunday, Recipe of the Week, This Week’s Craving and Sharing Sundays.