Not Your Dorm Room Ramen

So I thought (for a change) I would try to make something for dinner.  I am not the one who typically cooks, unless we are having breakfast food or grilling.  I have pretty much forgotten how to cook over the past 9 years that my wife has been a SAHM and has taken over that domain.

But a ramen recipe? I figured I couldn't mess that one up!

First you put your (organic, free-range) eggs on to boil.  You peel and slice your (organic, locally-grown) carrot into thin slices.  Warm 2 tsp of oil in a large pot of med-high heat, add carrot and saute for about a minute, add vegetable broth, water, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Warm a tbs of oil in a saute pan, over medium-high heat. Slice bok choy down the center into 2 long pieces.  Salt and pepper the cut side. Lay cut-side down into the hot oil.  Cook about 3 minutes until golden brown and then flip.  Cook about 3 more minutes.

Slice radish in half and then cut very thin, half moon slices.  Cut scallion into rounds.  Put aside for garnish.  Put the ramen noodles into the simmering stock.  Cook 4 minutes.  Peel and cut eggs in half.

Ladle the soup onto bowls.  Place seared bok choy leaf side up and out of the bowl.  Garnish with radish and scallions.  Rest the soft boiled eggs on the noodles.  Add sriracha to taste.

Farmers Market

My wife had a booth down at the local farmers market today, selling her awesome natural product line, Perfectly Posh.  She was doing REALLY well and one of our favorite vendors - Lovera's - had a booth, too.  So I went down there to check it all out.  Also, my youngest son insisted we needed blueberries.  LOL  So I headed down there, got some blueberries and other things.  Came home and made some blueberry pancakes, sliced peaches and used some jam on one of my pancakes.  Is all really good stuff.  My wife came home with some raspberry jalapeno jelly, so we will spoon some of that over cream cheese and eat it with fritos!  Yum!

Blueberries

Jelly - Oklahoma Sunrise (peach, strawberry and pineapple)

Lovera's - homemade vodka sauce, sausage and cheese

Stratford peaches!

Breakfast for Dinner

I know I am on a food kick, but we have been having some wonderful vegetarian meals and so I have to brag on my wife's cooking and share these wonderful recipe ideas!  I am so very glad we have been introduced to Green Chef, because by getting all the ingredients and the recipes, we have discovered new things that we wouldn't have, otherwise.

Tonight we had Corn Cakes with Herb-Ricotta with a Fried Egg on top and an Arugula Salad.

Preheat your oven to 350F and make your corn cake batter.  Thinly sliced scallion, lemon zest, corn meal, flour, corn and milk. Mix gently and let rest for 5 minutes.  Warm a tbs of olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Cook sliced onion for 2 minutes then add halved grape tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir and cook 2 more minutes, then place the pan in the oven to roast for 12-14 minutes.

Melt some butter in a non-stick saute pan over medium heat and divide batter into small patties. Cook 2-3 minutes, until small bubbles form in the middle of the patty.  Carefully flip them with a spatula. Add more butter to promote browning.  Cook another 1-2 minutes. Place on cookie sheet and place in oven to keep warm.

Place arugula in a bowl.  Squeeze lemon over arugula and salt and pepper.  Toss.  Using non-stick pan, fry 2 eggs.

Spoon herbed ricotta onto plate.  Place 2 corn cakes on top. Place an egg on top, arugula on the side with the onion and tomato medley.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Amazing.

Black Pepper Tofu, Pineapple Rice and Bok Choy

Well..... she did it again.  Wow.  Amazing dinner!  Shallots, bok choy, red Fresno chilis and crispy tofu.  The chilis were mild and the black peppercorn had a little kick!  It was sweet and spicy and very good.

The sauce was made with scallion, garlic, ginger, soy, honey and crushed black peppercorns.

Caprese Pasta with Arugula & Balsamic Reduction

So my wife made the most amazing vegetarian pasta last night.  O.M.G. She even loved it, and she is hard to please with the vegetarian meals.  It was a simple salad of mozzarella, basil and tomatoes with some farfalle (bowtie), whole wheat pasta.  The arugula with the honey balsamic drizzle tastes fresh with a hint of sweet and sour.  She finished it with some black lava salt and it was amaze-balls.

I think this is something we will do again and again - especially in the summertime, when you want something lighter and fresh.  Plus, no oven!

You need 2 saucepans.  In the first, start your balsamic reduction and in the second, cook your pasta.  When the pasta finishes, drain and use that pan to blister the tomatoes with 1 tbs olive oil and some salt and pepper.  After 2 minutes, turn off the heat and add pasta, mozzarella and basil pesto.  Stir to coat.  Add the arugula and stir to coat, wilting slightly from residual heat.  Balsamic reduction is finished with slightly syrupy.  Divide pasta into separate dishes, drizzle with reduction and finish with salt.  Enjoy!

Me Time

On a very rare occasion, I get to spend time alone.  With two teen-age boys and usually anywhere for 2 - 5 of their friends over at our house, it is relatively busy.  Add to that, 2 large, aging Old English Sheepdogs, a needy Jack Russell/Rat Terrier mix and 2 cats that may or may not want attention - my energy gets zapped fast.  Especially if I have been at work all day long.  My wife tries to leave me alone, but sometimes, she wants attention or just for me to do some things around the house.

I often feel tired.  I often stay up too late because I just enjoy the quiet when everyone is sleeping or getting to watch whatever I want on TV or play stupid games on my tablet.  The stillness is nice.  It has been so long since I lived without another person/pet to be responsible for, that I often will "day dream" about what life would be like if I only had myself to worry about, pay for, etc.

I am certain I would live a much different life. I wouldn't need a 4 bedroom home in the suburbs, where the schools are good and the kids can play outside in the yard.  I wouldn't be saving for college and saving for 2 beginner cars and figuring out how to pay for insurance for 2 teenage boys.  My cell phone bill would be so much smaller.  All my bills would be so much smaller.  If I went out to eat, I wouldn't have to pay for 4 people (and their friends).

I could probably take those long weekend theater trips to NYC or London to see the plays and musicals that I love and not listen to the cast recordings and pretend that one day I may see some version of it somewhere locally,  I would have disposable income.  What a thought!  I could drop whatever I was doing, whenever I wanted.  I could pick what I wanted for every meal without mediation.  I could make decisions without consensus!

I am sure that "the grass is always greener on the other side" and all of that jazz.  There are so many things I would've have missed out on if I weren't married with children.  I wouldn't want to change the past, but having this conversation recently with several single and married people joining in, I realize that I have not given myself much of an identity beyond wife and mom.  And that it is okay that there are things that I want to do that do not include my spouse and my children.  I just have to get past the guilt of not putting them first.

In 5 years and a couple of months, my youngest will be leaving for college (fingers crossed).  I fear I will be suffering from empty next syndrome in a bad way, so I am thinking that maybe, if I work on some things now, things that I want for me, I will have stuff to fall back onto and not just be left a mom all alone, missing her kids.  I hope so anyway.

But what do I want to do? What am I interested in?  Who am I besides a nonprofit manager, a mom and a wife?  What kind of life to I want to create for myself?  I have been married for 10 years, I have been a mom for 19 years, I have worked at the same office for 14 years and things are all just a little bit "same ole, same ole".  I have a lot of research to do.