Chili-Garlic Shrimp Noodle Bowl

by Irene Lindvall

It feels like it's been years since the sun was shining all day. Warm weather in Japan means cold noodles, and while it's not quite warm enough to be cooking some of my favorite noodle recipes, this dish seemed like a good substitute. I also got to try out my new birthday present from my mom (see photo #2. Soba noodles can be eaten either hot or cold. I eat them cold 99% of the time, and in this case I opted for luke warm. Soba noodles should always be rinsed after bowling because they're quite dirty, so I rinsed in cold water and let them set while I was preparing the rest of the dish and I thought the temperature was fine. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

Shrimp with Asian chili paste is delicious. We could've eaten 10 more.

Just adding the Asian paste to the noodles was not enough flavor for either one of us. I would've preferred some actual sauce because there was no way you could have a bite of the shrimp with every bite of noodle.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Perhaps. I'd really need to think about what type of sauce could go with the noodles. I will however add the paste to the shrimp and eat them with other things.

The recipe

Cinnamon Apple Crisps

by Irene Lindvall

I hoped you enjoyed my blog takeover yesterday. It sure is nice to have a birthday and request whatever you want. Not only did I not have to cook, but I also didn't have to clean up or write a post. Amazing day! In keeping up with celebrating my day (week/month) I decided to make something easy. These apple slices really reminded me of the delicious Seneca ones we used to eat in the 90s. I'm curious how they got some of the flavors in their apples and will probably do some investigation into that when I decide to make more.

Things I learned from this recipe:

I think some sort of slicer might be beneficial to making really thin slices. I noticed the thicker slices were slightly mushy after baking. Still edible, but not as great as the crispier ones.

Please note, it takes two hours to cook the apples.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Sure

The recipe

French Toast

by Eric Lindvall

Eric here. It's Irene's birthday today so I've taken over and am making the only thing I know how to make: French Toast. 

Fortunately there isn't much to it:

  • bread
  • eggs
  • 1-2 tbsp. milk (I use 2%)
  • 1-2 tsp. cinnamon

Honestly I'm just guessing on the amounts of milk and cinnamon. I had originally just said "a little" but Irene isn't a fan of those sorts of recipes. 

Today I used 4 eggs and made each of us 2 pieces of French Toast. It ended up being more eggs than I needed, but I always hate to run out. 

Take the eggs, milk and cinnamon and put them in a bowl and mix. Then dunk the bread in for a few second and then flip it over and let the other side soak for the same amount of time. 

Then put it on the skillet until it's brown on both sides. 

When it's done I like to melt a little butter on top before putting on maple syrup. 

Happy Birthday, Irene!

Queso

by Irene Lindvall

I got this recipe from Tillamook Cheese when they visited our local grocery store year and a half ago. It turns out the recipe is from Top Chef season 5 winner Hosea Rosenberg. I love Top Chef. A lot. I admire all of the contestants on the show and could never imagine cooking a meal for world class chefs. That said, I'm happy to try any of their recipes knowing it'll be delicious. This queso is no exception. I decided to serve it with chips and chili (the leftover from last week's great dish). Chips, chili, queso, green onions - in that order. It was delicious and there were definitely no complaints. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

Never underestimate how much queso you can eat.

I recently learned how to keep and store cilantro. It likes to be kept like a bouquet of flowers, in a jar with water, and you can cover it with a plastic bag and pop it in the refrigerator and it should keep for around two weeks. I'm on day five and I've changed the water once, pulled out the old leaves and the rest looks brand new.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Yes

The recipe

Jambalaya Pizza

by Irene Lindvall

I had a friend and her 22 month old son over to help me try out this recipe. I thought it sounded really interesting with the rice based crust and traditional jambalaya ingredients. As with many of my recipe endeavors I failed to understand all the steps and it took a lot longer to make than I had anticipated. I really liked the outcome as did my guests, but I think it left something to be desired for Eric. Mostly because it's not really "pizza" and the crust was probably a little too crunchy for him. 

Things I learned from this recipe:

I used a spicy andouille sausage and a medium spiced salsa which was perfect in creating the jambalaya feeling.

Would I make this recipe again?:

Maybe as a appetizer for guests.

The recipe