Saturday, August 1, 2009

Freedom Tastes Pretty Good







The house is still, save for the occasional cough coming from Puppy's room (summer cold). Hub is in Vegas, the two older ones are spending the weekend with their grandparents. The nights are my own. All mine to do as I please. How am I luxuriating in my freedom? Watching trashy TV and reading a delightfully quirky book called What We Eat When We Eat Alone by Deborah Madison and Patrick McFarlin. It has me thinking about how I am constantly in food prep mode when the kids and Hub are underfoot. Yet, when it's just me, you'll likely find me scarfing down a bag of barbecue chips or throwing down handfuls of chocolate chips and calling it dinner, as I check my email.
So, taking a cue from the nutritious read, this weekend I decided to treat myself to a couple of good meals. Which does not mean fancy or elaborate, rather, simple and satisfying with a just a smidgeon of indulgence. For dinner last night I thoroughly enjoyed a bowl of garlic sesame noodles washed down with a bottle of Coke (regular-not diet). The noodles were simple yet so wonderfully tasty. And the Coke was a godsend; cold, bubbly, sweet, and delicious relief from the salty spiciness of the noodles.
Tonight's dinner will be low-effort but I'll be ramping up the luxe factor with a plate of Port Salut cheese, a baguette, and a side salad of baby spinach, avocado, and tomato lightly dressed in the house Italian. A flute of champagne will be the dish's sparkling companion. I'm in wannabe-French heaven! The burning question: What's for dessert? A bowl of cocoa puffs or a bowl of Ben and Jerry's? Ahhh, life is good for this occasional bon vivant.

Garlic Sesame Noodles
Heat 1 tbsp. sesame oil in a wok or skillet, add 2-3 cloves minced garlic to oil and saute until garlic becomes fragrant. Add cooked chinese noodles, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp garlic chili sauce,and 1 tsp sugar. Mix well until noodles are heated through and well coated.

*I'll make this dish for the Hungry Hordes and include veggies and tofu for a one-bowl meal.

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