The Initial Udon

Spicy Lemongrass Chicken Udon Soup

spicy-lemongrass-chicken-udon

Spring may have already sprung but the weather is still cold enough to warrant Spicy Lemongrass Chicken Udon. Warm and comforting, this soup is good all year long but is best served on chilly nights when you can fully appreciate it.

My dad and I often order udon noodles at Japanese restaurants but never make them at home.

Lemongrass is a flavor my family loves but never has at home.

I like enoki mushrooms in ramen at restaurants but never have them at home.

What better way to embrace these ingredients than to meld them together in flavorful soup?

Happily, these ingredients were inexpensive.

Four stalks of lemongrass = $0.30

One pack of large enoki mushrooms = $1.99

One pack of dried udon noodles = $1.50

Thank you 99 Ranch. You may have just opened but I’m officially adding you to my usual rotation of Asian grocery stores. (Don’t worry Asian Food Market and H-Mart, I still love you both!)

lemongrass-chicken-udon-noodles Read more

Stepping Up to Plate Tonight Is…French Onion Soup & Friends

FRENCH ONION SOUP + MIXED GREENS + CHOCOLATE-ORANGE CAKE

French Onion Soup Dinner

Tonight’s plate appearance was made by French Onion Soup, a real class act born in the 18th century.  Don’t let the warm and comforting disposition fool you, this Frenchman has a streak of Port wine and isn’t afraid to tell you like it is.  Balancing out her more traditional companion is Mixed Greens, a sassy salad dressed in this season’s latest citrus vinegar.  As nutty as she is sweet, mandarin orange slices and toasted pecans round out her look.

Last but certainly not least is Chocolate-Orange Cake sporting a creamy yogurt hairstyle straight from Greece with orange zest highlights reflecting her bright personality.  Fresh from her oven-wide tour, she’ll make you, along with any scoop of ice cream, melt.

 

Hungry for more?  Check out related content.

Clammy Confessions

SIMPLE NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER WITH ROASTED CORN + BACON

Clam Chowder Window 2

Okay, confession time.

I don’t eat clam chowder for the clams.

I know. Can we still be friends?

The clams are okay.  Sometimes I eat them but if it’s a low quality restaurant or buffet chowder, I often eat around them. I’m into chowder for the potatoes and the rest of the creamy goodness rather than for the clams.

So why not just eat cream of potato soup?  I could but I still like the faint briny taste of the chowder.  New England Clam Chowder is the embodiment of a winter beach scene.  Picture yourself tucked away in a cozy seaside cottage near a crackling fireplace as you watch the choppy waves break over a snow-scattered shoreline.  Now imagine that feeling in taste form.  Delicious. Read more