These Noodles are one of my fave quick eats.
I could quite happily live on Noodles forever and ever.
If you look through my recipes you will find more than a smattering of Noodle based dishes.
I especially love having Noodles for Breakfast.
This dish is made with things I always have in the cupboard and is ready in minutes.
They are delicious any time of the day and can be eaten hot or cold.
BREAKFAST NOODLES: I add Chiu Chow Chilli oil & Fresh coriander to mine. You can add many other things too- tofu, green veg etc. Use the dressing as a base & go from there! The amount given below is for one- multiply the ingredients for more. Mix the dressing while the Noodles cook. What you will need:
100g cooked noodles (I often use dried soba as they are always in my pantry but other noodles will do. Cook them according to the instructions.)
1 tablespoon Oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese Black Vinegar
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Method:
In a large bowl (the bowl you will eat them from is perfect) mix together the sauces & the sesame seeds so they are well combined. Once noodles are cooked, drain and add to the bowl with the dressing. Use chopsticks to stir well so all noodles are coated. Add any extras you may wish- I love adding Chilli oil & fresh coriander. Enjoy!
That being the general disaster of Mt Washmore in my home. At. ALL. times.
LAUNDRY.
It never ends. Constant cries of "Where are my Undies?'
I mean it never ends in any house but can you imagine it here?
My washing pile is more like Mt Everest than Mt Washmore. Except it is spread all over the house like a vast desert.....and me deliriously looking for that elusive Oasis.
The thing is there are a LOT of humans that live in this space.
And we wear clothes every single day. And then they need to be washed godddamn it.
And until last year it was me who did it all.
Until I cracked it.
Enough already.
Something had to give.
So, much like the way I gave up worrying about what my little kids ate for dinner (well more correctly it was giving up worrying about what they were NOT eating for dinner) I decided to give up doing their Laundry.
I came up with a plan.
I couldn't believe it had taken me SO long to work this out- but eventually I got there.
I gave the three eldest children (12, 14 & 16) their own designated Laundry basket in their bathroom.
The rules were read to them like this:
I no longer do any of your laundry. EVER.
If I find any of your clothes on the bathroom floor and NOT in the basket, you will find them IN THE BIN.
Don't ever tell me you can't find your clothes or ask me where anything is. From now on it is your responsibility.
If you are about not being smelly, then you can wash your clothes. If you want to find them, then fold them & put them in your wardrobe.
After the rules we had a lesson in how to turn on the machine, separating colours & whites etc etc.
Here we are 5 months after the beginning of the new Laundry system & I can tell you it is an UNBELIEVABLE success.
I can't believe I didn't do it before.
My boys know to NEVER complain to me about not being able to find socks or underwear because they know it is their responsibility & they wouldn't DARE ask me now "Where are my Undies?".
And more than anything they have worked out the hard way HOW big a job it is to fit just their own laundry into a day.
It is only through making them do it that they can see that it was just not viable for me to be doing EVERYONE's in between all the other things that have to be done.
And for me- well yes it is hard seeing the baskets full & wondering when they intend to do some washing. But ultimately I will do them no favours at all in life if I always do those things for them silently in the background.
Resolving their problems for them is not teaching them anything at all.
Guiding them in how they work out their problems independently is what I see as my job.
Just like seeing them lose a race or feel the sting of disappointment at a lower than expected mark for something they worked hard on- working out how to do the mundane jobs of normal every day life is a part of teaching them how to be a balanced & functioning member of society.
The good bits come with the mundane.
I run a small business and I work very hard at that along with my primary job as a caregiver to many.
I do a lot of the jobs that a traditional stay at home mum does. But I think it is a big mistake to assume that along with that comes an assumption that I do everything for everyone.
I most certainly don't. And nor should I.
Mr Abbott did you neglect to notice that the clock has ticked over several times from 1953 and that we are now in 2015?
I would feel like a total failure if I raised children who thought that it was someone else's job to do their laundry (amongst many other chores).
More over it is the teaching of gratitude & an awareness of hard work in our every day life that I feel is important to impart.
And despite Mr Abbott's declarations that women all over Australia are at home washing and ironing happily- I in fact want my children to know that there are COUNTLESS things I would rather do with my time before I do their laundry.
And as for the Iron- well that is safe in my husbands hands. The Iron and I are not acquainted.
I call this project a success in every way.
It has taught my lads a fundamental lesson in awareness & gratitude and if that is what they take away from this, then I am happy that the baskets are overflowing.
We are really lucky to live nearby to a really amazing Middle Eastern grocery store.
One of the first discoveries we made there many many years ago now is a dish called Mujadarra.
It is a traditional Middle eastern dish that varies from country to country but is essentially a dish of Lentils & Rice. YUM.
Comfort in a bowl.
One of my boys in particular would happily eat this dish for breakfast, lunch & dinner.
And very often does.
There is a lot to be said for the Middle Eastern diet- it is heavily based on eating grains & plants and some meat every now & then.
Super nutritious & very filling.
And BOY do they know how to flavour dishes.
Middle Eastern food is amongst my very fave style of food.
Simple good produce flavoured well with spices & loads of fresh herbs.
You cant really go wrong I don't think.
It is delicious hot or cold & makes a great basis for salads or as a side dish for roast dinners or BBQ meats.
We love it topped with a crispy edged fried egg or some pan fried chicken.
Or if you are my son- straight from it's container in the fridge!
PEARL BARLEY MUJADARRA: I have a bit of an obsession with Pearl Barley. I can not get enough of it. I started substituting the rice in Mujadarra when I had no rice & I preferred the slightly nutty firm texture so haven't looked back. Feel free to substitute the pearl barley for Brown Rice. WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
2 cups cooked Pearl Barley (or Brown Rice)
1 cup cooked French Green lentils
4 large brown onions, sliced as finely as possible
1 cup good quality chicken stock
3 tablespoons Butter
1 tablespoon rice bran oil
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Sumac
loads of fresh coriander, mint or parsley (or all)
METHOD:
Pre-cook all the grains as per instructions, drain & set aside.
In a large fry pan heat oil & butter (these are mixed together so the butter does not burn) until it melts. Heat to high & add finely sliced onions. Once translucent, reduce the temperature & continue to fry until the onions are browned- this may take up to twenty minutes. Right at the end add the cumin seeds and cook through for another minute or so until the cumin is fragrant.
Set some of the cooked onion aside to top your dish.
Add the pre-cooked grains into the remaining pan and stir well. Add a cup of boiling chicken stock and stir well until the stock is soaked into the grains. Finally add fresh herbs, stir through & serve with some of the reserved Golden Onions & sprinkle the Sumac over the top. YUM.
I always look like this when I rollerskate. Do you?
It is getting cold enough to pack Hot Lunches for the kids here in Melbourne.
The brisk days demand comfort food for lunch to keep our kids tummies filled all day long.
This easy peasy, nutritious & hearty soup is perfect for packing into a Thermos.
CREAMY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP: Use the very best ingredients you can afford to take this soup from good to outstanding! Make sure you pre-cook the noodles and add them after to avoid a gluggy soup. WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
4 chicken thigh fillets, diced into 2cm cubes
2 rashers bacon, dicd into 2cm cubes
3 bay leaves
1 large onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 leek, washed well, trimmed and chopped finely
3 large carrots, diced
4 large waxy potatoes, scrubbed & diced (leave skin on)
300g pre cooked noodles (you can just cook spaghetti that you have broken into small pieces.
3-4 cups good quality chicken stock.
a handful of parsley, chopped roughly S& P
4 tablespoons good quality cream
olive oil
METHOD:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, garlic, leek, bacon & bay leaves and saute until translucent. Add diced chicken thighs & cook for 3- 4 minutes, stirring. Add diced carrots & potatoes & the chicken stock. Bring to a boil & immediately reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes. Meanwhile cook your noodles in plenty of salted water. Drain and set aside. After 20 minutes add the pre-cooked noodles and the cream and taste. Season & serve with Toast.
Have you listened to Blur's new Album yet? EXCITING! This is a super cute little vid:
Some of you may know that last year I put out the to the universe a long held dream.
That I wanted to design & make my own tableware.
I wanted to master throwing pottery on a wheel.
You may or may not know that straight after school I studied to become an Art Teacher.
Art has always been a passion.
And while I felt like I was ok at most mediums, well Pottery always had the better of me.
I could never ever seem to master that dang wheel. So many failed attempts.
I don't really like NOT being good at stuff.
It doesn't sit well with me. Are you the same?
I am learning to let go of my unreal expectations but it isn't easy.....
You know the saying 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks'?
Well I call BOLLOCKS to that.
I am an old dog & I quite like learning new tricks.
One of the things I think is super important as an adult is to keep learning.
And one of the most important & best things I have learnt as an adult is how little I know.
And how much stuff there is to learn. So much good stuff. Endless in fact.
Encouraging myself to try new things & learn new skills allows an appreciation of the world.
You get to see things in a new light. Be more humble. Be more aware of how hard stuff is.
Appreciate things more. Be more grateful.
NOT being good at stuff is actually really important. I have come to learn and accept this as I get older.
It is good that other people are better at things than me.
It is good to NOT be good at all the things- as uncomfortable as that leaves me feeling.
Not being the winner is important.
It is something I have written about in terms of parenting before. The notion that we are not doing our children any credit by not letting them experience the sting of defeat or hardship. It is one of the hardest of all things to do as a parent- to stand by and watch your child not win. None of us want to see our children feel sad but surely resilience and an ability to get up and try again and to be able to congratulate the winner is ultimately just as much an important life skill as winning? To be able to admire someone else being better at something is a pretty good thing I think. And one that brings with it it's own rewards. Being able to be joyful for someone else's success or mastery feels really good. A selfless but joyful act.
When I see it happen out there in the real world it is pretty darn special.
I think about this stuff a fair bit. The idea that consulting experts is a good thing. That acknowledging that years of expertise in any given area gives people a deep understanding of things that others skim across or could only ever understand in a superficial kind of way.
For instance- try learning another language as an adult gives you a keen awareness of how hard it is for others to learn English. We take our primary language for granted but sheesh it is SOOOOO hard. Learning another helps give us a sensitivity to the people who come here and are expected to speak our language. That is a good thing I think.
Last year, after many tries, I had the help of a friend to help teach me crochet. I am a left hander & it has been hard to learn as most of my pals are right handers. I have been wanting to learn since I was a child but it never really happened until last year.
My friend & I sat side by side and I just copied her. She taught me chain stitch and then I just experimented from there.
That was when I started my Rug. It was supposed to be a granny square but I missed the corner and it became a circle that just kept on going.
It is now a beautiful reminder of my gorgeous friendship & a reminder to try new things.
I really like how it didn't turn out at all as what I had expected but is actually more beautiful than I could ever have hoped. And as my friend has moved away *sob* , I LOVE that it will always be my smiley colourful reminder of her.
At the beginning of this year I took a Pottery Wheel class and fell in LOVE with it.
I have bought my own wheel and am busy creating bowls by the dozen.
I had a great teacher & somehow it just worked this time despite all my other failures in the past.
Another message to me to keep trying new stuff- sometimes for whatever reason it is the right time & it works.
I hope that soon I will even have some GG Coffee bowls for you to purchase. Watch this space.
All these things are wonky and not perfect. My favourite sort.
This week my new project is a Crochet Cape. It looks a bit like a rainbow at the moment & I kind of like it.
Are you learning anything new?
Or making something wonky & not perfect?
DO tell!
Until next time:
LIVE BETTER
HELP OFTEN &
WONDER MORE
