Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Lack of cooking = irrational thoughts about Giada de Laurentiis

It's Wednesday, which means that several monumentous events have occurred.  I had several large assignments due Monday, including a presentation.  Check. Yesterday marked the final day of my contract.  Check. Check.  And I woke up to snow this morning!  My quest to find my lost ski pants now becomes all the more urgent.

My time has been consumed since we met last week by Thomas Hardy and an essay I am writing about food culture.  At the last minute I changed my paper topic from Eliza Hart Spalding, a topic I was comfortable and well-versed, to another that I am relatively comfortable and well-versed, but lack any scholarly authority to write. I am just a lowly food blogger who aspires one day to both look and make as much money as Giada de Laurentiis.  Too much to ask? Well, a girl can dream, or least win the lottery and buy boobs.

Needless to say, I have not been cooking this past week. I have sustained myself on: popcorn, string cheese, morning star black bean and Asian burgers (the Asian burgers are yum!), and kiwi. I have been eating so many kiwi I should be fuzzy and oozing vitamin c.  

I did order some hot and sour soup -- the best hot and sour soup can in fact be found in my little Southeastern Idaho town.  Anyway, I had a bit of leftovers and was craving noodles.  So I boiled about a half of a bag of mung bean noodles, which you can usually find in the Asian section of your grocery store. If I can find them here, you surely can find them.  While they were cooking briefly, I heated some fake ground meat -- ground pork or ground turkey would work great too -- that was begging to be cooked in my fridge.  I threw in the leftover soup and the drained noodles.  I slivered oh so thinly half of a carrot and cucumber, washed a handful of mung bean sprouts, sliced up some green onions and cilantro, and dinner was served.  

Friends, this dinner was so satisfying!  What was so wonderful: no seasoning.  All the fancy, expensive Asian spices were already in the soup!   Just add the garnishes you enjoy and serve.  The noodles add a fun, chewy texture.  The veggies add crunch.  Top it off with some sriracha and devour!  

Sorry I don't have any photos. This meal was very much an afterthought, but it was thrilling how well it turned out.

Because I am so relieved and happy and celebratory this morning, I have a series of photos that perfectly illustrate elation.

This is my lovely mom on the South Fork of the Snake River -- the last fishing trip of the season, sniff.  She only caught a few fish . . . or thirty.

Notice her elation?  She might have had Uncle Brown on her line. 
This shot was after two fish; she caught close to 90.
Boise State goes everywhere with us. 
 Fish number 137.
The judge, grinding his teeth that his wife was slaying the fish in the back of the boat.

1 comment:

Whitney said...

RIGHT?!?!? Do you or do you not judge how successful you are based on how close to Giada you become?

God, great minds sister, great minds!

Missed you this weekend at the fest, I know it would have been infinitely more fun with you!