February Update on books, food and a shelter doggie

It was a rainy Sunday here in Havana Florida so I had time to sit down at the keyboard for a bit. We don't usually have a lot going on,  our days follow a laid back routine of sipping coffee, walking, eating second breakfast, maybe going to the park for a walk...like that.  So when I wrote this on Sunday, it was a day to stay indoors.

New event / This weekend we had a home visit from the humane society with a little dog who (hopefully) may become part of the family. My better sense told me not to mention it yet for fear of a jinx. Update! - Since I started this post a few days ago, we have been approved to adopt the dog! More on that later......

Bookish things / When Wordpress aggravated me I started anew at Blogspot.  So I moved some of my favorite authors/reviews to Turn the Page and have been happy with the ease of posting. I try and keep this site for foodie and life posts but sometimes I cross link. Anyway.......

I read quite a bit of Clanlands by Graham McTavish and then abandoned it. Meh.

 Finished up House of Corrections by Nicci French and am almost done witn The Letter by Ruth Saberton.  Next up on deck is Carol Drinkwater's book The Olive Harvest, The Vines by Shelley Nolden and Nigella Lawson's new cookbook Cook, Eat, Repeat.

Food /  We had a few comfort meals.  This Cottage Pie is a knockoff of the Shepherd's Pie recipe my frined Jo shared, just used beef instead of lamb. Hence the name Cottage. Lots of gravy and plenty of leftovers.

 A Sweet and Spicy Noodle dish that's different each time we make it. 

Doug made some pot stickers to go along with the meal.

This recipe appeared in the New York Times.  I have made adaptions and used tofu one time and this time I used boneless chicken. You can add any favorite veg such as broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, mushrooms or whatever you have on hand.  A can of water chestnuts went well in this dish.

Sweet and Spicy Noodles

 

Ingredients

1.5 lb extra firm tofu, drained (this time I used chicken)

2 tbsp canola oil

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 packages ramen noodles

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 (1-inch) piece of ginger, thinly sliced

1 small bunch of scallions

⅓ cup tamari 

3 tbsp dark brown sugar

pinch of red pepper flakes

Instructions

Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes. Heat a large cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil and 1 tbsp of the sesame oil to the pan. Once hot and shimmering, add the tofu in a single layer and fry on all sides, turning as needed, until golden. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with remaining tofu. Set aside.

Cook the ramen according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water to prevent the noodles from sticking. Set aside.

Add the remaining tbsp of sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and scallion whites to the pan.

Add the noodles to the pan along with the soy sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Toss until the noodles are completely coated in the sauce. Toss in the tofu and scallion greens. 

Shortcut that worked for me - I had prechopped all the veggies and chicken.  I cooked the chicken in sesame oil for a few minutes then added all of veggies and water chestnuts. 

Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon  and Marg for Weekend Cooking.