Cold peanut soba noodle salad

 

 

Happy 4th of July to all my American readers!

Here it is a day like any other, but I thought this recipe would be handy for a last minute idea to take along to a picnic or BBQ (or a delicious salad for any other occasion if you are not celebrating Independence Day today).

It has been a while since my last real post, so forgive me, but last week we were away enjoying some of the glorious sea and beaches Italy has to offer.

 

 

 

 

 

We try to take days off every once in a while throughout the summer to get our kids out of the city, summer school and the sweltering heat (although we have been very lucky thus far) since we both work well through August. I will save you the whole spiel about the guilt of being working parents in a city where summer vacation lasts three months and it is normal for kids to spend most of them away in the country, mountains or at the beach with grandparents who double as fulltime baby sitters (and yes, I am aware this is a first world problem), because I already did that here. But the guilt remains and so we try to whisk them off whenever we can. 

 

 

 

 

 

This year, however, to be honest husband and I really needed it too.
Those who know me personally can confirm that I am not one to usually complain about feeling tired, worn out or unwell and I am always looking for things to do or places to go. I am usually quite happy being busy, but the past couple of months really knocked the wind out of us, for no particular reason, might I add. It was more like an accumulation of lots of little things: busy days in the office (at a job that is doing its best to suck out every last ounce of my normally positive attitude recently); the last month of school with its endless recitals, fundraisers, open-classes, parties, parent-teacher meetings, report cards, good-bye dinners, drinks, week ends and what have you. The related stress of constantly having to ask for time off from work to go to all the abovementioned gatherings and the running back and forth from them to work multiplied by the number of kids you have (how do you moms with more than two kids do it???) blablabla taxes in multiple countries blablabla bureaucratic deadlines for summer school, regular school,  after-school, you name it, we did it blablabla free lance jobs blablabla a birthday party to organize blablabla...

 

*yawn*

 

I am even boring myself, so I will stop boring you. But you get the idea, right? Because we all have periods like that, whether you are a stay-at-home parent or a working parent, whether you are a parent or not. Periods when you just feel wrung out.

 

 

 

Vacation trail mix

The big day has come, tomorrow we fly over the pond to NYC!

Needless to say we are all excited and looking forward to our vacation: it has been a long summer in the city, especially for the kids. Thank goodness for the two lovely short breaks, one in June and one in July, with family at the seaside.

However, to get to the Big Apple we have a long flight and a 5am wake up, so I am preparing lotsa little snacks to keep the kids entertained and healthily fed during the trip. I'm cleaning and cutting up carrots into sticks, bringing along crackers and thought that making them a trail mix would be a fun, nutritious snack and a great way to use up odds and ends before stacking up at the Trader Joe's (yaaay!) just next to our apartment.

The great thing about a trail mix is you can put in whatever you like or have in the house. Like pop corn? Sounds good. Like some spice? I had some spicy pineapple I avoided because of the kids, but I'm sure it would have fit well. Or how about some wasabi peas? If it is not the middle of summer and you have a sweet tooth, you could throw in a few chocolate chips or M&Ms. Why not? Anything goes!

Here is what I used:

1 cup pecans

3/4 cup salted peanuts

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup dried wild blueberries

3/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup dried sour cherries

1/2 cup chopped dried kiwi fruit

3/4 cup all natural red berry twist licorice bites

Hope you have a great end of the summer! I will be posting from the city that never sleeps.






 



Burmese ginger salad

I have had a lot of different jobs over the years, including some pretty bizzarre ones when I was in University.

Like that time I did a good friend who worked in PR a last-minute translating favor because he had an emergency which ended up with me wearing a short red velvet dress with white fur lining, pretending to be Santa's helper/wife (I'm still not sure which) standing on a theater stage with a microphone in front of a crowd of pre-schoolers and mothers translating their questions to him in English. Santa spoke not one word of English and we had to totally improvise and the only reason I am telling you this is because we are good friends in an intimate setting.

Another time, when I was working for the inauguration of a historic Italian landmark that had been painstakingly restored, I was asked by that same friend (come to think about it, he is probably to blame for some of the insecurities that have followed me into adulthood) to become an impromptu interpreter for HRH xyz who was on an offical visit from xyz while they were taking her on a tour around the place. Just so you know, they started talking horse racing and thoroughbreds and the related terminology is not a part of my everyday English or Italian vocabulary. I was then pressed to entertain and distract her when the waiters had to take back the second course of the gala dinner as the pigeon that was being served was giving off a rotten smell because it had been aged a tad too long.

These days, however, working in finance, my work life is not quite as eventful or as exciting as it used to be so I had to smile today when I received an email offering me a free lance job totally unrelated to blogging by a person  because he is a foodie, or at the very least has a good sense of humor.

This is what he wrote at the end of his email:

"...P.S. The thing that really convinced me to contact you is the fact that you are a food blogger. Sure beats financial statements..."

In life, you never know what is around the corner and the best way to go through it is not taking yourself too seriously.

When I read the recipe for this salad on Global Table Adventures, I knew I had to make it. I love the flavors, textures and colors of Southeast Asian cuisine but had never tasted anything typically Burmese. I also conveniently had a most of the required ingredients in my kitchen, always a plus for me.

When it comes to food, you also never know what new surprises are awaiting you out there. A few weeks ago I discovered the joy Burmese food can give your taste buds.

Before making it I decided to do a little research. It turns out that this salad, called Gin Thoke, is usually served as a palate cleanser or even a dessert in Burma. I found several recipes for it and although almost all of them listed ginger, lime, peanuts, fish sauce, sesame seeds and cabbage as their main ingredients, several left out chickpeas and lentils or substituted these legumes with black eyed peas, split peas or lima beans. You can also use deseeded tomatoes, papaya, carrots or dried shrimp in it. As all popular dishes, there are as many variations as there are cooks. This salad is ideal for pescatarians and even vegetarians/vegans simply substituting the fish sauce with soy sauce (and kelp powder for fishiness if you like).

As many Asian recipes, this one may seem daunting if you just read the list of ingredients but it is actually very simple to make because it mainly involves a lot of chopping and the following of a few basic steps.

I set out to make this to bring to an aperitivo we were having with friends on Saturday evening and as potluck for a BBQ the following day, so I made about 16 servings worth, which meant I fried in several batches. If you make a smaller amount it will be even less laborious and time consuming.

Oh, last but not least, this recipe will leave you with about a 1/2 cup of deliciously aromatic ginger-infused lime juice that you can use to make a refreshing digestive summer drink with some sparkling water, or as Sasha over at Global Table suggests, adding hot water, vodka or honey (or all three together) to make a somewhat unusual, exciting cocktail.

Thai cold rice noodle salad with chicken, lime and peanut sauce

It has been really hot here.

The "36°C at 7:00pm in the evening" kind of hot.
The "I-feel-like-I-peed-in-my-pants-after-biking-home" kind of hot.
The "only wear very dark or very light tops to work" kind of hot.
The "my-thighs-just-got-stuck-to-the-waiting-room-faux-leather-sofa" kind of hot.
The "I-keep-finding-my-son's-discarded-diapers-around-the-house" kind of hot. (Yes, we tried potty training when that started but realized very quickly it was purely a desire to cool off his Netherlands, not a sign of wanting to use a toilet).
The "opening-the-fridge-just-to-cool-off" kind of hot.

Like many apartments in old Italian buildings, we do not have air conditioning. With a just-turned three-year old who loves looking out of the window, we pretty much have to keep either our windows or shutters closed to avoid accidents, unless we are in the room. We did buy universal window catches to protect our children, but it seems that our seemingly standard 1920s window frames somehow do not fit the definition of "universal". Last but not least, I don't think our landlady would appreciate us screwing white plastic guards into her grandmother's beautiful wood pannelled window frames. So that sort of rules out the possibility of exploiting our apartment's double exposure and the lovely current it creates.

As a result, we have been drinking a lot of water. We have been lying around in our underwear loungewear like dead leaves. The kids have been splashing around a lot in the bathtub. Luckily we have ceiling fans, although the pretty period molded ceilings are so high, we only catch a slight breeze at top speed.

So now you know why my most recent pinning has involved lots of salads, ice cream recipes and South East Asian influences recipes. Since I feel the need for fresh, cool and crunchy ingredients, a lot of those recipes will be coming your way in the near future.

Today's recipe is courtesy of Smitten Kitchen, who did the hard work of converting complicated, laborious restaurant food into something more accessible for home cooks. The preparation is actually much simpler than the list of ingredients and variety of steps would lead you to think, so read through it before you decide it is too much work. It really isn't, and if I say so you know it is true since I am the queen of simple and fast family-friendly recipes. The most laborious part was squeezing the limes (I used 8). Feel free to play around with the vegetables you prefer, just keep it crunchy.

Lemme just make sure it is al dente!

Peanut-studded peanut butter brownies

Dear daughter,

six years ago, on a Wednesday morning exactly like today, you came into this world, the best Christmas present a girl could ever dream of. A lot of things have changed since then: all that black peach fuzz on your head has turned into little blond wisps of elf-like hair, your eyes have turned from grey into the most beautiful shade of aqua green and from a quiet little baby you have become a real chatterbox, words tumbling from your lips from the moment you awake till the moment you fall asleep.

You have now started reading words everywhere you find them and in your drawings fairies and letters are intertwined. You sing loud and clear as if you were on stage, whether you are playing in your room or walking down the street, peppering each verse with a hop or a twirl. You are one of the most stubborn little creatures I have ever met, yet you are a truly sensitive soul and will drop anything you are doing for a cuddle or a kiss. I hope you keep both these traits as you grow into a woman, because tenacity will get you far but kindness and compassion will take you even farther.

When your brother was born, you constantly asked me which of you I loved more. I told you then and I tell you now that I love you both the same, I couldn’t love one of you more because my love for you is boundless, it cannot be quantified. But you will always be my first: you made me a mother and I have loved you longer, so you will always have that three-and-a-half-year headstart.

Even if you are growing faster than I can keep track of, you will always be my little girl, even when a tooth finally fills that big gap in your smile and you will be old enough to have children of your own.

This year for your birthday you expressly asked for a chocolate princess cake and we secretly went and ordered it on the week end. In the meantime, though, I made you those brownies that you have been asking me to bake you for ages. I know you don’t like walnuts or pecans in your brownies so I used peanuts and peanut butter in them instead. They are just like you, sweet and soft with a touch of saltiness and an unexpected crunch.

Happy birthday my love.

Mommy

Ingredients

For the basic recipe, click here.

4 tbsp unsweetened peanut butter

1 cup chopped unsalted peanuts

Substitute walnuts with the same amount of chopped peanuts and add 4 tablespoons of unsweetened peanut butter into the batter.

Last but definitely not least I wanted to thank Manu (a little late, sorry, but I was travelling) and Paolo for their awards: it is always a real honor to receive any form of acknowledgement from other bloggers, especially the ones you admire.

I pass these on to some of my newer blogging friends and reads:

The Little Loaf
The Nervous Cook
A Full Measure of Happiness
The Twinky Cake