peanut sesame noodles

If you are missing Cambodia try this delicious recipe . . .

Peanut Sesame Noodles
Serves 4-5


from google images

Ingredients:

Sauce
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons of chopped fresh ginger
2 garlic clove chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of sesame oil
3 teaspoons honey
1/4-1/2 cup reserved pasta water
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Stir fry vegetables
1 small onion diced (or 5 scallions, thinly sliced)
1 each red pepper, yellow pepper thinly sliced
1 cup shredded carrots
[or any vegetables you have on hand]

Noodles
1 pound of thin pasta (linguini or spaghetti)

Top with
4 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds

Directions:
For the peanut dressing: Place the peanut butter in a large measuring cup and microwave to soften, 15 seconds. Whisk in with the soy sauce, ginger, vinegar, garlic sesame oil, honey, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Thin with the pasta water if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time until pour-able

Stir-fry the vegetables
Cook pasta according to package directions
Drain when done and save some of the pasta water
Add stir-fried vegetables to pasta and toss with sauce
Sprinkle on sesame seeds
Serve immediately

taggy blanket

When I taught kindergarten we had a little chant that went -
"texture, texture, how things feel"
A perfect description for a Taggy Blanket.



I had never seen one of these until a friend
of ours got one as a gift for her son.
It is fun to play with him and watch him
touch the tags - he definitely has some favorites.

It was pretty easy to make.
You will need:
1/2 yard soft material for front
1/2 yard soft material for back
12 five inch pieces of ribbon (various widths and textures)

wash and dry your fabric first
cut both a front piece and back piece about 18" x 23" each
place the front fabric face up
fold ribbons and pin them to the good side of the fabric
pin them with the fold pointing towards the middle
space the ribbons evenly apart on each side

pin the back piece to the front, good sides facing

sew a seam around the blanket leaving about a 3-4 inch
opening so you can turn the blanket right side out

clip corners and turn the blanket right side out
make sure the corners are completely pushed out
top stich around the blanket

Finished blanket measures about 20" x 16"

When I googled taggy blankets I saw lots of variations.

One was made by quilting pieces together - very charming
One was a mini - 6" x 6" with 2 ribbons on each side
One had something crinkly (diaper wipes package) sewed in the middle to make noise

By the time you read this our little Cedar will have his, I hope he likes it!

shortest, tallest, youngest

At our weekly Wine-on-Wednesday gathering we gave
all the gals slouch bags and all the guys winter hats.
When I looked at the photos I do see that . . .

I am the shortest (by far)



Andy is the tallest (by far)



Anderson is the youngest (by far)



Who is the oldest?
Guess I better not tell!
[maybe it is one of the 6 people missing from the photo]

mystery

Do you know what these cute little things are?



A must-have diapering accessory for baby boys.



Pee pee tepees are great for protecting yourself
when your little fellow needs a diaper change!

neighbors

Last year at this time we had new neighbors moving in.



Now they are moving to their new house on the lake.



Although we are happy for them



we will miss them.



When I have my first cup of coffee I usually look out the back door



and see their kitchen light on.



This morning their house was dark.



We wish them well and wonder
who our new neighbors will be . . .

gorgonzola-pear toasts

Gorgonzola-Pear Toasts (40 pieces)

Ingredients

* 2 baguettes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
* 2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
* 4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese
* 2 15-ounce cans pear halves drained
* 1/2 cup candied pecans, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly brush 1 side of each baguette slice with olive oil. Place the slices on a baking sheet and toast 5 to 7 minutes, or just until beginning to brown. Let cool.

Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese and gorgonzola cheese, stirring until well mixed. Drain pear halves and slice thinly. Spread the toasts with the cheese mixture. Top with the pear slices and chopped candied pecans.

adapted from a recipe by: Sandra Lee/Food Network Magazine

returning home

We arrived home on Monday night from our trip to Cambodia, tired and missing that baby terribly. After a 36 hour trip from Seim Reap to Bangkok to Tokyo to NYC to Rochester we were only 5 minutes late - amazing.

In Cambodia blogspots are blocked as some have had had anti-government posts so . . . I didn't get to keep up or comment on your blogs for a whole month. I look forward to "catching up" this weekend.

It was a bit of a challenge to do our travel posts through a proxy site. I am still posting things on Jim's blog [enjoy the little things] as I have lots more to tell about our visit.

pickles

My son's friend brought us the best refrigerator pickles
and as soon as they were gone we wanted to make more.
Here is our "adapted" recipe . . .

Hastings' Refrigerator Pickles

3 medium cucumbers sliced thin
1/2 onion sliced thin
1 quart white vinegar
3/4 c sugar
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp kosher salt
3 bay leaves
1 tsp dill weed (optional)
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Layer cucumber slices and onion slices with spices in a large container, I used the 80 ounce container from our claussen dills. Heat vinegar and sugar to almost boiling and sugar is dissolved. Carefully pour hot liquid over cucumbers. Refrigerate for a day before eating.

now playing

A shirtless John Denver.



A very nice Christmas gift reminding me how much I like his music.

pizza soup

Crockpot Pizza Soup
serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 jar (14 oz) of pizza sauce
3 empty jars full of water
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
     {leaving these out next time}
1 can diced tomatoes, drained)
1 cup cooked and crumbled Italian sausage
1 cup pepperoni minis
1 Tbls dried basil
1 Tbls dried oregano
1/2 cup of dry elbow pasta
shredded mozzarella cheese (to add later)

Directions
Wash and prepare veggies. Put them into 5 or 6 quart crockpot. Add sausage and pepperoni. Stir in basil and oregano. Pour in the pizza sauce, and follow with three empty jars of water.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours.

Thirty minutes before serving, add the dry pasta, and turn to high.

Garnish/top with shredded mozzarella cheese.



adapted from a recipe posted on a year of slow cooking