tiggerprr’s scratching post

This is for some schoolmates from my days at Yokota High School… but anyone is free to use this recipe.

Yakisoba translated literally is fried noodles. It’s a very yummy Japanese dish. I have never run across anyone that didn’t love it.

First of all, you can usually find the Sapporo Ichiban “Chow Mein” noodles/sauce mix in the international aisle of many grocery stores across the country. It looks like this:

Or if you’re lucky enough to have an Asian Market that carries Maruchan’s Fresh Yakisoba you can use that as well. It looks like this:

I really like the Maruchan’s noodles the best for consistency. However, the sauce packet is powdery rather than liquid like the Sapporo Ichiban and I find it easier to mix in the liquid sauce base. Both are delicious.

I use 1 pkg per person of the Sapporo Ichiban or two (2) whole packages of the Maruchan Fresh Yakisoba to feed my family of four. This usually leaves us a serving or so for leftovers.

OK on to the recipe:

Yakisoba

pork, beef sirloin or hamburger (the amount will vary based on the number of servings you are making. I use a pound of pork or sirloin or about half pound of ground beef), slice pork or sirloin into stirfry sized strips
1/2 head of regular cabbage (sliced)
handful of bean sprouts
1/2 pkg of matchstick cut carrots (or 2 med. carrots sliced into small thin sticks)
1/2 onion (sliced thin)

1) Brown meat in large skillet or dutch oven, set aside.
2) In same pan, add a smidge of cooking oil and saute veggies until tender, set aside
3) follow directions on your yakisoba package to boil noodles until water is mostly gone. (usually 3 mins, do not overcook noodles or it’ll be mushy)
4) Add sauce packet to noodles and mix in well.
5) Add meat and veggies back to the pan and stir in well
6) Enjoy!!!!

Most instructions tell you to put the meat and veggies in before the sauce packets, but I find it harder to get the sauce to spread evenly in the noodles if you do that. You may like to have more veggies or less than the amounts I use so feel free to play with those to your tastes. Happy eating!

One guess… more to follow soon!

I love the Sonic Drive In. There’s no question that some days, a gooey cheese-topped order of tater tots and a yummy cheeseburger really hits the spot. But that’s not what I’m having a problem with that might require intervention.

It’s the Real Fruit Pineapple Slush. It’s more than just a great drink on a hot day, it’s a snack too. There are so many chunks of fresh pineapple in it! You literally can suck a frozen piece of pineapple-ly goodness in every sip. Who am I kidding? I don’t sip this drink, I devour it. It’s soooooo tasty. There really aren’t even words that I could use that would adequately describe my love for this drink.

You should go try one. Now.

Crossposted from Hello!Food

As summer draws to a close, many states across the country are celebrating their State Fairs. With that, comes competitions for the best pickles, the best cows, the best sheep, well you get the idea. The masses swell for concerts by favorite artists, to ride the rides, get creeped out by the fair game carnies and to view the spectacle that is the Butter Cow, if you’re at the Iowa State Fair. But let’s face the facts, you and I both know the real reason that anyone vists the State Fair is the food.
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Now, I’m not one that will argue that fast food, ie. McD’s, Burger King, and all of that ilk, are good for you. I’m simply not that dumb. However, I find crap like this to be annoying. Why? Because you have a choice.

You can choose not to order the Triple Yummy Heartstopping Burger of Death with Ginormous-size fries and the Big Bubba Pop (Yes, I said pop, because soda is what you put in your fridge to keep it smelling nice!). Or you can choose to order the Heartstoppers Super Duper Non-Value Meal and stick your foot one inch further into the grave.

Myself, I enjoy a yummy cheeseburger w/fries and a regular Coke. I can’t help myself. I always feel like crap after I eat them, but hey, I’d rather die because I enjoyed my food than to eat or drink chemicals (diet pop with whatever chemical of the day is en vogue). Everything should be within reason. That’s the problem, it’s not just the food choices that we make, it’s the sheer volume that we consume that is the problem. I must admit there are times where I WANT, no, NEEEEEEED that 42oz caffeine buzz in a cup just to make it through the day without just smacking someone.

But, is it really the responsiblity of the restaurant industry to limit people’s choices like some sort of food parent? I think not. If you can’t help yourself but to order the triple sized whatever you’re ordering, then isn’t that just a bit like natural selection taking you out of the gene pool a little bit earlier, thus strengthening it for the future?

What do you kind folks think? Is it the restaurant industry’s responsibility, or do you think you should be forced to wear the big girl/boy pants and police yourselves?

For more great posts about food, with recipes and general culinary mayhem, visit: Hello! Food

Personal to Desert Songbird: Why, yes…someone is home! (For a few minutes anyway, hehe.) See, I’m even posting!

So, along with a whole bunch of people, I watched last week’s “Idol Gives Back” special shows. I have to admit, that although I do feel compassion for the plight of those less fortunate than I am, I am not often moved to tears when it is not people in my own little community. In fact, I am more apt to get upset over the mistreatment or misfortunes that befall our furry friends than other humans. I’m not sure why, I’m not a mean person, I’m just wired that way. This special though, really struck all three of us and in fact, all three of us found ourselves wiping tears away and I know I heard sniffling. Seeing the softer side of Simon was sort of touching too. We voted for the first time this season, to help do our part to help give a little.

Homelessness and hunger are a much larger problem in our country than most people realize. What’s almost worse is how many “working homeless” people there are. I was shocked to learn when I lived in Springfield, IL that in a town of approximately 100,000 people, 400 people (mostly women and children) had no place to call home and either bounced from home to home of friends/relatives or vyed for one of the limited spaces in the various homeless shelters available to help them. It’s disturbing to me that families, who have jobs, can’t afford to pay for a roof over their heads. It affected my heart profoundly when I met with the director of one of those shelters to find out how serious the problem was in what was then the town I called home. I also realized that until I met her, I didn’t see the face of homelessness, aside from the one or two people I’d seen while driving through the “downtown” area. I now know, that even though I can’t always see it, no matter where I go, there is a homelessness problem. Don’t even get me started on hunger and the statistics of how many kids go to school hungry…

I never thought that American Idol would ever make me really think…but it sure did last week. How did it affect you if you watched it? Something to think about for sure, eh?