Oh! the Places You Will Not Go!

The City of Pho

So I think most people in King county and the surrounding area would agree that Pho is the soup of Seattle. This being said there is more Pho places than there are Starbucks....and we know how ambitious Starbucks is.
Black Pepper Pho in Boulder, Co is still the best Pho i have ever had. The broth is flavorful....and I stop here to note that here in seattle there are enough places for there to be really weak pho broth....could have pulled it from my toilet and it might, just might be better.
Pho is easy to make and even easier is Pacific Naturals Pho Broth. So when I don't feel like being disappointed with my Pho I make it at home the easy way, cuz let's face it, I have kids and most times its not gonna get done if it ain't easy.
So medium sauce (middle child) wanted to have noodles and i wanted Pho. Bang! Pho for dinner. And this was a couple nights ago. Small serving between a 3 year old and a mama that night, and we had Pho broth left over......
which inspired.......
this beauty!

Today was getting-there-hot at about 3p so a fresh light dish was in the mix. Didn't know what my mind was going to birth but I was so pleased with the outcome and medium sauce ate the kiddo version (that recipe is at the end)

Coco-Saki Soba
Pho broth
Soba noodles
Frozen California Vegi mix (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots)*
2 T Coconut oil
1 t sesame oil
1 T Soy sauce
1/3 c Saki, and then some
Cilantro
shredded, unsweetened coconut
Siracha

1. Make your Soba noodles in Pho broth versus water.
2. In a frying pan, heat your oils over med-high until melted.
3. add vegis (frozen) and cover, cook until liquid is halfed. Remove cover and add soy sauce.
4. cook uncovered and add saki, cook until there is about 2 T of liquid in pan.
5. serve over noodles garnished with cilantro, coconut, and siracha.**


*I do about a handful per serving/ person
**I add a splash of saki on top of mine.

Kiddo version: coco-noodles
 Noodles in a bowl with coconut oil to separate them. a couple vegis and more soy sauce.

Went to the park and big brother decided to do a cute big brother thing: Push Bugs on the swing! Love'n it!

Spring air hang up

First off this is hilarious:

"What you know 'bout purple drank?" Family Joke after reading a rap/ hip hop decoder book we gave to a friend of ours.....guess the lil guy picked up on it. ha!

It's time and I am stoked. The sun will be out all week. This means we can do all types of things I love to do. Cloth diapers, hang laundry, garden, sleep in the sun, watch birds.... Today my laundry is happy! It gets to stretch its winter seams on a tight rope under the blazing sun! Oh and that means saving energy and water and being thrifty.

Another thing i am most happy to be about is that my baby girl, irie, will be arriving in my arms in a little over a month. We have been getting pictures and videos of her all week and since the day she came into the world. I can't wait!

Marley's soul is in her!

Snuggle Bunny Down!

I don't care if it is raining or cold outside! As the weather has gotten nice I have been yearning every morning to be out in the forest.....as my lil one observed, "mama is happy in the forest!" so at least once a week we make it into the thicket, into the moisture, into the breath of the earth and we enjoy the fact that we can just be in it.

For me it has never been to work out.

It has never been to meditate. 

It has never been to compete, 

It has just been to 'be.'

When I was young during the spring, Summer, and fall we went hiking at least once on the weekends. And we camped often (i like to take pride in the coincidence that the maiden name is just that). In the winter we would ski the slopes of Colorado and I would enjoy to high speed race with my father.

So to be in the forest or on a mountain top, for me, has been to just be.

If we don't make it out int he middle of the week you can find us in Issaquah and the Issaquah Coffee Company enjoy a coffee or tea before we trek up a mountain. Currently we have been frequenting the Issaquah trail loops and connectors in tiger mountain area.

 I was so excited to find a Morel mushroom this morning.....check it out!

Heres our lil guy, family, and friends with us on multiple different hikes in this area:

that said...Live life and hike well!

The Pacific northwest isn't only an amazing place for a forest playground, but the beaches are great. Theirs beaches all over, oceans, Pugent sound, Lakes!

Xire has learned to toss sand, scroll down quickly and you get a nice stop motion video of it all:

I like this last one: "Oh, the zen of throwing sand and feeling it fall."

hahahahahahahaha.

It's not just waterfront fun out here tits that amazing family opportunities that public parks provide. It is about as amazing as the great parks in Salt Lake City but her is a quick pic at the Park for Xire's birthday:

Just makes you wanna spin bubbles.

So I have a recipe for you:

Alfredo sauce is best achieved using whipping cream....not half and half, not whole milk, not milk with cream top. No whipping cream and butter. The trick to it is that the molecules that make cheese what it is need to attach and form with fat from the cream. The lactose in the milk to make the cheese needs fat to form the correct strand to solidify and adhere to cultures you add to also make cheese what it is.

So getting to milk for cheese.....

Can we make cheese from human milk?

You won't be successful. There isn't enough fat in Human milk to create cheese you would have to have gallons and gallons to just get a 1/2 lb. of human milk cheese.

hahahahaha. just an interesting fact.

So why isn't there a lot of fat in Human milk?

Well as a species we just don't need it to get up and going as quickly as other mammals.....let's say a Cow. A Cow has to get up and going quickly to survive. A calf starts walking within 10 minutes after birth. This animal needs to start maturing faster that a human. And Cow Milk has more fat.

So, more fat equals Lactose equals better better milk to make cheese from. (here is a note.....vegan cheese is not cheese)

So back to my Alfredo sauce, The cheese molecules will not bond to low amounts of fat. So High fat (i.e. whipping cream) will give you the best cream sauce.

Ever wondered why your cream sauce separates?

you didn't use whipping cream to make it did you......

Here is another trick for better cream sauce/cheese bonding: Butter.

"Everything is better with butter, baby!"

After a cold, wet hike like todays, waiting for the sun to peak out of the clouds, i'll snuggle bunny down for a nice cozy afternoon with my favorite comfort food.....Cheese and pasta.

Nope not Mac and Cheese!

Sweet Potato Ravioli with Cheese Sauce

Thank you to Serious Eats this is a fabulous recipe but because i always attempt it an hour before dinner. I make cheese sauce instead of cheese broth. I have also alternated between pumpkin and sweet potato it is equally as incredible.

So here is the recipe, my altered way:

Ravioli

2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed

Olive Oil

sea salt/ fresh ground pepper

2 T honey

1/4 t Chinese 5-spice Powder

1 package of Wonton Wrappers, 48 in pack

Water

Cheese Sauce

4 T unsalted butter

1.5 c whipping cream

pinch of Sage

pinch of nutmeg

pinch of 'white' pepper

1 c finely grated Grana Padana (or Parmesan) 

4 green onions, chopped fine

ravioli:

1.With a fork poke your sweet potatoes all over, then olive oil your sweet potato and rub salt and pepper on it. Wrap it in a wet paper towel and place it on a plate in the microwave for 10ish minutes.*

2. Wait about 5 minutes for them to cool and scrape out the insides of  the sweet potato into a medium mixing bowl. Add Honey and Chinese 5 Spice powder. Mash and stir until smooth as butter. set aside until cool enough to handle with your hands.

3. Pull out a small bowl and fill with water. This is used to seal the ravioli. On a cutting board, place about a teaspoon of filling in a wonton wrapper, dip your finger in water the outside the edges of the wrapper. fold in half so the edges meet and pinch to seal the edge. Place on a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat Mat or plastic wrap.

4. Bring a large sauce pan or water to a boil then turn it down so it is a gentle boil, ad a pinch of salt. cook your ravioli in batches and serve right away. Slip the ravioli in an when it floats to the top it is cooked.

sauce:

5. Melt butter in a medium pan over medium heat. add your pinches of sage, nutmeg, and pepper. Once your butter is melted add cream and stir slowly until you feel the cream is heated (not boiling) about 2 minutes. Make sure you stir, burn milk at the bottom of the pan adds a burnt flavor to you sauce.

6. As your stir, sprinkle in your cheese and stir so it adheres to the fat in the cream as it melts evenly. This provides optimal no clumping. Once all the cheese is added and melted evenly (not boiling). Remove pan from heat and ladle over ravioli upon being served.

7. Top with chopped green onions

*Depending on the size of your sweet potato (note: when choosing sweet potatoes choose the ones that are long and skinny not fat and short like you would choose a normal potato), it can take more or less time to cook.

This is  how your sauce will look if you don't use whipping cream.....if you use whipping cream it looks like creamy Alfredo.....not spit up breast milk. This is an old photo of this recipe......had I only used whipping cream.

Enjoy and Snuggle bunny down!

Photos For a Rainy Day

Need a Pick me up...... Just glance at these and you will have a better day.

You walk out for one second and your child does this. This is Nia, She decided it's time to color her face. SURPRISE!

This is also Nia. Nia Smile for the camera.......hehehehehehe

Im a dinosaur!

I'm hopped up on Candy and I have no idea I have a tattoo on my face!

Mad Professor of 2 years old!

Mama I need to drink your tea!

Im Cute and Cuddly.

hehehehehehe Toilet paper!

My mother's Glasses in the late 80's. This is actually my favorite picture of my mother and i really want glasses like hers. She purdy!

When you braid Dreads too tight this happens. Pippi

The return of Jabba the Hut

Hot kitchen

My husband gets crazy in the kitchen. he likes to work fast and hard. Furious and fiery at work as he orders a perfected dish onto a plate.
Tonight's menu: seafood linguini with a rose sauce






Sexy when a man cooks....especially mine!