asian food love {szechuan peanut noodles.}

i love asian food.
love it.
to my core.

i love chinese food.
i love sushi.
i love hot japanese.
i love korean.
i love it all.

just outside montreal, near our small patch of dirt, it is lacking in the stuff.
here it's all about the greek, morrocan and lebanese.
vancouver it's all about asian.

growing up we would almost always mark a special occasion with either that wonderful brown paper bag stuffed with delicacies from the orient or schlep our way down to capilano west and circle the giant  round table for a memorable feast.
lots of laughter. lots of smiling. special family time. went we went out for it we usually knew two or three other families there as well so that made it a real party.

this may sound weird but i feel my kids are missing out.
missing out on dinners like that.
missing out on those memories.
missing out on that food.
there is no place memorable like that around here.

i cook alot of asian at home. mainly stir-frys.
they are kind of my thing.
i did attempt a chinese food night here at home - authentic recipes...didn't go so well.
i think i will leave most of it to the professionals.
but thanks to a little site called dinner: a love story, we ARE able to add spicy szechuan peanut noodles to our menus.
to me they are perfect. i adapted her recipe a little bit of course because for my purposes the recipe was a little runny but then it was too thick and then i had to double it...so what i present here to you is my take on it.
slightly different, slightly the same.
just plain awesome.
this is what i call good eating.

spicy szechuan peanut noodles

adapted slightly from dinner: a love story.

the perfect accompaniment to this is a wonderfully colourful and plentiful stir-fry coated at the last minute with sweet hoisin sauce {it really is the best} white meat is preferred - chicken or pork - but if the pocket book is plentiful prawns are the ultimate touch. and in a pinch you can substitute ground ginger for fresh.
also if you like the goma ae, like yours truly, do her recipe and drench your spinach in it - perfection.

3 garlic cloves
a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger {or a teaspoon at a time of ground ginger - to taste.}
1/2 cup smooth all-natural peanut butter
1/3 cup of warm water + extra for the cooking process
1 1/2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
broad rice noodles.

optional garnish if not making stir-fry: chopped green onion, toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, roasted prawns, chopped roasted peanuts, raw bean sprouts.

prepare you noodles according to package directions. set aside.

in a food processor throw in garlic and ginger and pulse it up. add the rest of the ingredients and mix well until smooth. taste. adjust seasoning.

heat a large frying pan on medium heat. drain noodles and add to pan. pour in about half of your sauce over the noodles. toss. cook. pour in 1/4 cup of warm water. if noodles are not looking coated enough pour in more sauce. add a little more water. you want your noodles coated wet, not dry and "thick" but you also don't want to make peanut soup. feel the noodles. be one with the noodles. keep tossing them around the pan. heat them through and when you are satisfied remove from heat, plate them up and top them with the delicious stir-fry you were cooking in the pan next door.
or just inhale them as they are. top with garnish if you feel so inclined. delicious.

finding that thing called common ground.

 
so.....
as many of you know i love to bake. L O V E  I T.
don't love the calories so much...but i love to create and see what comes of it.
there is only one problem - and that's the people i bake for.
around here we have one that will eat most things, one that will eat almost nothing and two that will eat everything.
if it has berries or apples - just for the husband and me. do you know how many things i have wanted to make like this but couldn't bring myself to knowing us two would have to polish it off???
with nuts...maybe coop will partake - aydan, no way.

but then i made this.
and i got a yum from her lips. A YUM!!!
i almost fainted.
no. joking.

so i made it again. and another yum came out of those rosy puckers.
sometimes you luck out the first time - like spotting a shooting star. but round two usually you get a strike out.
and i got ANOTHER hit!!!!
i found a common ground that doesn't feel like you are eating a generic child's sweet. score.

so happy about that. so happy.
and now i want to share it with you.
i hope you get a yum as well.

my instagram teaser photo.

oatmeal peanut butter chocolate toffee bar
adapted from marta writes

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), at room temperature
1/2 cup natural creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups dark or semisweet chocolate chips
a scant 1/2 cup skor toffee baking pieces (or in he states - Hershey's Heath brand)

Heat the oven to 350°. butter a 9x13 baking pan and line a strip of parchment paper so that the ends extend over the edges of the pan by at least 2 inches. butter parchment.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, peanut butter, sugar, and egg yolk on medium-high speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary. Add the flour, oats, and salt and beat the mixture on low until the ingredients are just blended, about 30 seconds.

Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake the crust until it is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes (be careful not to overbake).

Remove the pan from the oven and scatter the chocolate chips evenly over the crust. Return the pan to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pan again and, using a small offset spatula, spread the chocolate evenly over the crust.

Sprinkle the toffee pieces over the chocolate, gently pressing them into place with the back of a large spoon. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool until the chocolate has set, about 2 hours. Using the tip of a knife or offset spatula gently loosen the chocolate from the pan and grab the edges of the parchment  , lift the dessert from the pan, then cut it into squares. For maximum freshness, store the bars in the refrigerator.