No Such thing as a Boring Noodle

     I wasn't going to put this on my blog just because it was so last minute but Alexis insisted. I am literally eating it as I type which is making the post harder to type but easier to pour some emotion into I guess.
     Tonight, I almost ordered out. My roommates and my favorite Thai restaurant delivers even though it is only five minutes away and let me tell you, nights like tonight where I have a ton of homework and don't feel like the sharpest crayon in the box, that thai food is my comfort food. But instead i decided to just make some noodles. Plain, salt and butter noodles. Until I dug through my spice cabinet looking for some red pepper flakes. All and all, two minutes later I had pulled out all these Asian sauces and some veggies and created this little beauty. 

Ingredients:

• some noodles (I used linguine) 
• a handful of peas
• a handful of green beans
• 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce 
• sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
• 1 garlic clove 

How to Make It:

1. Cook you pasta throughly and strain most of the water out.
2. Chop and saute your garlic in the sesame oil until toasty tan.
3. Then add your veggies and cook to your liking.
4. Lower the heat of the pan and add your cooked pasta with a little of the pasta water to keep the noodles moist.
5. Then add your sauces and stir it all up in your pan to keep it nice and hot. 
6. Pour in to your bowl, add some sesame seeds on top, and dig in.  

Holy Moley Guacamole

      So I have been told quite a few times that the name of my blog sounds like a porn website. Well ew. That is just gross. And then I found it kind of silly because the next recipe was kind of involved in sex. I mean very remotely but still in a way that should make you laugh. 
     
  I made this delicious guacamole last Sunday when Garrett had his gentleman friend over. No one was quite sure if they were like friends or like FRIENDS, if you catch my drift. Anyway, after I made the guac and plated it all nice and pretty Garrett asked me if him and his gentleman friend could have a little bowl for just them. Confused why they would not just want to share with us I just gave them there own bowl. Hours later I realized that they were FRIENDS and not just friends. This revelation made me happy that I did not put onions or garlic into my Holy Moley Guacamole. Hah, so some how this relates to sex I guess but as for porn, I am sorry. There will be none of that. Maybe only food porn :)

Ingredients:

• 3 Has avocados 
• 1 mango
• 1 tomato
• 2 limes
• 1 jalapeño
• 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 table spoon of cayenne pepper 
• 1 table spoon of cumin

How To Make It:

1. Skin, pit, and chop your avocados into small pieces. Place in a bowl and use a fork or a potato masher to mash the avocado to your preferred consistency. I like mine chunky. 
2. Then chop your tomatoes and jalapeño and add them to the bowl and combine gently.
3. Next add your lime juice, salt, cayenne pepper, and cumin and mix so the spices are consistent through out the mix.
4. Finally chop your mango in cubes and sprinkle along the top of the mixture. 
5. ¡Come! (Eat it)

Vodka Sauce Alla Jessica

"The first American pasta factory was opened in Brooklyn, New York, in 1848, by a Frenchman named Antoine Zerega. Mr. Zerega managed the entire operation with just one horse in his basement to power the machinery. To dry his spaghetti, he placed strands of the pasta on the roof to dry in the sunshine."

   

     Being a college students and Italian, pasta is something that is eaten pretty frequently by Matthew and me. I keep telling myself that it is a sin to eat that many carbs but I mean I might as well while I'm young. If I don't eat it now then 10 years from now i am just going to be sad because I have to eat salads or something. All in all, I have created quite a few ways to make this calories filled love affair of mine.
    Voted the best by Garrett, Matthew, Brianna, Kelly, and Alexis is my Vodka Sauce. This is a sauce I have loved since I was young and i learned how to make it not to long ago only to believe that i have almost perfected it. It's very simple, inexpensive, and makes a lot in one batch. Anyway, "Divertanosi!" Enjoy!


You will need: 

• one can of tomato sauce
• two whole tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
• 1 cup of your favorite vodka
• 2 garlic cloves
• olive oil
• oregano
• crushed red pepper flakes
•  Grated Parmigiana Cheese

1. Chop the garlic into small pieces and put into a sauce pan that has some hot olive oil in it. Make sure you do not burn the garlic though. Saute for a couple minutes until the garlic is a nice tan color.  Turn down the heat so that it is on simmer.
2. Open the can of tomato sauce and about a tablespoon of oregano and pour it in the pan. Stir. 
3. Chop your tomatoes and place then with the tomato sauce in the pan.
4. Pour in your vodka. stir. Then let it simmer for about 15 minutes to let the vodka infuse and also cook out a little.
5. Then stir in your cream. If you wish for your sauce to be more pink and less red add more cream.
6. Last but not least I add a lot of red pepper flakes and cheese. This is also up to you though.
7. Now go eat it!

On another note, Today is my mother's day of birth. Happy Birthday Mom, I love you.

Valentine's Day

 I don't consider myself a downer on Valentines Day, just simple. I told Matthew please get me flowers, here is where you get them, please no carnations. Tomorrow I'm going to make him dinner, which is really just an excuse to try out making some of my favorite dishes.

      Currently I am sitting in my school's (gross) cafeteria listening to a guy at the next table tell his friend about his day. He gave his girlfriend a card and because of a previous fight she ripped it up and threw it at him. Dramatic? I think yes. Now he is stressing out whether or not he should give her the roses because they have thorns and would be more painful then the torn up paper.  

 All and all, i feel that in this article this couple gets it right.

  

Here it is...that time of the year to fill the emotional void of your marriage and/or relationship with flowers, dinner, and chocolate.
The annual rush of men through floral shops and card stores is enough to create a chilled breeze throughout the Chicago metro area.
Men try valiantly to impress their girlfriends or wives.  "Maybe she'll think this card is funny...maybe she'll think this card is cute...maybe this one will be sentimental just enough...I think she likes Meltaways...or is it turtles...I hope this place isn't packed...I hope this place doesn't cost $50 a plate...I wonder if she thinks I'm overdoing it...I wonder if she thinks I'm underdoing it..."Men spend the day trying to fill the void, but wind up only emptying the pockets.

Butkus says to 'save the steak for a night out with the boys...spend some g'd time with your wife for once, you pantywaste!'

Chicago Tough believes that the only way to a successful relationship doesn't involve lavish gifts or nights out on the town.  It involves time.  Moments together with no distractions.  Small conversation and a board game.  A pizza and a movie.  A silly comedy or a spontaneous back rub.Later tonight, I promise to bring my wife three simple wishes:  a cherry milkshake, a back rub, and a foot rub.  Hell, my rear end might even find its way into the kitchen to make something for dinner.
It's all she wants...something simple that I can give to her that makes her happy...and I get the joy of watching her feel comfortable, calm, and satisfied.
It's also something that has made our marriage work-the constant giving of one's time to the other individual.  That's not something new.  It's a 'something' that's been true for millions of years.
And it's also something that won't be found inside your $50 steak at Carmichael's.

Read more: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-tough/2011/02/how-chicago-tough-feels-about-valentines-day.html#ixzz1DxOYd7hC