before the jump: lunchy lunch

oh snap! 

not my lunch

decor happy

my third coffee of the day

I went for noodles

I can't even eat noodles with these braces

putside happy

**we ate at Pho Saigon Pearl. It was delicious. You can follow them on Instagram here.

goodness in a shell

One of my school families has chickens. Well, many of my families have chickens, but this one family has set me up in eggs for the year. Fresh eggs, really fresh eggs are gorgeous and so good. I've started eating fried eggs again with a soft yolk. When the yolks are as rich as they are in fresh eggs, you want to have that beauty spill over whatever food you place it on. I'veb een eating them over toast with greens, or fried rice....soooo good!

happiness in a tea cup

I've been on a smoothie bowl kick but sometimes there is just TOO much smoothie....my solution? Make a tiny smoothie bowl in a tea cup. How cute are these grape slices? They add such a nice crunch. So good......

diy: soba noodle salad

This is a favorite recipe of mine that I love and oodles of others are always asking me for. It's not really a recipe as I wing it each and every time I make it. It's always yummy as long as you do not overcook yer noodles. Do not overcook them! Blech!

Ingredients
*one package soba noodles (I like these)
*2-4 cups chopped blanched green beans
*1 small red onion thinly sliced
*2 T brown sugar
*1/4 soy sauce
*1/4 rice vinegar
*2-4 crushed garlic cloves
*fresh grated ginger to taste (I use 1 T)
*2-4 chopped young chives
*1-3 chive blossom heads

Cook noodles according to package directions. Do not overcook! The last batch of noodles I made last week, while edible for most, were an unpleasant texture for this anosmic girl. Blech! I buy my noodles either in L.A. when we are down there or World Market. Drain and place in large bowl.

Blanche chopped beans for 2-3 minutes. We grow purple beans and I toss them into a pot of boiling water just until the purple changes to green. Drain and rinse under cold water. If you are kooky like me, drain water into a large pot and allow to cool so you can water your plants with it later. Marvel at how green it appears.

While noodles and beans are cooking, grab a pint jar and add your soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, and brown sugar. Place lid on top and shake it up. Set aside.

To assemble salad, dump noodles into large bowl, add cooked beans, chopped chives, chive blossoms (I prep the blossoms buy rinsing them and then simply pulling them apart) and red onion (onion can be diced or thinly sliced. I use a pampered chef gadget that quickly slices it all up for me). Mix. Add dressing and mix some more.

Salad is meant to be enjoyed cold but tastes better at room temperature. Some people like it hot, I think that is weird but whatever hops yer frog. If the dressing is too salty, add a bit more brown sugar, too sweet? Add vinegar. Sometimes I add red pepper flakes, sometimes I used ponzu sauce as well. Sometimes I find I need to make more dressing and so I do. Play with it and see what combo you like. This makes a very large bowl that will last 2-5 days depending on how many people are into it. Cheers!