snapshot - 2 new cookbooks on the shelf

 

book club 11 - Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

 2021-11

 

grocery shop April 18

 

blueberry pie, blackberries, raspberries, yogurt, ichiban, turkey burgers, chicken breasts, spinach, deli ham, deli chicken, turkey thighs, sirlion steak, tortillas, parsley, cheese, ground pork, captain crunch, becel, whipping cream, apple juice, coconut milk, milk, fries, sour cream, hot oats, cream cheese, applesauce cups, annie's mac and cheese, KD, goldfish crackers, pears, apples, granola bars, protein  bars, fruit leather, girl guide cookies, strawberry wafers, sugar, dr pepper, coke, ice tea, chocolate milk, pickles and 3 plants for the backyard.

$228

dinner from The Wakayama Ramen Bar

 For the past 13 months of the pandemic, we've ordered dinner from a local restaurant one night a week.  Ok, occasionally 2 nights.  It was one of the ways we could  contribute to the economy and give me a break from cooking so that I didn't fully lose my mind.

Since the kids continue to be super picky and hate most food we usually go basic - burgers, pizza, chicken, sushi (The Boy loves sushi, the girl does not, but we can usually get her to eat some stirfry or noodles), and I either pick it up or we use delivery.  Sometimes we let the kids pick or have input on what we have, but since most of the time they yell "Burger!" usually The Mister and I pick.  And we do certainly have our fair share of burgers, which is fine, I like a good burger, but sometimes I want something different, more interesting, which is why recently I picked The Wakayama Ramen Bar for dinner.

The menu is, not shockingly, mostly ramen, but there are some rice bowls as well, and appetizers.  I researched the menu ahead our our take out night and looked up the unfamiliar to us words (Tonkotsu broth is pork bone broth, Chashu is pork belly, Kikurage are mushrooms) so I could figure out what the kids would eat.

We ordered an Original Shoyu Ramen for the kids to share, and got each of them a snack rice bowl.  The Girl had a Honey Garlic Chicken rice bowl and The Boy had Teriyaki Tofu rice bowl.

The Mister decided to try the Miso Ramen and I picked the Spicy Pork Ramen.  We also ordered some spring rolls and fried veggie dumplings.

I can't even begin to tell you how amazing everything smelled when it arrived.  The Mister and I were so excited to open everything up and get dinner ready.

 This is what my Spicy Pork Ramen looked like when I took the lid off:

There were a LOT of chile flakes on the dish, plus the dollop of "spicy paste" on the side.

You lift up the container and the broth is underneath in the bowl.

Dump in your meat and noodles and stir it up and you're ready to eat.

The Mister and I shared a milk coffee as well, but I'm not really sure how it tasted because....

My ramen was so freaking spicy.  Whooooooo.  Thank goodness I scraped off the spicy paste before I mixed the noodles and meat and veggies in.  It was HOT.  It was also super delicious and I loved it, but it was very spicy.  

The Mister loved his Miso Ramen - I did too, and while the kids were meh on the Shoyu Ramen, The Mister and I both thought it was delicious.  They did enjoy their rice bowls though, so yay.

Dinner was so amazing and we enjoyed very much.  The Mister went back on their website after dinner to pick what ramen he wants to try next, and while I will never again have the Spicy Pork Ramen, I can't wait to order from them soon.

Website: The Wakayama Ramen Bar

food foto dump

 "Chapters Salad" - mixed lettuce with dill dressing, shredded marble cheese and sliced almonds

 Buns

 Cheese buns

 Breakfast casserole with sausage, shredded potatos, green onions, eggs and lots of cheese

 French Onion Meatloaf and honey rolls

 Chicken and rice soup with a splotch of chile garlic paste

 Pasta with beef, tomato and feta
 

Toasted bagel with cucumber, tomato and hot sauce

cookbook cleanup book 22 - Family Meals by Michael Smith

 The 22nd book I'm cooking from off my shelves is Family Meals by Canadian Chef Michael Smith.  I received this book as a Christmas gift when it came out.  I remember cooking from it a few times while I was on maternity leave - the chocolate coconut pudding is one of the best desserts I've ever made.

This time around we cooked 7 recipes from the book.

Nutmeg waffles - made a ton, they were fine.

 Beefy Broth - a funny name for a short rib recipe, but it was so delicious.

Bacon salad.  With crispy onions!!!!!

Fallen chocolate cake stuffed with whipped cream (above - very easy and delicious)

and

Caramel Chip Blondies (below - made with chocolate chips instead  - amazing!)

We also tried the Pickle Salad with Pickle Dressing which was so delicious and I will make again when (if) the weather warms up, and my very favorite recipe  - Rice and Dal.  SO good, SO easy, just such a winner.

I really enjoy this book, it has mouth watering photos of all the dishes, and a very casual writing style and feel.  There is a lot of variety and covers easy basics to more fancy meals.

This is a solid keeper and is staying on our shelf.

Current standings

Cookbook Cleanup results so far - Back on the bookshelf - 13  Donated -9

sadly, it me

 

Happy Friday y'all.

book club 10 - audiobook - Victoria's Most Haunted by Ian Gibbs

 2021-10