Comfort found in a bowl of noodles...

Okay go ahead and start laughing...it was a pap smear that led to this blog entry.  Seriously!  My doctor and I were talking over my physical today and I was telling him about writing this blog and how it journaled bits of my life along with recipes I was trying.  He asked jokingly if I was going to write about having a pap, and I responded by saying how could I ever match a recipe to that experience?!  But here I am...taking the challenge of matching a recipe...kind of.

I equate doctor visits to being sick.  I know this isn't always the case, and in many cases like today's physical, it was in fact preventative medicine, but I can't help but get anxious no matter what the reason for my visit.  When I get like this I focus on things that give me comfort...mainly my family, my dog, the mountains outside, an uninterrupted cup of nice, hot tea, and the spring flowers blooming in my garden.

Certain foods also give me comfort and if I am not feeling so well or am tired, they are guaranteed to  pick me up.  I can feel the love as I eat a bowl of spaghetti...sigh...all those tomatoey, noodle hugs being shared with my stomach.  What about chicken noodle soup you ask?  Boring.  My taste buds go to sleep.  I know, I know - it's good for you, feeds a cold, etc. but where is the comfort in it if you don't even look forward to eating it?  I have not abandoned chicken soup completely - here is a recipe that I turn to for Epicure's Ultimate Asian Noodle Bowl...a compromise between the goodness of chicken soup and the love of udon noodles, made more exciting with asian flavor.  This noodle bowl is very comforting, and I look forward to eating it every time!

The recipe:  http://epicureselections.com/en/recipe/4172/epicures-ultimate-asian-noodle-bowl

Tips:  I make this recipe as per the instructions using shredded chicken.  If you are really short on energy use a grocery store rotisserie chicken!  Discard the skin and shred some of the meat.  I make this with udon noodles every time...I'm not sure the whole wheat spaghetti would be as good a match to this soup.  You can buy udon noodles in the asian food section, either dry like pasta or already soft.  The dry ones you need to pre-cook separately...I personally prefer their taste and texture.  I think you could consider the mushrooms as optional, but the other veggies are really nice in there so I would keep them as is.  The Ultimate Asian Sauce is key to this recipe - you can easily make a batch ahead of time and use it in other recipes too.  (i.e. stirfry or marinade) http://www.epicureselections.com/en/recipe/2262/ultimate-asian-sauce  You could ramp up the spice level once you serve it by sprinkling with crushed chillies, as they often do in japanese noodle restaurants.  This recipe is easy!

Verdict:  YUM.  Nothing else need be said except I think I need to make some now...

A Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie...finally!

Drum roll please...I found it...I discovered the ONE...my quest is over...I have the recipe for the perfect chocolate chip cookie in my possession...well at least MY ideal of the perfect cookie!

I love chocolate chip cookies.  Making a great chocolate chip cookie might sound easy but I believe it is really a test of your baking devotion to get the recipe just right.  My perfect cookie needs to be slightly chewy yet a little crispy too, sweet but without overpowering the chocolaty goodness in each bite.  I am a very hard judge when it comes to chocolate chip cookies, which has led me to trying ALOT of recipes over many years, in my quest for perfection.

The recipe originates from one I found on All Recipes...I have made a few adjustments and renamed it so there is no mistake of what this is for!  The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies:


Notes:  Ingredients -
1 cup salted butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons real vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved into 2 teaspoons hot water
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the butter and two sugars in a mixing bowl until creamy.  Add the eggs and mix.  Add the vanilla.  Add the baking soda/water mixture and mix.  Add the flour and salt, mixing until combined.  The dough will be quite stiff.  Fold in your chocolate chips.

Spoon cookie dough onto your ungreased cookie trays - this recipe yields 3-4 dozen depending on how big you make them.  I made mine an average size and got 3.5 dozen nice sized cookies!  Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until it just turns that lovely golden brown on the edges.  (Mine were perfect at 12 minutes - this will depend on your oven temperature)  Let cool on tray for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.  Store in an air tight container.

Verdict:  I freeze half the batch so I have fresh cookies the following week/days - this also keeps us from eating them all in a day or two!  (and they are so yummy you will want to!)  These chocolate chip cookies have it all...chewiness...crispy...not too sweet, but sweet enough...you can really savour the chocolate taste because it is not lost in an overpowering cookie dough.  A perfect cookie.

Enjoy!

P.S.  An Epicure note - you could use the Epicure Belgian Chocolate Chips in this recipe to make them even more decadent!