Do you remember Mr. Hercule Poirot?

My mom is kind of obsessed with Poirot - you know, that famous Belgian detective with the awesome mustache? Her kids know this and we all use it as a ploy when we want her to stop stressing about "her papers" and sit down with us and relax. It's actually a good show/series and I find myself missing it when I'm alone with no cable and I've watched all my shows on hulu. So over Spring Break I snagged a few of her doubles and brought them back to Richmond.

I was in the mood for stir-fry but not the greasy take-out kind, so I decided to make my own. The creation was really yummy, and I was proud of the way I was able to salvage some things I thought had been transformed by the freezer-burn fairy.

What you need:

1 bag of Trader Joe Veggie Harvest (mushrooms, baby corn, carrots, broccoli, water chestnuts)

6 pieces of Trader Joe ice-glazed chicken tenders

3/4 red cabbage, sliced

1/2 package soybeans

2 cloves diced garlic

red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, garlic powder

soy sauce

peanut butter - the chunky kind

lo mien noodles

What you do:

Get your water boiling!!! I always forget this and am left waiting on the noodles.

Season your chicken however you like (don't forget a little olive oil) and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes - thaw it first, if using right out of the freezer.

Throw the noodles in the water - they should be done in about 8 minutes

In the meantime, make the veggies by frying the Trader Joe veggies in a little grapeseed oil until they are cooked warm. Add the garlic and cabbage and fry until the cabbage is just wilted, but hasn't lost it's purple. Add the cooked soybeans and set aside.

Now, I am only feeding one person, but I make enough for the whole week. By making the veggies separate from the noodles, separate from the chicken, I can assure nothing gets nasty-wilty and discolored. It's like each meal is fresh since I have to season it each day, too.

So, to assemble: in a saucepan, add the amount of veggies you want, some chopped chicken and the noodles. Add your seasonings - a spritz of lemon never hurt anyone if you have that onhand, a drizzle of soy sauce, and about a teaspoon of peanut butter. Stir over medium low heat for about 3 minutes - it's all cooked and hot anyway. Serve immediately.

This is the perfect meal because you can do all the hard work ahead of time. I purposely bake the chicken because I find it is nice a moist without adding too much extra oil - AND you don't have to worry about an extra dish or flipping every 3 minutes.

Friday Night Fix

Brownies, as I sure many of you already know, are one of my favorite treats. Perhaps because my Persian/Indian upbringing didn't run into much chocolate, let alone baked chocolate with frosting. This week my roommate and I started classes and after only two days, I was already excited for the weekend. And a night with a good friend, good food, and a great movie (Ever After!) sounds like a awesome way to kick start a (hopefully) productive weekend.

While visiting the Student Services office, I picked up about 4 of these little caramels and decided to throw them into the batter.

I prepared the mix just like it says on the box, substituting milk for water as usual. I am also particularly proud of the eggs I picked up at the store: aren't they gorgeous: organic AND free range!

My new favorite thing is to bake brownies in a cake pan: I just think it makes the brownies more moist. And I like a cake pan because I like thicker brownies that hold tall on their own. Another thing I've fallen in love with is my brilliant idea to make two kinds of brownies in one pan. Caramel on one side, regular on the other. You can also go M&M on one side and toffee on the other, or chocolate chips (white or milk or dark), or swirl in a little peanut butter.

Finished Product!!!! I love how the caramel bits are hidden in there :)

On to dinner... I decided to do a little Asian flair night...

Asian noodles are a bit chewier than Italian ones, but equally delicious. The sauce on Asian food is typically acidic and heavy (peanut butter and soy sauce), so you need the noodle to stand up to these liquids. Making this dish made me hungry for some Pad Thai. Anyone know a good place?

So then I made the Asian sauce - I used the peanut sauce that came with the noodles and then added some peanut butter, soy sauce, and garlic powder.

Then I chopped up some broccoli florets and carrots and steamed them. First I blanched the broccoli then I sauteed it. I also cooked up some chicken and seasoned it with pepper, salt, garlic powder, and chili flakes. To this I added the sauce and plated the whole thing in a black bowl. I know a lot of people like white plates, but I think Asian food looks beautiful on a black one :)

And here we have a picture of the delicious brownie with caramel spilling out :)