Sunday, March 13, 2011

Sundays are for love.

Sundays are wonderful! We stayed in bed this morning until 10am (okay, 9am before the time change, but who's counting?) and then lounged around for the next hour or two. Okay, so that was mostly me. Ha ha! Actually, lazing included grocery list writing, general tidying and frying and marinating tofu. Still... I was relaxed and happy that we had no real demands being asked of us today. My son Avery got a call from a good friend of his who he doesn't get to see very often because he switched schools, and ended up heading over to his place for the afternoon. After I dropped him off, I braved the crazy weekend crowds of shoppers to get my two weeks worth of groceries (minus veggies and fruits which I pick up almost daily). Never, ever, ever again. I despise going on the weekends! I typically go on Wednesdays, but because the kids are home this week for Spring Break and I really don't feel like dragging all three kids with me for such a big grocery trip (um, can you say painful?!), I did it while my husband was at home. It was relatively smooth sailing, but that doesn't mean I had to enjoy it.

Our dog, Tibbs, got out today. He does this every now and again. He needs a big run, so he runs to the woods at the end of our dead end street and run, run, runs. And then he runs some more. And usually? Even more! The dog can really go when he gets the urge. We all headed out to get him and eventually after a ton of running, he came back whimpering and panting and ready to go home. Brat. That was our excitement for the day.

Tonight's dinner was easy, quick and delicious. My middle child, Tiernan, could not get enough of the tofu. I think he would have eaten it all if I let him.




For the tofu, I dry fried it which is honestly, the best way to ensure perfect tofu! I didn't use any of those marinades, and instead used my own teriyaki recipe that I used to use on my chicken back when I ate meat. It marinated all day, and I just reheated it by frying it a bit on a dry skillet just before we ate it.

Teriyaki Marinade

3/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced

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Stir Fry Sauce & Method
(for vegetables)

1/3 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp honey
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable broth
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Combine broth, hoisin sauce, cornstarch, honey, soy sauce, vinegar, and salt. Whisk to blend and set aside.

Heat oil in a large wok over medium heat. Add vegetables and stir fry for 1 minute. Add 2 tbsp of vegetable broth and continue to stir fry for another 4 minutes. Add mixture and continue to cook until the sauce thickens (a couple of minutes).

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I also made rice paper cold spring rolls with a peanut satay sauce. I usually just add whatever I have on hand to the spring rolls. This time I added baby spinach, carrots, cabbage and bean sprouts, but feel free to add anything and everything.

Peanut Satay Sauce

1 can coconut milk
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/2 small onion, grated
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

In a pan over medium heat, combine all the ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and keep warm.

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And now it's almost time for Amazing Race with the family!

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