Best ever….. no kidding!

My younger daughter was having a dreadful fever today, with a temperature at panic threshold, so poor me had to stay home tonight! Imagine staying home on a Friday nite? Just can’t believe my luck. Yeah, I am a party gal, need to go out EVERY Friday nite and be a part of the party-goers, else I will be grouchy, and will pounce at whoever at close proximity! It has been a long, long time since I have been stuck at home on a Friday nite. Motherhood, just isn’t my cup of tea, full of boring responsibilities and endless mundane chores! Okay, I have said my peace, and will return to my refined, ladylike normal self.

Stuck at home, with a sick girl, and another glued to her PS3 (just finished her final exams), I turned to my best buddy, the never fail to pick me from any rut, my beloved Wii Sport. After two sessions of Mario and Sonic, I was bored. For once I just could not get excited over it, must be the Friday nite vodoo. What next? I headed straight to the other love of my life, my Macbook! I was surfing mindlessly for interesting reads, and stumbled onto this. The burst of colours from the absolutely delicious looking plate of salad, somehow made me happier, and cheered me up! Spooky, huh? Looking through the recipe, I realised that I had all the ingredients required, except jalapenos. I excitedly rushed ro my “playground” and started work. All the peeling, cutting, chopping and mincing, was so therapeutic for me. It lifted my moods, and soon I was my usual chirpy self again.

Verdict? The salad was superb, definitely a winner, sooooo yummy. I was shocked after taking my first mouthful…. It was so tasty.…… and all the different types of vegetables in there, gave it an interesting texture and nice crunch. The dressing was nice too, was a little hesitant about the ginger and cilantro initially, but it was truly mind blowing. I have never tasted salad this good before. Trust me, it is super duper, the best ever salad that I ever eaten. Try it out, and drop me a thank you note after that. 

 

Noodle Salad
(by Ree Drummond from www.thepioneerwoman.com)

* 1 packet of linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled

* 1/2 to 1 head sliced Napa cabbage
* 1/2 to 1 head sliced purple cabbage
* 1/2 to 1 bag baby spinach
* 1 red bell pepper, sliced thinly
* 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thinly
* 1 orange bell pepper, sliced thinly (if available)
* 1 small bag bean sprouts (also called “mung bean sprouts”)
* 3 sliced scallions
* 3 peeled, sliced cucumbers 
* LOTS of chopped cilantro—up to one bunch
* 1 can whole cashews, lightly toasted in skillet

 

Dressing

* Juice of 1 lime
* 8 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 tablespoons sesame oil
* 6 tablespoons soy sauce
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
* 2 cloves chopped garlic
* 2 hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped
* More chopped cilantro—LOTS

Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on platter.
[Note : Dressing keeps up to three days before serving, WITHOUT cilantro]

My daughter’s Best Friends.

Each time we move house, it will always be crazy and chaotic for me, but my hubby and girls will be oblivious to all the fuss, and puzzled as to why I am making a big deal out of everything . Moving house by itself is already stressful, for me its made worse by my younger daughter who is allergic to dust and cardboard boxes. Yeah, cardboard boxes. Weird, huh? We took her to a doctor, and it was confirmed that she is allergic to a type of dust mites living in cardboard boxes. Due to her condition, I had to leave the packing up to 3 days before the day we move, and all the packing can only be done while she is in school, and during the night when she is sound asleep, so that her exposure to cardboard boxes can be mininised. Once packed, these boxes will be kept in a restricted area in the house. On top of this, my domestic helper needs to ensure that the house is clean, and free from dust – another crazily impossible task when you are packing. If we were not careful, my daugher will end up with swollen lips, nose and ears, and a high fever. She looks quite funny and ugly actually, somewhat similar to the pig character in the ancient Chinese folk tales. It would take at least 2 days for all the swelling and fever to subside. 

As you can imagine now, on the homefront it has been a madhouse for me. After all the stress of packing up is done, the I will need to unpack at super-speed and to be completed within 3 days, in honor of my daughter’s best friends, the dust and dust mites!