I heart TJs

Posted: August 23, 2011 | Author: kat | Filed under: babble | Tags: albertsons, trader joes | 13 Comments »

Who doesn’t love Trader Joe’s?! After a terrible shopping experience at my local Albertsons, I vow to stay away from that place.

Why was it so terrible, you ask? It’s almost too traumatic of an experience to tell you! Let’s just say I needed a bottle of grape seed oil and sherry vinegar to make ginger scallion noodles and made the mistake of going into Albertsons. Albertsons lacks variety! There was only one brand of grape seed oil and one brand of sherry vinegar that was available. And then there was the cashier that was helping us…. I won’t say exactly what happened and I don’t want to be openly rude, but let’s just it was one of those terrible shopping experiences that just lingered. I wanted to leave everything, tell her “forget it”, not pay, walk out, and drive to Trader Joe’s. It was that annoying…

Trader Joe’s is amazing! I love that place! My TJ has always been wonderful to me. They help bring my groceries to my car even if it’s only a bag or two. They are so peppy, extremely helpful, food is fresh, and have a variety of products. Sure, it may be a tad pricey, but it’s well worth it for the quality of products you are paying for.

I went there a few weeks ago to get a bottle of oregano and came out with more stuff than I needed! No regrets though, not one whatsoever!

Check out what I got…

two bags seem like a lot but it really wasn't!

sushi, oregano, roma tomatoes, baguette...

and a new basil plant! my last one couldn't hold on any longer :(

my favorite oregano and the best roma tomatoes ever

yes, this was an absolute must. needed it to feed my sushi cravings! :)

Any TJ addicts out there? And have you ever felt compelled to walk out of a bad grocery shopping experience?

UPDATE: criminy! someone stole my cookie sheet!!!!

Posted: August 23, 2011 | Author: kat | Filed under: babble | 3 Comments »

sugar cookies!

Awhile ago, I informed the whole blogging world that my beloved cookie sheet was stolen from me. It was a sad day. Not just because my cookie sheet was stolen, but because I had cookie cravings and no cookie sheet to bake them on! Sure I thought of alternatives, but none seem all that great. And I could have just gone out to buy a new one, but I was lazy and didn’t want to make a trip to Williams-Sonoma.

Well, not only can this girl cook but she also has amazing ideas!! Hahah, not really…but when you’re desperate enough for cookies, you’ll do just about anything! I used my glass baking dish, sprayed it with some non-stick cooking spray and lined it with some parchment paper, and voila COOKIES!! It took twice as long, but turned out just fine!

don't judge me!! i love my cookies! :)

oh nom nom nom

And now, an open letter to the culprit(s):

Dear Cookie Sheet Stealers,

You may have stolen by beloved cookie sheet, but I can still bake cookies without it! Hope you enjoy using a nasty old one you cheapos while I get a shiny new one + matching silpat! :)

xoxo,

kat

ps. My brownie pan died! Any suggestions for a new one? And can you bake brownies in glass baking dish??

Momofuku’s Ginger Scallion Noodles

Posted: August 23, 2011 | Author: kat | Filed under: pasta recipes | Tags: food, ginger, menu, Momofuku, noodles, scallion | 16 Comments »

momofuku's ginger scallion noodles

Remember yesterday’s post? I know I do…I couldn’t keep my mind off Momofuku and those ginger scallion noodles! After a quickie Google search (did you know there’s a recipe button on the side bar now? :) on ginger scallion noodles, I found so many recipes and tons of rave reviews for the ginger scallion sauce. I knew I just had to make it! It’s one of those love-at-first-sight-if-I-don’t-eat-this-I-will-not-eat-anything-else recipes, plus I had pretty bad noodle cravings that day. So I hopped into my car, and drove my butt to the nearest Asian market just to buy ramen noodles so that everything would turn out perfect.

Unless you are immune to onions or own a pair of onion goggles, this recipe is a breeze! If you are like me, take mini breaks while chopping the scallions. I took 15 minute breaks and indulge in a gigantic bag of Funyuns. Yes, she chopped her own onions for once and it impressed him :)

According to David Chang (the mastermind behind Momofuku), you can add anything else to your liking. Next time (oh, there will be many!!), I want to add pan seared salmon/scallops, grilled chicken, or oven roasted shrimp to the noodles. Already drooling just thinking about it! If you love the taste of fresh ginger, then you are going to love these noodles!

Here’s what you’ll need to make your very own bowl of yummy ginger scallion noodles…