May 16, 2010

I truly have a wonderful husband. He is just so thoughtful in every way. I woke up on my birthday with flowers on the table and a wonderful breakfast that he cooked. I opened more presents from friends and family and one of his. He got me a spa day! I had to get ready for my 2:15pm appointment at a little place on Camden Passage around the corner from where we live named Kimantra. Boy did I need this more than ever! I didn’t get a chance to get a massage before or after the wedding, so this massage was much needed. It was fantastic. In my opinion, I think everyone should take the time to go and get a massage at least once every other month. It does wonders. After the massage, I received some nice leather strapy sandals that I wanted. Then he told me where we were going to dinner. A steakhouse…but not just any steakhouse…the Hawksmoor. Zagat rated it, “The best steakhouse in London”. By then, I really did feel like a princess. We had a delicious meal. And at the end of dinner he gave me yet another envelope. “What? More presents?” I opened the envelope to find he'd planned a nice weekend getaway in Brighton (a beach area in the UK). We went to Brighton last year and it was really fun. It reminds me of the jersey shore, but much nicer and more hip. I can’t wait for next weekend and I hope that the weather is nice and warm. Yesterday was really an awesome day and it’s all thanks to my lovely husband.

So it’s Sunday…. I love cooking dinner on a Sunday. It is the only day when cooking is relaxing and the time is not quite so pressured as it is during the week. Plus, Will helps me in the kitchen. It really is a great time to bond and spend time with your significant other. We weren’t always like this. I remember in the beginning of our relationship, we would get so annoyed at each other when we would cook. Now we work together and it’s a fun activity for us to do. I’m so happy we mastered that. Well, I think you're all wondering what the challenge for today is. Since, we both had so much meat in the last two days, we’re going to be cooking a healthy light dinner. (And plus my stomach is not doing too good lately...)

Recipe of the day is “Sue-don” Noodle Soup

Ingredients/Grocery List: Spent a total of £5.56 (the cheapest I spent so far)

1 Package of Udon Noodle £1.25
1 Package of Pak Choy or Bok Choy(comes with two bunch) £1.00 (got it on sale!)
2 springs of Spring Onion (Scallions for the States) £0.64
1 Package of Shiitake Mushrooms £1.69
3 Chicken Stock Cubes (comes in 12 cubes) £0.98
1 Tablespoon of sesame oil
5 small amount of fresh Ginger (had it from last week)
2 tablespoon of Soy Sauce (had it already)

Boil about 2 Pints of Water. When the water boils, crumble the chicken stock cubes. (you can also just use chicken broth if in the States …in London they don’t seem to have that, they just have the cubes) Slice the shiitake mushrooms and place them in the boiled stock /broth and lower the heat to low. Boil for about 20 minutes. Then add the chopped Pak /Bok Choy and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Add the Udon Noodles and cook for about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoon of Soy Sauce. Then throw in the chopped spring onion last. Cook it all for 1 minute.

This recipe was extremely quick. It was a perfect dinner for tonight. I suggest making this if you are not feeling well or want something light. This recipe is good for the soul and truly nice meal to end the weekend.