Udon Soup with a Kick!

Well,recently I decided to take my cooking experience to the next level by adding Asian flair recipe to my knowledge and my spiral cookbook.
We enjoy eating Asian style dishes....Chinese food,Mandarin Chicken,Korean Gogi Gui(BBQ)but Japanese cuisine is our favorite.Japanese dishes are very well balanced and soups are just as they should be....light and perfectly seasoned.
My kids love Udon Noddles.Great,fun texture and thickness.Warm Udon dishes with sauce or soup are great choice for quick lunch.
So I decided to try an experiment,Udon soup,my way.

Udon Soup with Baby Spinach,Baby Carrots,Shiitake Mushrooms and Bacon (for 4 persons)

Chicken Stock-8 cups
Baby Spinach-2 handfuls
Shiitake Mushrooms-14 mushrooms
Baby Yellow Carrots-20 carrots
Bacon 12 strips
Shallot onion-1
Scallions-4
Pack of Udon Noodles
Sesame Oil,Salt and Pepper,Soy-Sauce-for the taste

In big cooking pot brown finally chopped shallots.Add some sesame oil,salt and pepper.Don't let shallots to burn,because they will be done very quickly.Add mushrooms and brown them lightly.Add chicken stock,carrots and spinach.
Cook for 40 minutes.
Now is the time to add Udon to the soup.Cook noodles for 5 minutes.Season with Soy Sauce.Cover the cooking pot with lid and let it stand for few minutes.You can add fresh chopped green scallions for additional taste.
In the meantime,place bacon slices on the baking sheet and bake it in the oven,400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Serve hot.Enjoy!

If This Tree Could Only Talk!

Few days ago walking through the park my kids and I spotted a really big tree.The Crown of this beautiful tree will definitely catch attention of many people walking by.It is amazing felling standing under the huge tree because you can feel the energy.I don't know is that because of the size,time the tree grows there or just the sound of leaves and birds who are always nesting in this tree.When you look on the ground and see the woody roots,wow it is absolutely amazing,their size,strenght,power and all those years.Very interesting isn't it?

Telling you our story I would love to recommend anybody interested in trees-
The Book" Tell Me,Tree"(All about Trees for Kids) by Gail Gibbons
A wonderful Children's book about trees and nature.
Beautiful large watercolors pictures are very neat and explanation facts about parts of the trees,different kinds and much more.If you and your kids love to explore nature and trees then this book is just perfect addition to your knowledge about trees.

There is Something Amazing about UCLA!

Getting a chance to study on UCLA is something wonderful.Whole experience is just amazing and spending time on the campus is real experience.Beautiful Architecture,Buildings,Halls,Library and Nature.
Positive energy is definitely around:)

My Mama's Recipe!

My mama called me few days ago and told me that she would love to contribute on my blog with her recipe that she recently come up with.I was very pleased and happy about her feelings and looking at this wonderful cake,there is the only one thing that is missing-actually trying the same.So without further delay I will share with you my mama's recipe for this delicious low-fat delight.

Easy Egg White Shortcake with Walnuts and Secret Ingredients

1 Cup of Egg Whites
1 Cup of Wheat Flour
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
1/2 of Cup Chopped Walnuts
1/2 of Cup Dry Cranberries
1/2 of Cup Raisins
1/2 of Cup Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 of Cup Sweet Cream Butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the mixing bowl using electric mixer blend egg whites till very firm.Slowly start adding brown sugar and then using wooden spoon add rest of the ingredients: flour,walnuts,cranberries,raisins,chocolate chips and butter.
For the best results use loaf size baking pen.
Grease the pen and pour the mix in.Bake on 350 degrees for 40 minutes.
This cake makes wonderful pair with Cappuccino,Enjoy!

Visiting New York City with Kids,Great Experience:)

New York,fabulous city,crazy traffic-ground level and under ground too.People remind me of ants,they just appear from everywhere and rush is unbelievable.But that is not the reason why not to take your kids to this great city and experience the whole adventure.There are so many things to see or to do with your kids in New York City.
You can visit museums,take a stroll through the streets and brick wall buildings,see the Rockefeller center or Time Square.Take a Ferry ride to the Staten Island and see the beautiful Statue of Liberty,or just hang out and enjoy ice-cream in Central Park.For a longer walk take a hike across the Brooklyn Bridge and catch the subway ride on the way back to the city.What a great experience!

My New Oval Covered Casserole!

Well,as you all know by now I love cooking and any time when I buy new cookware or any other kitchen gadgets I love to try it right away.This Oval Casserole with lid is fantastic,works like magic.I decided to come up with delicious garden lunch recipe.So I consulted my fridge,my ideas and voila!There it was.
Fabulous Stew with Chicken,Shallots,Mushrooms,Purple Potatoes and Baby Spinach.
It is so easy and very quick to prepare.
Brown the shallots with some evoo,add chicken(I love to use chicken thighs,they are always juicy).When almost done,add some sliced potatoes,mushrooms and spinach.Season well with sea salt,fresh ground pepper and some paprika.When everything starts bubbling add some chicken broth and let your casserole finish work for you.
After hour and the half dish was done and ready to enjoy.Best tasters are off course my little munchkins.They pour the stew two times in their kiddi bowls.What else should I say?
Bon Appetit!

Divine Treats Looking Irresistible!

Who can resist these amazing deserts?Some are for little children,some for adults with extra sweet tooth.What can I say? Enjoy looking!

What Rhymes with Dust Bunnies?

Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas

This book will definitely make readers laugh and giggle.It will teach them to rhyme.These fuzzy characters will give you first hand instructions about fun with rhyming and show you example how to be careful when handling cleaning supplies and vacuum cleaner.What A messy fun.

Children's Bookstore in LA!

It was absolutely pleasure when I discovered bookstore for kids,here in Los Angeles.It is a completely different experience,like entering to another world full of imagination and new possibilities.
Children's Book World is a full service bookshop in West Los Angeles stocking over 80.000 titles for children,parents,teachers and collectors."Our ever-expanding multicultural collection of books makes Children's book World a treasure trove for book lovers of all ages."
www.childrensbookworld.com

Malibu Beach,What a Wonderful Place!

Malibu,with the 21 miles of coastline beauty has many wonderful beaches.Point Dume,Topanga and Zuma State Beaches are very popular and have easy access with available parking.There are also several wild and private beaches,where you can have nice long walks and enjoy lovely sunsets.Just amazing place to spend the day with your kids and family,walking,admiring the ocean and allow your kids to catch those sandy feet.
It is the whole new experience!

Club Penguin fun!

Disney Club Penguin is very popular social game for kids.You can be either non-member or member on www.clubpenguin.com or if that is not enough there is Nintendo DS Club Penguin game.I can go on and on with all kinds of accessories like:penguin figures,puffles,unlock coins....
Overall Club Penguin DS game is very interesting game.You can complete top secret missions as an Elite Penguin Force agent,play exclusive mini-games earn coins that you can transfer wirelessly to your online Club Penguin account.
Other words you can Waddle around anywhere anytime and meet new friends.
This game is girl and boy approved.
Fun and cute DS game.
This game is available in Toys"R"Us for $29.99

Lights,Puppets,Action!

Saturday afternoon,what should we do?
Well,how about good old Puppet show?
Fabulous.Lots of giggles,imagination and pure fun.
What a beautiful Saturday afternoon!

Love,Love,Love....Incredible tasty!

Any occasion,any time,those three favorites are just too good:
Fabulous Russian Salad,Savory Cabbage and Cookies from the past called Vanilice.
Russian Salad is delicious combination of vegetables:boiled peas,potatoes and carrots,crunchy pickles,ham and fabulous mayo off course.
Savory cabbage has a lots of stories....lots of occasions,usually is prepared with big roast or turkey or can be made-vegetarian style.With hint of bay leaf,onions and chicken stock just the smell will make you hungry in a matter of seconds.
Vanilice,old fashion recipe,my favorite.These delicate cookies run trough generations.Dough is perfection made of flour,walnuts,lemon juice,vanilla,eggs and butter.When baked you can dress them up with your favorite jam.I prefer Rosehip jam,taste is amazing.Finish is simple,powder sugar bath.So delicious.If anybody would love to have detail recipe,send me a note and I will be happy to send you a whole recipe.Have a nice day.

Who is Really Stronger?

Well,even in the kids toys world there is a question.Who is the stronger?
Girl power or robotic muscle power?Hmmm....
Anyway,these are great toys and my kids love them.Santa did good this year.Iron Man Repulsor power,talks and has lights in his arms and chest.Liv doll is perfect for older girls.Great selection of accessories are available so she can always be in her funky style.

Good and Healthy Start