Friday we went to the Crooked Goose (hard to keep straight from the Crippled Bear – lots of wounded animal restaurants in these here parts) and it was perfect. We wouldn’t change a thing.
Saturday I took Ben to a special prom in Lewisburg (the community where I teach) and we had a ball (A Ball in the Barn, to be exact.) I was slightly apprehensive because I knew Ben wouldn’t really know anyone, but Ben makes friends fast. The “Magic Makers” planned and fundraised for the event, and I was delighted to find that I knew many of the typical high school students involved. This event was different from many that Ben goes to because the invited guests had special needs but those who spearheaded it were typical high school kids. I loved watching everybody mixing it up on the dance floor. The Magic Makers really do make magic. These are kids who got all gussied up for the event and danced and danced and danced with everyone there. I’m not sure these people existed when I was in high school. If they did, I didn’t know them and (sorry to say) I was not one. I don’t mean that I was cruel or discriminatory. Kids like Ben were not in my school. It was a different world. What would I change about the 80s? Lots. What would I change about Saturday? Not a thing.
If you can’t tell, these are really, really good kids! Thanks for an awesome night, Magic Makers!
Sunday we cooked. Inspired by a dish we saw Sunny Anderson make on The Kitchen, we made a Vietnamese steak and homemade broad noodle dish. It was good, but next time we would make a few changes and do this:
Vietnamese Steak and Noodles
Noodles:
4 cups flour
1/4 cup water
4 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
Mix all ingredients in a mixer with a dough hook until dough comes together as a very stiff dough. Split into 8 pieces, flatten into disks and feed through pasta maker, rolling into long flat ovals. Roll each piece like a jelly roll and cut into broad noodles. Unravel and cook in boiling salted water 2-3 minutes. Drain.
Steak and Sauce:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1+ pounds ribeye steak, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces or strips
1/2 red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1 small onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Homemade noodles (recipe above) or fresh noodles from refrigerated section, cooked according to package directions
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak, sear for a couple of minutes and stir. Remove to plate when pieces are still pink in the center. Add red pepper slices to pan and cook a few minutes. Remove to steak plate. Add sugar to the remaining oil/liquid in the pan and cook until it is deep brown, about half a minute. Add oyster sauce, onion, garlic, beef stock, and vinegar. Cook until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes. Add the cooked noodles and stir to coat with sauce. Stir in steak and peppers. Serve topped with scallions.
What would you change? Sometimes there are little steps in cooking that we miss. We would change those. But life? The big stuff? It does not do to mire oneself in hypotheticals. If we are always looking back, wondering what if, we would miss the really good stuff right in front of us. This week, we are happy for broad noodles in a savory sweet sauce and high school students who dance.