Who Knew

the extent of my cooking in high school was...maybe a sandwich, if i wasn't feeling TOO lazy.

college wan't any better. I lived on cereal, ramen noodles, and canned chili. It wasn't because i didn't have any money to go grocery shopping (ok, sometimes i didn't), it was because i was just too dang lazy to make anything!

NOW though, i LOVE to cook. i love making things and hearing michael say that he loves it, and that he's 'impressed'. he always says that (:

i love that when he takes homemade lunches to work, the guys are always trying to steal bites.

i love the satisfaction i get when i myself taste it and I'M impressed too!

so, I'm going to start sharing our favorite recipes with all of you. some of them i've found, some i've just thrown together what we have in the fridge and kept my fingers crossed, and some i've found but changed them to my own liking. so here is my first one, michael and i really enjoyed this meal earlier this week.

** keep in mind there are only two of us, so these recipes are ONLY made for two unless otherwise specified.

Pepper Garlic Shrimp with Chinese Noodles

Lets start with the shrimp...

Your shopping list:

*Vegetable Oil - 1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon

*Water- 1/2 cup

*Shredded Cabbage- 2 cups

*Minced Garlic- 2 Tablespoons

*Large, Peeled, Deveined Shrimp- 16 count

*Crushed Red Pepper Flakes- 1 Tablespoon (more or less depending on your taste)

*Sliced Onion/ White- 1/4 cup

*Soy Sauce- 2 Tablespoons

Here is what you do:

Heat your vegetable oil in a skillet, high heat. Add your cabbage and only 1 tablespoon of water. Stir-fry for about a minute until cabbage is soft. Remove cabbage from the skillet and place on a serving platter and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in same skillet, high heat. Put garlic and the shrimp in the skillet and stir until your garlic is lightly browned and the shrimp start to turn pink. Add the pepper flakes, onion slices, soy sauce, and remaining water to the skillet. Stir-fry your mixture for about a minute to two minutes and then pour mixture over cabbage.

I like to set my shrimp and cabbage in the oven while I'm working on my noodles to keep them warm.

Shopping List for Noodles:

*Package of Ramen Noodles Oriental- just one!

*Egg- just one!

*Vegetable Oil

*Carrot- half of a large one, peeled and cut into little slices

*Green Peas/Frozen ones work- 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons

*Red Bell Pepper- 2-3 Tablespoons sliced, depending on how much you like your red peppers

*Sesame Oil- 2 teaspoons

*Soy Sauce

Here is what you do:

Boil your ramen noodles until soft. DO NOT add flavor packet, set it aside, cause we're using it later! After noodles are soft, drain them and set them aside.

Heat enough vegetable oil in a small skillet (i like to use the same skillet as the shrimp to spread the flavor around) to thinly cover the bottom. Scramble the egg in a small bowl and then add to skillet. When egg is cooked completely, set it aside in your small bowl.

In same skillet, heat same amount of vegetable oil, medium heat. Add carrots, peas, and bell peppers to skillet and heat until all vegetables are soft, and cooked all the way through. When finished cooking vegetables, place in same bowl as your cooked egg.

In your same skillet combine 2 Tablespoons of sesame oil with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Fry your noodles in the oils for 3 to 5 minutes, make sure you turn them regularly so they don't burn! After 5 minutes, add soy sauce (to your taste), seasoning packed from ramen, and if you desire, more sesame oil. Mix noodles and sauces together until noodles are completely coated. Add your vegetables and egg and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.

I like to serve my noodles and shrimp all on the same platter, the flavors together are divine (:

I never knew how much I was going to like cooking, but having someone who appreciates it makes it worth all the time and effort, especially when it turns out delicious! (:

happy cooking!