Sometimes, Mods Work... Sometimes, They Don't!

It's been a fun but tough weekend.  Still feeling the cold effects (and keep forgetting to down some Zicam) so there has been a lot of exhaustion and a lot of not getting certain things done (like the knitting).  


I did manage finally to get some cooking done today!


Last week, I wanted to have an Asian themed week of dinners , and that plan (for one reason or seven others) didn't quite work out.  This week, Asia week is on a roll!


Had the unofficial start yesterday when we hit Korean BBQ at Korean Garden.  Despite The Husband's intense desire to do Korean BBQ this entire time (many years lamenting there was no where near by to try), we weren't quite sure what to expect.  We went with a bunch of friends and, oddly enough, neither of us actually had BBQ!


He had Bibimbap as we'd seen Alton Brown extol it's virtues (at least a particular location's version) on The Best Thing I Ever Ate.  He was not entirely pleased, as he was thinking a lot of the stuff would be warmer, and served over the rice.  He had rice to mix in, but I think he was thinking one thing and got another, so he didn't enjoy it as much as he might have.


I was deeply into my cold and not feeling well, so after much (read barely any) debate I went for a dish I knew wasn't as healthy as it may seem:  Kimchi Jjigae.  Spicy kimchi, tofu and pork stew (which I know had a lot of oil) that came with sides of rice and poached egg (and here's the thing about eating Korean... there are a million little side dishes of veggies and things... you will not go hungry).  The soup was delicious, and there was no way I could finish the whole thing.  I gave the rest to The Husband who will likely eat it for lunch tomorrow... and I think he'll be much more pleased, it was hot in all senses of the word, and very delicious.  (And he knows this, because he had some before putting away the left overs).


Tonight, I did make the spicy soba noodle recipe (had no idea it was Smitten Kitchen until now!).  Made lots of mods to it:
- Less soba, that is way too much soba
- A little more mushroom
- Added julienned carrot and zucchini
- Used red cabbage, probably the biggest change here
- A few other things


What I was left with was utterly delicious!  Unfortunately I could have gone a little more on the sriracha, but that may be my cold not tasting it.  The Husband did approve the flavor, and I was pretty pleased.  My last mod was that while the recipe serves 4... even reducing the soba produced a lot of food, but it was perfect as a serves 6.


My adventures continued (again, a little Smitten Kitchen inspired) simply No Pudge brownies with some Chipotle Chili Powder, Cinnamon and Nutmeg thrown in (and a pinch of Cayenne).  I made them up cake-style, and into brownie pan they went.  Another winner!  At first, The Husband advised perhaps more chili could be added... but after his second brownie, he decided it could definitely taste the heat.  Even I could... and I enjoyed the texture of the brownie, I think this is my way to make them for the future!


So, those were things that worked.  I had a couple of failures today too (boo-hoo!)


- Philly Cheese 'Shroom - I tried out using the WW string cheese (to get more cheese) rather than the shredded fat free cheddar cheese.  I also added a small amount of heat (do you see a theme here) at The Husband's suggestion.  While the heat worked, the cheese did not.  Very tasty, but the string cheese, while it works for the Pizza-fied Chicken recipe, does not work here.


- Butternut Squash Fries - Again, delicious, but didn't quite work.  I saw an opportunity here to get a healthy oil in, so I did add some EVOO to the mix.  No, no... the fries did not turn out as advertised.  My oven may also be wonky... some of the "fries" were soggy, and others were burnt to a crisp.  Of course, this is because I did not follow the recipe as written.  Due to taste of those surviving fries, I will give this one another go and do it as written.  Because sometimes you don't really need to mod a good thing.


Well, I've babbled enough.  I have more recipes to try out this week, and perhaps I'll knit a bit.  Who knows?!  Now I'm... ha, off to cook before bed, need to think about breakfast for tomorrow! :)


Have a good week everyone!