Sauteed Bok Choy

Today is a special day.  Why, you ask?  It's only Wednesday, what could be so special about this day?  Well... 25 years ago, on some island of the Philippines... I was born.  Yep, I've reached my "quarter of a century" mark.  I don't exactly know how to feel about that.  What exactly have I done in that 25 years?  Have I wasted it?  Have I lived it up?

I just don't know, really.  There's nothing in those 25 years I would take back, or do over.  I've always been a kind of person that's thought of life as a never ending journey.  Certain things get us to where we are in the present, and certain things get us to our future.  I'd like to think that I'm pretty satisfied with my 25 years of life.  I mean, let's take a look at some things:

- I fully support myself, and my expensive eating habits.
- I'm engaged to an amazing, although sometimes immature, man.
- I have a job that I, for the most part, enjoy.
- I'm in college (for a tad bit longer than I had hoped, but I'm getting there)
- I've never broken any bones or had any major health problems.
- I have 2 dogs (which growing up practically petrified of animals, I find this a major accomplishment)
- I have family that, although downright crazy in every way possible, I know that I can rely on.
- I've never been robbed or had my identity stolen (which is a constant fear of mine).
- I'm 25 years old and I can cook like no other 25 year old that I, personally, know (of course, out in the blog-o-sphere, that's quite different)
- I've experienced practically every emotion, been through ups and downs, and still remain a strong person.

I know those are just simple things, that most of us take for granted, but I can't forget how thankful I am to be in the position I'm in.  Doing what I love, and having a positive support circle around me!  I hope that my next quarter of a century, I can add plenty more to that list.

So because I'm taking it easy today, after all... it is my birthday... I have a simple, yet delicious recipe!  I'm going to let my mother cook me dinner and Andy apparently has a phenomenal cake up his sleeve for dessert... I'm sure I'll fill you guys in tomorrow!

Ingredients

1 bunch bok choy

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 to 4 tablespoons chicken stock

salt and pepper, to taste

Clean and chop the bok choy to medium sized pieces.

Heat olive oil under medium high heat and add garlic.  Cook for about 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.

Turn the heat on high and add the bok choy and give it a quick stir. Then add the oyster sauce, chicken stock or water and season with sea salt.  Mix well and cook for a couple more minutes.  Serve immediately.

I decided to one up myself, and instead of serving this a side, I used it as a topping!  For an awesome turkey sandwich...

But you can definitely have this as a side to practically any dish!  It's so delicious and simple!  Comes together really fast too!  Enjoy guys!

And here's the CSA goodies:

1 baguette

1 bunch of radishes

2 lbs. apples

1 bunch mustard green

1 pumpkin

2 lbs. red potatoes

1 acorn squash

Garlic Noodles w/ Chicken

All I can say is yum! These were perfectly done garlic noodles and thanks to White on Rice Couple for posting this recipe which they got from Steamy Kitchen's cookbook (there's a link on their page for the book, which I think I'm going to invest in soon!)

Ingredients:

1 box spaghetti noodles
2 large chicken breasts, cut into small cubes
3 tablespoons butter
6 leaves fresh basil, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1-3 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add noodles. Cook until about al dente, roughly 7-9 minutes for spaghetti noodles. Strain the noodles and add back into pot. In a separate large skillet, melt butter under medium heat and add garlic. Saute garlic until fragrant, about a minute. Then add chicken and cook until white throughout. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and set aside.

Add brown sugar, soy sauce, and oyster sauce to skillet. Stir until brown sugar dissolves and then add chicken and noodles. Make sure to coat everything evenly with the sauce.

Remove from heat and stir in basil. Serve and eat up!

This was such a quick meal to prepare and tasted really like authentic garlic noodles. I highly recommend the cookbook it came from and will be snagging up a copy of my own soon! Enjoy!