chinese onion flavor!

i will now take this time to make a non-recipe post (suggestion post?)

how do people feel about ramen in general in the western world? i grew up with ramen so sometimes i feel like it is truly a legitimate cuisine or a valid culinary adventure anyhow. in the grocery stores here in chicago and i imagine in much of the united states, you get a bunch of nissin cup of noodle type ramens which are FINE. not great, not super good, but fine if you are hungry and looking to eat on the cheap. i have seen those thai kitchen instant noodles or the korean shin ramyun stuff around and i like those. but other than that, not much of a selection. in asia, however, (taiwan, japan, korea etc) the ramen isle is almost daunting. almost too many brands and flavors to choose from. potato noodles? yakisoba? udon? curry? seafood? dehydrated fried tofu and fish cakes? other mysterious flavors in explicable asian writing? yum! (maybe its just me?).


but my favorite and my favorite for a very long time now is CHINESE ONION FlAVOR! it is a thin rice vermicelli in an onion soup. it comes with flavor packet and another packet with oil and brown (caramelized?) chinese onions. the flavor is really authentic taiwanese. it smells a little funny but the taste is really simple. rich and all around quite satisfying. kind of like stinky tofu? i got these in chinatown for only about 50 cents each! i like it with some baby bok choy, fish cakes, fish balls, dumplings, and really just about anything you can think of putting in there (that is edible of course). the packaging is modest, just like the food and its price. grassroots and of the people!

look for this and other ramens next time you are in an asian grocery store (or asia). time for adventure and friendly hugs!




love,
debbie carlos

p.s. i use a lot of parenthesis. (bad habit?)

oatmeal lace cookies

oatmeal lace cookies

hello, long time no blog. so sorry for the very long 2 month delay. first i was vacationing and loafing about and now it is school. i did not make anything noteworthy or different. certainly one of those culinary lulls one gets sometimes or at least i do. then i remembered that i did document a cookie i had made that turned out quite delish. it is very melt in your mouth buttery type cookie. like a very delicate almond cookie with an oatmeal cookie texture! a very simple recipe for when you don't have any eggs on hand! perhaps this will give me the jumpstart i need to get back into the kitchen. so please make, please eat, please enjoy (if you please).


1 C unsalted butter
1 C white sugar
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t almond extract
1 C flour
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 C rolled oats


1. preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. mix in vanilla and almond extract. in a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. add flour mixture into the butter mixture. stir in oats.
3. roll dough into 1" balls and place on greased cookie sheet about 3" apart. bake 8-10 minutes. let cool before eating



***variation: to make little chocolate sandwiches with these cookies, just melt some dark chocolate and spread on the flat side of one cookie and sandwich with another cookie.