Plan Ahead!

I often think about my next post for this blog as I am driving to work or doing something at work or at home.  I have many things that I would like to discuss, so that my mind leaps from one idea to another.  I want to be organized about this, but the ideas are rampaging through faster than I can sort them.  As I was turning possibilities over in my mind on Saturday, I got out my new monastery cookbook and decided to make an apple cake.  The recipe sounded good, but I needed a can of condensed milk.  As I thought of the one on my shelf that I had gotten "just in case and the price was good", inspiration struck.  I could write about the pantry and being prepared so that one could cook with one's children!  My brain raced feverishly as I made a list of the basics in my pantry - nuts, grains, canned beans, canned tomatoes in several varieties, spices, etc. I made mental notes of the advice that I could give so that cooking with children would be more successful if it was a spontaneous activity.  Even better - from there I could segue into the necessity of being prepared in the classroom in order to avoid poor transitions and difficult, bored children. I was positively giddy as I measured, stirred, sliced, and thought of the amazing blog entry that would follow.  I had a satisfied smile as I took down the can of condensed milk and wiped off the top (I really don't believe the Internet posts about rats running around warehouses and doing nasty things on the tops of cans, but it never hurts to be safe!).  I even noticed that the can had a clear date stamped on the top rather than the codes that mean nothing.  I even stopped thinking about the readers who would think that I was wise and wonderful long enough to read the date - January 2004.

I ended up using evaporated milk for the topping, which was okay since its date was 2009.  (It's been two days and we still seem fine!)  My blog is still about the necessity of being prepared, both at home and in the classroom, but somehow it is taking a little different track than I had originally planned.  Maybe I should write about the advisability of cleaning out my cabinets a little more often.  Still, the cake was good and I have been laughing for a day, so all is well that ends well.

I do like meals that I can make in the time that it takes pasta water to boil, so I am posting one that uses scallops and soba noodles.  If your budget doesn't run to scallops, I have used both chicken (boneless breast cut into bite sized pieces works well) and tofu (cut into pieces).  Soba noodles are Japanese buckwheat noodles, which can be found at Wegmans.  I did discover that my authentic organic Japanese noodles are made in Australia.  Add several vegetables, and you have a quick supper.

Soy Citrus Scallops With Soba Noodles

3 Tbs. lower-sodium soy sauce                                             1 Tbs. dark sesame oil

I Tbs. fresh orange juice                                                        1 pound large sea scallops

1 Tbs. rice vinegar                                                                 4 cups hot cooked soba (about 6 ozs.

1 Tbs. honey 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated                                  uncooked)

1/4 tsp chili garlic sauce or red pepper

Combine first 6 ingredients and 1 tsp oil in a shallow baking dish; add scallops to dish in a single layer.  Marinate 4 minutes on each side.  Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Remove scallops from dish, reserving marinade.  Add scallops to pan; saute 1 minute on each side or until almost done. (Chicken pieces will take a little longer.)  Remove scallops from pan; keep warm.  Place remaining marinade in pan; bring to a boil.  Return scallops to pan; cook 1 minute.  Place noodles on plates; top with scallops, and drizzle with 1 Tbs. sauce.  Makes 4 servings.

Note:  I always have fresh ginger on hand.  I keep it in a bag in the freezer and grate or slice off a little whenever I need it.  Happy cooking!