Sopa de Fideo – Authentic Mexican Noodle Soup

As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it.  I loved her story about her family and the soup too.  I have always wanted to try fideos.  I saw this place in Texas on "Triple D" make a fried noodle dish of it and I have wanted to try it ever since then.  I decided not to try and go on a hunt for Mexican fideos locally here and just followed the recipe using vermicelli pasta.  I found angel hair (a.k.a Capelli d'angelo) in nests (I could have just cut them) but didn't know that was the correct thingy until I got home and looked it up.  Anyway, I thought if I liked the soup, I would get that next time.  I compared the vermicelli to my spaghettini when I got home and was thinner...

Seafood Lasagna

I decided to use the rest of my ricotta cheese up by making a lasagna.  This was not a "healthy" lasagna by any meaning.  My son's favorite is seafood so I went with that.  I don't follow a recipe and make it different every time, pretty much.  I do get my fresh lasagna noodles from Choices market.  I really like them.

Beef Pot Roast (Stew is what it was...)

I didn't use a recipe for this.  I can't remember ever making pot roast though I've made lots of braised beef recipes, but usually with chuck steaks and not for a long time now.  I bought a cross rib roast on sale for $4.99 a lb.  This roast was just over two pounds so I knew it wouldn't be a long cook.  I had my fingers crossed, but I decided to try it at 325°F for 2 hours in the oven after browning.

Buttermilk Ricotta Pancakes

I'm a huge fan of buttermilk and like it for various purposes in the kitchen.  Looking in the fridge, I realized I bought a huge tub of Ricotta cheese from Costco that I totally forgot about.  I decided I better start using it so decided to make my son these pancakes that I found here.  I'm just cutting and pasting her ingredients here as the page is super long and has 2 other recipes on it.  So, for simplicity:

Tater Tot Casserole

OK, I got this recipe from a blog called "Mommy's Kitchen".  :)  I don't like ANY frozen hash browns...well...except tater tots! I made a breakfast casserole with them for Christmas and it was worthy, we decided it was a keeper.  So, when I stumbled across this online, I decided I would make it, or a very similar version of it, since I'm a big fan of hamburger and mushroom soup too.  One of my favorite comfort dishes as a kid was those two together over mashed potatoes.  Anyway, I made a couple of tweaks to this recipe...

Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green) Soup

I have always wanted to make this soup since I first saw Chef Emeril make it way back in the day...As I was out shopping at Famous Foods, I found some Portuguese Chourico sausage so knew it was time.

Thai Red Curry Chicken & Shrimp Soup with Quinoa

I was inspired by Clinton Kelly from "The Chew" when I saw him make this recipe.  However, I didn't use it and I decided to make soup instead.  I made this with a hodgepodge of what I had in my fridge and what was cheap at the grocery store today.  My recipe was:

BBQ Side Ribs

My son called me from work a day ago and said that his co-workers insisted he buy some ribs because it was a fantastic deal and they were all picking some up.  He asked me if I would like them, so I said sure.  It turned out they were $2 a lb. and he came home with 11 lbs. for $22.  I put half in the freezer.  These were cut "sweet & sour" style and were cleaned beautifully of most of the fat.  It was a very good deal.

Superbowl: Guacamole, Pimento Cheese, Old Bay Wings & Nachos...

I love to make appies for Super Bowl.  I've watched NFL football for 38 years and have probably never missed a Super Bowl in all that time.  I was debating whether this would be my last one if Denver (my team) won...I have a hard time getting past the thoughts of it being "fixed" now and don't find it enjoyable any more because of that.  But yes, I digress...

Hurricane Popcorn

So, I've spent about two months total in Hawaii and have never had or heard of "Hurricane Popcorn" but this recipe intrigued me.  I looked up others, and it seems they add soy sauce to the butter and add in Mochi Crunch (Japanese Rice Crackers).  I decided to use the soy (light sodium & 1 teaspoon) but not the Mochi.  I found the Furikake at my Korean market.  I'm sure T&T would have it too.

New Haven-Style White Clam Pizza

I've made this before and thought it was really tasty and my son loved it.  I used this recipe.  I wished to find fresh pizza dough, but it didn't pan out since I only decided to make this at lunch, so I used Pillsbury pizza dough.  I will need to find real dough the next time since I won't make it.  I got the clams from T&T Market.