Thanks everyone for being patient with me while I’ve had some stuff going on. And thanks for all your well wishes, things are finally starting to look up around here.

I had a long detailed diatribe written out about everything that’s been going on, but even my eyes were glazing over when I tried to read over it so I decided to just give you the condensed version and focus on moving forward instead.

Basically, we hate our apartment. We’ve been trying to find a place for months with no luck, finally found a great place but had some problems with the application process, and now we’ve been biting our nails in agony waiting to hear if we got it.

And then…..Jeff got rear-ended (for the second time in 3 months.)

It wasn’t as bad as the last time, but still more than we need to deal with right now.

Maybe all this doesn’t sound too bad, but there’s more going on than I can get into on the blog. My nerves are absolutely shot after these last two weeks from hell. We should hear today wether or not we got that house we applied for, so hopefully this will all be over soon. Regardless, I plan on getting back into a semi-normal blogging schedule this week.

Until tomorrow, here is another cat picture to lighten the mood…

Lucas is such a crazyface.

What’s your favorite way to relax when you’re really stressed out?

August 15, 2011 Alayna Discussion 2 comments

Hey everyone. Just wanted to pop in and say that I’m alive and that I’ll be back to regular blogging soon, though I’m not sure exactly when.

Jeff and I are having a very stressful week and the frustrations keep piling on. So for the moment I’m going to focus on taking care of those things, because right now even thinking about blogging makes my head want to explode. When everything settles down around here, hopefully in the next day or two, I’ll fill you in on what’s got me in such a tizzy right now.

Until then, here is a picture of Liam sleeping like a weirdo with his arm twisted…

Talk to you all again soon!

August 10, 2011 Alayna Discussion 6 comments

Here’s an awesome lunch Jeff and I had on Sunday. We had very little food in the house but I still managed to make something special out of some basic items that I usually have lying around.

I buy pre-cooked udon noodles that come in a vacuum-sealed package with a packet of soup mix. If you’ve ever had ramen noodles you’re probably familiar with that little seasoning packet it comes with. These are like that except that the seasoning packet is actually full of delicious wholesome freeze dried real food as opposed to just salt, MSG, and bouillon.

Boiled up a few eggs to add on top using the same hard-boiled egg method that I used for the Chinese tea eggs I made recently. I only needed two, the other two became snacks for later.

Liam was perched on top of the refrigerator the entire time. Whenever eggs, fish, butter, or cheese are present, he’s sure to be lurking around nearby hoping for a windfall.

See how he tries to be cute so I’ll give him a boiled egg? Weirdo.

I am so bad at peeling eggs…

The udon only really needs to heat through, if you cook it too much it will get soft and fall apart. Never mind that I did exactly that…

I swear I can get no peace from these two. Liam promptly moved himself directly under my feet as I started to slice the eggs and Lucas alighted to the top of the fridge to glower at me for not giving him any.

Lucas, I realize now that you have yet to have an egg in your life. No wonder you’re so upset! I’m obviously a bad mother.

I am such a sucker for these creamy under-boiled eggs. They tend to soak up the flavors of the broth, so yummy!

Topped it with toasted sesame seeds and shichimi togarashi, a spicy Japanese condiment made specifically for topping soups.

Udon noodles with creamy egg

An instant soup is dressed up with perfectly cooked eggs and fresh scallions.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1 package prepared udon noodles with seasoning
• 3 cups water
• 3 thinly sliced scallions
• top with sesame seeds and togarashi

Cooking Directions

1. Hard boil eggs. Peel and slice.
2. Boil noodles in water with seasonings according to package directions.
3. Top with sliced scallions, sesame, togarashi spice, and sliced egg.

This was a great way to make a special lunch out of a bunch of odds and ends. There is no shame in using packaged noodles and instant broth so long as you can find one with wholesome and authentic ingredients.

What is your favorite way to eat noodles?

July 19, 2011 Alayna Discussion, Recipes 9 comments