Note to self, do not prepare any recipes that call for glass noodles as my husband doesn’t like them. Out of the hundreds, if not thousands, of recipes I have made while writing this blog, this one clearly did not please my husband. I had shiitake mushrooms and lots of Swiss chard from my CSA share. I had recently found a recipe in The New York Times, “What to Make Next Week” column (May 20, 2023) from Kay Chun for Spring Vegetable Japchae (Korean Glass Noodles). Japchae is Korean stir fry which consists of soy sauce, minced garlic, turbinado (or brown) sugar, toasted sesame oil and freshly ground black pepper. The stir fry sauce was delicious as it had well-balanced flavors and lovely sesame notes.
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The recipe also calls for dried sweet potato noodles, safflower or canola oil, thinly sliced onion, matchstick cut carrots, thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, sliced yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced sugar snap peas, asparagus cut on the bias, baby spinach and toasted sesame seeds for garnish. 

Last week I was getting through my produce from a shared CSA box. So far I’ve received asparagus, lettuce, radishes, kale, spinach, eggs, golden beets, shiitake mushrooms and rainbow Swiss Chard. For the kale in the box, I found a recipe on Lidia Bastianich’s website, www.lidiasitaly.com for Barley, Kale and Butternut Squash Risotto. The spinach was used in a recipe from the website www.modernproper.com for Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Spinach, Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomatoes. For the radishes and the arugula, I prepared White Beans with Radishes, Miso and Greens, a recipe by Colu Henry via The New York Times and their column, “Five Dishes to Cook This Week.”
 
Although risotto can be filling, using pearl barley made for a lighter tasting risotto. For the recipe you’ll need kosher salt, fresh bay leaves, pearled barley, chicken stock, extra-virgin olive oil, a carrot, two stalks of celery, dry white wine, one bunch of kale, butternut squash, butter and Grana Padano cheese.

​“May, more than any other month of the year, wants us to feel most alive.”— Fennel Hudson
 
Now that the weather has improved, don’t you feel more alive, energetic? I feel that way about cooking, fresh garden vegetables are becoming available, time to try variations on familiar vegetables. That being said, I picked up a bunch of radishes at the Asbury Fresh Farmers & Makers Market in Asbury Park. The produce at Rolling Hills Farm is always beautiful.
 
The reason for the radishes was I had a package of Alexian Pâtés’ Sage and Pork Mousse with Vermouth and was undecided on serving ideas. This is a creamy and spreadable mousse with hints of sage and subtle notes of delicate herbs. There’s a richness to the mousse that I felt needed a counterpart. I debated various preparations but finally settled on pickled radishes. I thought 

​Last week we celebrated our daughter-in-law’s birthday at our house with dinner. In the May 2023 issue of “Southern Living Magazine” there was a recipe for Sweet & Smoky Grilled Pork Tenderloin. For the recipe you’ll need brown sugar, kosher salt, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, ground mustard, pork tenderloins and canola. I was happy to see another recipe using smoked paprika, which I purchased for other recipes I’ve made.
 
The pork has a dry rub made with brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika, onion and garlic powders and ground mustard. You must plan ahead as the pork has to sit refrigerated uncovered for 8 to 12 hours. When ready to cook, the pork is brought to room temperature by removing it 30 minutes ahead of cooking. The pork is grilled until the internal temperature reaches 140°.  When done, remove from the grill, cover and let it rest for 15 minutes. The temperature will rise another 5 to 10 degrees. 

​I saw a funny meme on Facebook recently. “I just realized why this month is called May. It may rain, it may snow, it may be 70 degrees or it may be 20 degrees. However, we seem to have turned the corner and the weather is becoming more enjoyable.
 
If you’re like me you like to have an extensive collection of various preparations for poultry and beef. My husband has been in a stir fry mood, which brings me to my first recipe. It’s from the website “Dinner at the Zoo.” This website specializes in easy dinner recipes that appeal to kids; aren’t we all kids at heart? The recipe, Honey Garlic Chicken Stir Fry was a quick meal to prepare. For the recipe you’ll need vegetable oil, carrots, broccoli florets, boneless skinless chicken breasts, fresh garlic, chicken broth/stock or water, soy sauce, honey, cornstarch, salt and pepper.