Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles

My sister has been trying to get me to make this for ages. I haven't had much luck with Asian flavored noodles. I don't really like fish or oyster sauce, and I hadn't found any recipes I am partial to. I loved this one! I made it spicy with 1 1/2 tsps of Sriracha sauce, and it was pretty hot! My kids would have probably preferred a little less kick. If you don't want to buy a whole bottle of Sriracha sauce for this recipe, (the bottles are big) you could substitute some crushed red pepper flakes, but I really liked the flavor of the sauce. This would also be great with the addition of chicken or tofu.

Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles

adapted from allrecipes.com
8 ounces linguine noodles
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 TBSPs minced fresh ginger root
3 TBSPs soy sauce
3 TBSPs peanut butter
1 1/2 TBSPs honey
1 - 2 tsps hot chili sauce, like Sriracha sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1.Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until tender according to package directions. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, combine chicken broth, ginger, soy sauce, peanut butter, honey, chili sauce, and garlic in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until peanut butter melts and is heated through. Add noodles, and toss to coat. Garnish with green onions and peanuts.
Serves 4

Blueberry Sauce

I used this sauce on my Blueberry Baked French Toast. It would also be great on ice cream. It's very easy to make!!

Blueberry Sauce

adapted from mybakingaddiction.com
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 TBSPs lemon juice
2 TBSPs cornstarch, mixed with 2 TBSPs cold water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the blueberries, 1/2 cup of water, sugar and lemon juice. Stir frequently, and bring to a low boil.
2. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water.
3. Slowly stir the corn starch into the blueberries, taking care not to crush the blueberries. Simmer until the homemade blueberry sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon, about 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and gently stir in vanilla.

Notes: You can adjust the sweetness of the sauce by decreasing or increasing the sugar. Also, if you want it to be more syrupy instead of thick, then add a little more water.

Blueberry Baked French Toast

That's right, more blueberries! Gotta use up all the berries we picked! This is a variation of my Brazos Baked French Toast. I've changed a couple of things from the original. Besides the addition of blueberries, I cut down on the butter because you just don't need it. This is a fabulous breakfast or brunch that will definitely impress! I used a Blueberry Sauce on the top in this picture that made it taste even more fruity! I'll be posting that too.

Blueberry Baked French Toast

1  loaf french bread (day old bakery bread works great)
8 oz cream cheese
1 - 1 1/2 cups blueberries (frozen works too)
4 TBSPs butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/4 cup maple syrup
10 eggs
Powdered sugar
Blueberry Sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 in baking dish with non stick spray.
2. Cube bread and layer half in prepared dish. Cut the cream cheese into small pieces and sprinkle evenly across the bread. Sprinkle on blueberries. Cover with remaining bread cubes.
2. Pour melted butter over the top of the bread cubes.
3. Mix half and half, syrup, and eggs pour over the top as evenly as possible. Try to cover all the bread. Press down with spatula so that all the liquid is absorbed by the bread.
4. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
5. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 min. If it starts to get too brown, lay a sheet of foil on top until it has finished baking. Remove from oven and sift powered sugar over top. Cut into 8-12 servings. Serve with blueberry sauce or maple syrup.

Here are some pics of the process. They aren't the best though because I took them with my phone and didn't have very good lighting, but you get the idea.