A perfect day...

I cannot even begin to express how grateful and fortunate I am to have such wonderful friends in my life!

Our idea of a perfect weekend indoors involved keeping things low-key.  We kick-started the afternoon by gathering together to spend some quality time conversing and cooking exquisite food!  Le menu du jour (all made from scratch):

PUMPKIN SOUP

Verene made the most divine pumpkin soup.  One sip from the bowl will send you craving for more.  It was absolutely heavenly.  What made her soup even more special was the conscious effort she placed towards natural food co-ops that support local farmers, community development and quality organic products.  Furthermore, she's a fellow vegetarian.  It doesn't get any better than that!

SESAME NOODLES

Here's my recipe for some tasty sesame noodles (inspired by Heidi Swanson's Otsu concoction.  She is my ultimate muse when it comes to cooking.  She's also quite the photographer). The convenient factor is that it's a quick and simple dish to make; almost effortless.

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces of soba noodles, cooked and drained
  
• 10 ounces of extra-firm tofu (for those who live in Seattle, I'd recommend buying them from Northwest Tofu Inc).
• 4 to 6 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup of toasted sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
• Soy sauce

1. Cook the soba in boiling, salted water until tender.  Then, drain the noodles.
2. Cut the tofu into thin slices or small, bite-size cubes.  The extra-firm tofu I usually purchase from Northwest Tofu Inc. is already seasoned, grilled and coated with soy sauce.  To achieve this same effect, place half a teaspoon or less of olive oil into non-stick skillet set at medium heat. Place the tofu slices in the skillet and stir-fry until the pieces are brown on both side. You may even go the extra mile and add a little soy sauce.
   
3. Combine all of the ingredients except for the sesame seeds in a large mixing bowl and toss until everything is evenly distributed .
4.  Taste and adjust ingredients based upon your preferences.
   
5. Garnish the dish by sprinkling the sesame seed on top.  You may even add chili sauce if you're a fan of spice.

Dessert: Verene's home-made chocolate chip mint cookies and fresh fruit tarts purchased from a Chinese pastry shop in the International District of Seattle!

Disclaimer: The images above do not precisely depict the actual dishes...but they're VERY similar.  I had forgotten to take photos of our meal.  Special thanks to Sunshine Coast and The Pioneer Woman Cooks for the pictures shown above.

We ended the day with a sketching session and a movie (with video games as the alternative option).

Verene's sketch of an anonymous figure referenced online.  It's interesting to see how an individual's personality influences their artwork.  Verene happens to be a physics/math extraordinaire and her precise, sharp lines and attention to detail intrigues me.  I wish I could share a stunning portrait that she drew of an adorable Korean child...

Verene's Sketch:

Sometimes, images speak better than words, so I'll let Kelsey's incredible artistic skills do the talking. 

Kelsey's sketch:

Check out Kelsey's amazing concept art for Griptonite Games: kelsm.com 

You may also follow his blog at: kelseymart.blogspot.com 

  

  That's all for now, folks!