And just like that… we are back! Apologies once again for the unexpected and sudden stop in emails from SCE headquarters. I think my last post may have been in February? Now it is May. WOW. I blame our beautiful, wonderful, world-altering daughter Maya who made her appearance the first week of March. I underestimated how busy I was going to get at work leading up to her birth. With a new boss, new colleagues, new remits, and a 14 month old son entering toddlerdum full steam ahead, I was burning the candles on both ends, working right up until the day before I gave birth. 

I know birth is not a walk in the park for most but I can honestly both mine were relatively easy. And this time around almost felt like a vacation… almost. A much shorter labor, one push, and our daughter was out a mere hours after we were admitted. We spent the first few days in the fuzzy haze that is the hospital stay, but this time, much more relaxed as it had only been 1 year since we did it the first time! 

The birth was magical, but once again, I wildly underestimated what having 2 kids 14 months apart would be like. Koa was hard because we had no idea what we were doing, but in retrospect, he was an easy baby. (Maybe that’s why we weren’t in a complete panic when I got pregnant again so quickly after!) This time, I was confident as a mom, but boy was I naive about having two this young. Breastfeeding one while the other runs around climbing over chairs with a plastic golf club – crazy. Trying to put one to bed while the other cries as loud as she can for no apparent reason – even crazier. The constant need for mom’s attention – while endearing, also the craziest. I have never felt so stretched thin. And I am not even working right now!

So if you are still reading, that is my long excuse for not posting here on SCE. Now, this blog is for me and my family. A living cookbook and recipe holder if you will. So I don’t feel entirely bad about it. But the recipes have been piling up! Because within the chaos of two kids, I have continued to cook dinners 5x a week. We are in our “not eating at restaurants” era with Koa and DoorDash service fees are $20+ so homecooking is the way to go. Not to mention, the easiest way to cook every random thing I crave and keep up with the protein/nutrient dense diet I need to help satiate my ravenous breastfeeding hunger. 

So I have been cooking… a lot! And I have been saving them to eventually sit down and write up. My “computer work” I call it. And here is the first of many more to come. A quick and easy one-pan noodle dish that hits all the right spots. It’s salty, it’s savory, it’s decadent, but it’s filled with simple ingredients… and all in one wok! Give a shout to Chef Fatty on TikTok who fired this one my way. (I act like we know each other. Nope, this was an amazing find on the one and only time I have been on TikTok in the last… forever? I don’t get TikTok sorry not sorry. 

Anyway, enjoy and see you back in the emails as I slowly get my act together!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. ground pork

1 package rice noodles

1 large green cabbage

1 egg

3-4 scallion sprigs

1-2 cups chicken bone broth

2 tbsp. tamari soy sauce

1 tbsp. fish sauce

1-2 tbsp. chili oil of choice (I love Fly By Jing)

Serving Size: 2-3

INSTRUCTIONS

• To prep, shredd the green cabbage if not pre-bought and dice the scallions. 
• Additionally, soak the rice noodles in hot water (tap hot, not boiling) for 10 minutes until partially cooked but not fully. Drain and set aside. 
• In a large wok, heat a small dash of sesame oil. (Pork naturally releases fat into oil when cooking.)
• Add pork to the wok and break up with a meat masher. Then spread evenly across the pan. Leave the pork untouched for 3-4 minutes until deeply browned and begins to crisp.
• Once the pork is crispy, push to one side of the pan and crack an egg on the other, quickly stirring to scramble. 
• Then add the cabbage and scallions, stirring to combine. 
• Then add the rice noodles, fish sauce, and tamari. 
• Pour chicken broth over everything (enouogh to barely cover the noodles). 
• Bring to a boil and gently toss the noodles constantly. 
• Cook until the liquid starts to turn to a glossy sauce and the noodles become soft. 
• Add chili oil and toss once more. 
• Enjoy!