This Yummy Chinese Dish has become a favorite main dish for us with the addition of browned chicken tenders and some thinly sliced red pepper or grated carrots, for more color and flavor
Serves Us 3.
Sea salt
1/2 lb. dried plain, whole-grain spaghetti, or rice Noodles
3 Tbs. Asian sesame oil
3 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup ginger-flavored soy sauce
3 Tbs. rice vinegar
1 tbls light or dark brown sugar
1/2 lb. chicken tenders
1 tsp. peanut oil
Freshly ground black pepper
3 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package directions until the pasta or noodles are al dente.Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water until cool. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl, and toss with 1 Tbs. of the sesame oil.
Either in a pestle & mortar or food processor, grind the garlic until roughly chopped. Add the remaining 5 Tbs. sesame oil, and the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and 1-1/2 tsp. salt. blend until smooth, scrape down the bowl, about 30 seconds. Set aside.
Trim off any exposed tendon ends from the wide tips of the tenders, if necessary. Season the tenders with 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Heat the peanut oil in a in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Cook the tenders until well browned on both sides and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and slice crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Add the chicken to the spaghetti or noodles along with half of the scallions.
Pour about 1-1/4 cups of the dressing over the pasta and chicken and toss to coat. Add more dressing to taste—you may not need to use it all. Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle with the remaining scallions, and serve.
A mirror carp thought to be one of the UK’s biggest freshwater fish has been found dead in the lake where it lived in Kent. Two Tone, weighing in at 67lb 14oz, became Britain’s biggest native freshwater fish in 2001 when he tipped the scales at 59lbs and 12ozs.
The mirror carp, who gained his name from his skin color, is believed to have been at least 40-years-old and is thought to have died from old age.
Two Tone will be buried next to the lake on Sunday morning with a plaque marking his grave.
"I think there may be 20 or 30 people there,"a keen local angler Mr Logsdon said.
"Some of these guys have spent every minute of their time at this lake trying to catch this beast, a lot of friendships have been made by people on the banks - it's been an extraordinary, exceptional beast."
Any carp angler worth their salt wanted to catch him and a lot tried and failed. It’s part of fishing history.
And took my way along a ground, I found a glade with girls at play, By leafy boughs close-hemmed around, And there, with stores of harmless joys, They plied their tongues, in merry noise: Though little did they seem to fear So queer a stranger might be near; Teeh-hee! Look here! Hah! ha! Look there! And oh! so playsome, oh! so fair.
And one would dance as one would spring, Or bob or bow with leering smiles, And one would swing, or sit and sing, Or sew a stitch or two at whiles, And one skipped on with downcast face, All heedless, to my very place, And there, in fright, with one foot out, Made one dead step and turned about. Heeh, hee, oh! oh! ooh! oo!—Look there! And oh! so playsome, oh! so fair.
Away they scampered all, full speed, By boughs that swung along their track, As rabbits out of wood at feed, At sight of men all scamper back. And one pulled on behind her heel, A thread of cotton, off her reel, And oh! to follow that white clue, I felt I fain could scamper too. Teeh, hee, run here. Eeh! ee! Look there! And oh! so playsome, oh! so fair.
They lived in the small Pohon glade and helped many animals and plants to grow and live healthy lives. One day the leader heard news that the forest was going to be cut down. Daniel told a few leprechauns to get some energy from the trees while the fairys built a boat for every one to travel in. When the boat was finished, they had to decide where they could now go so they organised meeting to vote about which country they should go to. It was decided that they should go to an Island called Bali in the far of land of Indonesia.
They all gathered up their precious few belonigs and left for thier long journey in the little boat they had built. While Daniel was in the boat he watched the trees fall down, one after another, trying not to cry as he saw his great old friends dying one by one. The journey to Bali took two months and fourteen days before they reached the small port of Kerimas. As they came nearer and nearer, it got hot and humid, they could see some tall green palm trees swaying in the gentle breeze at the beach. When they got to shore they searched around for a place they could stay as close to these new unusual trees as possible. They found a very big tree, bigger than anyone they had ever seen before, it had lots of really high thick branches and many wild and deep roots coming from its thick and heavy base.It covered and protected a little underground cave nestled in amongst its many roots.
All of the one hundred fairys and leprechauns wanted to go down into their new humble home as they were so very tired form thier long long journey, so they did. They met a small baby tiger there who introduced himself, his name was Nyoman and was very nice to them, and began to tell them all about this strange new land they had landed on. They talked a lot to him about their long journey to Bali. The lil tiger showed them around their new nestling place and introduced them to all the many new animals there.
One day Daniel heard noises he had never heard before, big load banging and crashing noises outside. Animals were running everywhere to hide and keep away from whatever was going on outside. It was getting very dusty outside and really very noisy. By the time everyone came out, many animals were gone from their homes, and many were crying. Daniel was looking for Nyoman the lil tiger but he couldn't find him. Daniel figured that he may have been lost or hiding somewhere amongst the close by jungle. So the many friendly fairys decided should organise a search party to find him. It was neary sundown how though and they would have to be very careful as they new nothing of the new jungle they were heading into. The leprechauns helped to make them some small arrows and spears from some tall straight sticks growing nearby. The leprechauns were to stay back in their newly found home to protect the younger members of their familys. The fairys were chosen to go for they would be less noticable as fairys become transparent in the evening light. So off they headed to look for their new found fiend to bring him safely home.
As they headed into the jungle forest for the first time they wondered what they would find and how they would find their way home.Aoife, the chosen leader of their fairy troop, told them to leave a trial of the small, very sweet smelling waxy flowers they found on the small nearby trees. This way if it got to dark, they would be able to smell their way home, as fairys often do when lost in the woods.
It wasn't long before they came across a small stream which was at the bottom of deep deep revine they were headed onto. They thought they had heard some soft helpless growls coming from deep inside the revine and followed them to investigate.
Aoife scated low over the tumbling water in the stream with her faithful pack behind her. As if from nowhere a huge dark brown Toad lept up from the edge of the stream with it mouth wide open, as big and as dark as a big dark scary hole.It was trying make a grab for her wigs, as her obviously knew they are the tastiest part of a fairy, but only managed to close his huge lips around the end of her long legs. She was stuck for a minute in the toads cold wet sticky mouth, but with the help of her trusty friends who began to jab him with their little sharp spears, she pulled her slender legs free. Unfortunately as the ugly old toad slipped back into the dark stream her was chewing on her favorite moss green platform boots! "Oh fuzzywarts" she exclaimed "may you choke on them you soggy old handbag!" Aoife was not not afraid of speaking her mind in situations as this, and was quickly restored back to her former poise. She warmed her fairy friends to fly a little higher and watch out for the slimy creatures below.
Onward they went into the dark and damp revine. " Hush a bit " she said softly to enthusiastic crew, I think i can hear Nyoman again. They gathered together in a large ring and held each others hands closing their eyes they listened carefully.
"What are you doing ?" came a voice from the dark. The fairy ring broke up quick as a flash of lightening and they instinctively hid behind the nearest tree or branch. "Who's there? who are you? please show yourself" screamed Aoife in her most authorative manner.
Silence.
Then they heard a heavy swish sound followed by a sibilant hiss,
"Sssmeee, only meee."
He said with a flutter of his little pink tongue, which seemed to frayed on the end a little.
He, was a large veridian green tree snake, with a very large wide smile.
"I'm Bagusssssssss" he said with a pleasant grin, pleasssssed to meet you. And who, young lady are you?"
Aoife quicly came to the for and said
"We're fairys from ireland sir, and we're looking for our friend."
"Fairysss you sssay, I ttthhought you might be. From Ireland, tthhatsss a long way to come."
"I know,"Aoife replied as quicky as she could "its a long story, but please sir, could you help us find our friend? we're very worried about him."
"well I'd love to help you if I can, what does he look like, does he have a name ?" replied Bagus.
"Well he's very soft and furry and quite stripy really, purrs alot usually but we think we heard him crying somewhere in here not so long ago, his names Nyoman and I thinks he's like a big sort of cat."
"umm, not sssure I've ssseen him" Bagus replied " I did hear a bit of a rumpuss earlier on, like sssomeone running and breathing heavily but he was off before I could catch a glanccce"
" ssssorry I can't be more help."
"no problem" Aoife thanked him for his help and they carried on their journey.
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