Time for a Facelift…

…for my blog, thank you very much.  Hey, welcome to the moderate epicurean’s new blog platform.  It’s taken hours to set this bad boy up, but it’s starting to come together.  I was ready for a fresher look and after extensive messing around on both WordPress and OnSugar to see which platform I liked better, OnSugar won.  I have a ton of work to do to copy my recipes over – unfortunately one by one – but it forces me to categorize them, which I know you’ll agree I should have done long ago (sorry)…

Turns out blogging is a much calmer way to digest spicy food than watching a thundering, dizzying action movie.  Last night’s fiery Tea House Szechaun + Quantum of Solace (new James Bond flick) = major indigestion. But today, I’m happy to report that even after a brunch of spicy chicken and pickled vegetable leftovers, the fire in my belly cooled with each widget I added, aaahhh.

In fact, I wish I had more of those pickled vegetables – diced small, each piece was an addictive explosion of crunchy, spicy, oily saltiness.  If you head to Tea House, and you’re ready for some serious heat, they’re a must-order, along with five-spice shrimp (their version is shelled, me likey), chong king spicy chicken, and searingly tasty dan-dan noodles.  (You might want to stash a couple of Rolaids on the bedside table after that meal.  Yeah.)

Tonight, still craving Asian flavors, I’m making stir-fried beef and noodles, a recipe I found in Delicious Magazine.  Have you ever picked up a copy?  I hadn’t before, but needing inspiration for the food-styling class I’m taking, I grabbed one and wow – what a publication.  Great recipes, gorgeous photos.  Another mind-blower – and interestingly, also Australian – is Donna Hay Magazine.  If you’re bored with the usual, I recommend both pubs highly.  Anyhow, if the beef and noodles dish ends up as tasty as it promises to be, I’ll post the recipe.  Under pasta.  Ooh, I’m (about to be) so organized…

Moderate it: let’s face it, Chinese food as we Americans eat it is seriously caloric.  To counter the craziness, I aim to fill up primarily on vegetables, then meat, with small amounts of white rice or noodles. Steamed vegetables with sauce on the side can be tasty, but if you don’t want to be quite that disciplined, you can request stir-fried dishes cooked with smaller amounts of oil.