If You Feed Them, They Will Come

I'll admit it. I was scared of becoming the mother of teenagers. As my little boys grew up, I pretended it would never happen...that I could just live in the moment and everything would work itself out as the years passed. But, eventually, adolescence arrived in our household.


Having teenaged twins is a lot of fun, punctuated by moments where I wonder if my boys would prefer their dad and I moved away to a tropical island and left them to fend for themselves.


Some days (most, lately) they don't even want to be in the same room with us. I'm thankful that I still remember my own teen years, and how hanging out in my room was my preferred evening activity. I'm also thankful for our psychology textbook, which reassured me this week that this behavior is perfectly normal.


I try to look forward to those times when one of the boys voluntarily emerges from his “cave” and interacts with me. No matter the topic – something at school, a movie, or life in general – I have committed myself to engaging with them during these rare occasions, no matter what I'm doing at the time. I hope, in some way, I'm making a positive impact. Meanwhile, I figure if I keep feeding them yummy dinners they'll have to come up and see me every once-in-awhile.


Poor Man's Pho


In honor of teenagers and their amazing appetites, I created this very cheap/easy version of pho. It doesn't taste exactly like the restaurant version, but it's still pretty good. Plus, bonus, it smells great so it's more likely to lure teens out of their rooms to come and talk to you for a few minutes while it's cooking.


First, you'll need a package of Picante Beef Top Ramen (pictured above).  You'll also need some cinnamon and some soy sauce.  The Sriracha sauce is optional, but mandatory if you love it spicy!

Prepare the Top Ramen according to package directions, adding the enclosed spice packet, a few shakes of soy sauce, and one or two dashes of cinnamon.  This is what gives it that semi-authentic pho flavor.  You can also add a TINY pinch of cloves if you have some.  Just don't go overboard.

While the noodles are cooking, chop up some cilantro, green onions, and a chili pepper.  You can also add lime wedges or bean sprouts if you have them on hand.

Another optional ingredient is meat - if I have some leftovers, I will add a little cooked beef, chicken, or shrimp.  However, it's just as good without.  I like to add this after the noodles have cooked, just to re-heat it.

When the noodles are done and the meat is hot, ladle some into a big bowl and add the cilantro, green onions, chili pepper slices, and a couple of (optional) squirts of Sriracha.  Enjoy!