Pi Day: Bayou Goo Pie

Saturdays in high school were spent on the battlefield. Legends were forged and Letterman Jackets were earned one equation at a time at Mu Alpha Theta math competitions across the state of Louisiana. The pressure was enough to snap your perfectly sharpened number two pencil and make you throw your TI-86 across the room (something I saw happen more than once).  The mathletes needed a leader, and as their president I was there to guide the way to glory.  I answered to only one person (aside from Pythagoras), and that was Mrs. Vedros. Whether putting up with a bunch of teenagers randomly serenading her with "You've Lost that Loving Feeling" at the Math State Convention Dance (yeah you wish you could have been there) or giving us moon pies to teach us about the importance of Pi Day, she was always there to make sure math won the day.

Some of the finest Mathletes the state of Louisiana has ever seen: (L to R) Eric, Thienan, Perry "P-Squared", and yours truly holding the massive trophy. I know it's hard to believe, but we were all single when this picture was taken.

Despite having the blog for over three years now, I had never properly celebrated Pi Day (aside from Kevin's write-up of Bumbleberry Pie). As this was the ultimate once in a century Pi Day extending all the way out to four decimal places (3.1415), I was not going to settle for another year of staring longingly at other people's pies on Facebook. I was going to recreate one of the greatest dessert concoctions from the pie Eden known as House of Pies that started it all and make my fellow mathletes proud.

Me in all my glory in high school (far left) receiving my outstanding math student award from Mrs. Vedros. Sadly my killer (and against the Catholic school dress code) side burns cannot be properly admired.

Bayou Goo Pie
Filling adapted from Real Cajun Recipes and Crust from All Recipes
Servings: 1 ~ 28.3" circumference Pie
Time: 20 minutes (plus setting in the fridge overnight or at least 2 hours)

Crust
1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Filling and Topping
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
8 oz Cool Whip (separated)
1 (4 oz) box chocolate instant pudding
1 (4 oz) box vanilla instant pudding
2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk chocolate chips (separated)
Cocoa powder, sifted

Amazing graham cracker crust ready in under 15 minutes.  

Calculate the proper dish depth or be "forced" to eat the excess

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. Make the easiest crust ever by mixing the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter, and cinnamon together in a bowl.  Press the mix into a 9" pie tin. Bake for 7-10 minutes until golden and crisp.
3. Let cool to a level greater than or equal to how awesome you were in high school.
4. Make the first layer by combining the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and half of the cool whip using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer. 
5. Stir in half the chocolate chips and fill in the first layer of pie.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk the puddings, milk, and vanilla together. Stir in the chocolate chips, and let set for 5 minutes.
7. Create a pudding layer on top of the cream cheese layer. Cover and let set over night.
8. Top with the remaining cool whip and dust on some cocoa powder.
9. Relive your glory days in math club while enjoying a delightful slice.

The pie should be filled with peaks, like those that we fortunately did not reach in high school.

For being by far the easiest pie to make, this also just may have been the tastiest as it stacked up quite nicely to its House of Pies inspiration. The graham cracker crust was a departure from the standard pecan crust of a Bayou Goo pie, but it did invoke the childhood sensation of eating s'mores. Future attempts could involve using both graham cracker and pecan in the crust at 0.927 and 0.573 cups, respectively, for a beautiful golden ratio achieving the best of all worlds. Resting gloriously above that crust lies the amazing cream cheese and chocolate vanilla layers (reminiscent of Black and White Cupcakes). My only regret (other than not having a kiddie pool filled with it) was that my pie dish was not deep enough to allow for maximum enjoyment of all layers.

Attempts to calculate the rate of consumption were hindered by its exponentially growing nature due to optimal deliciousness.

While enjoying my Pi Day creation, I took some time to think back fondly on my Mu Alpha Theta days. Some of my best high school experiences were those weekends where my fellow square pegs and I got to forget about our lack of sports acumen at a school that best resembled Varsity Blues meets Friday Night Lights and come together to kick some scantron ass. From Thienan's and my attempts to see how many times we could karaoke Sk8er Boi on the bus before even our fellow geeks turned against us (the answer is about 3) to coming in second to what I am still convinced is the world's first sentient robot in FACTORIAL!, a Jeopardy like event at State, thanks to my encyclopedic movie knowledge to Perry and I pushing each other with our rivalry to be the smartest mathlete around driving us to new, mathier heights, I will never forget all the fun times we had just being ourselves. We were nerds, and we loved it. We even have the trophies to prove it.

Next up: Mole Day!

Two Mu Alpha Theta presidents partaking in some Quiz Bowl and most likely answering the question "Who is the most awesome mathlete of them all?".

Brinner Madness: Sriracha Waffles

In this period of life transition where I currently reside, I have come up with a new life goal- to make waffles more often (Yep, I'm definitely getting a little ambitious over here. It's a good thing that I'm too young to run for president...). Perhaps I am overcompensating for the loss of my beloved Parks and Rec, or maybe my body is expressing its cravings for delicious breakfast-fare that my usual granola bar as I leave the house just can't satisfy.

Tonight I found myself in a brinner kind of mood, and it was time to try a savory waffle after the previous two Funfetti and Chocolate varieties. Could I find inspiration in the ghosts of Kimchi Pancakes from long ago and deliver a spicy dish worthy of the sriracha name?

Sriracha Waffles
Heavily Modified from All Recipes
Servings: 4-6 waffles
Time: 20 minutes

1 egg, beaten

If it doesn't appear super-saturated with sriracha, then you're not done.

1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup and 2 tbsp milk
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 white onion, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
Sriracha, to taste (but use loads of it)
Turkey sausage patties
Eggs, fried or poached
Cheddar cheese, grated
Black Pepper

1. Beat the eggs, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, milk, and oil together in a medium bowl until a smooth batter forms.
2. Mix in tons of sriracha. Then just when you think you have enough, put at least 25% more.
3. Stir in the jalapeno and onion.
4. Pour into a preheated waffle iron until crispy and golden ~5 minutes. These are best served fresh for maximum crispness, but you can keep them warm in an oven preheated to 200 F while you work through the batches.
5. Top with sausage patties, egg, cheese, black pepper, and additional sriracha.

Feel free to just roll it up and eat it like street food at this point. 

By itself, this spicy waffle would make a wonderful hand-held snack, but combined with the day starting power of sausage, a poached egg, and cheese, this became a hearty meal for the ages deserving of a spot amongst the Brinner of the Gods (I'm also pretty sure I figured out Taco Bell's next big campaign). The crispy veggie filled waffle provided exactly the spicy sriracha goodness I was hoping for and should be wrapped around all breakfast foods imaginable, while the gooey ruptured poached egg brought each and every bite together in beautiful breakfast-y harmony. Sometimes, it's good to succeed at your life's goals no matter how insignificant or delicious they may be.

Is there any greater satisfaction in life than breaking an egg yolk? Feel the power!

Here's to Leslie Knope: Funfetti and Chocolate Waffles

For the past seven years, Parks and Rec has provided countless half hours of pure joy. More so than any show on television, it was about hope and never left you without smile on your face the size of Lil' Sebastian. From Duke Silver to Bert Macklin to Jean-Ralphio, Parks always found a ridiculous way to make us laugh. When it came time to both celebrate fellow Parks fanatic (and award winning shortbread decorator) Kathryn's birthday as well as watch the finale, we knew what we had to do (sorry, Ben, but calzones just aren't dessert food). The result was an amazingly delicious night of birthday waffles that would have made the world's greatest fake public servant, Leslie Knope, proud.

For the life of me, I will never understand why Jerry Terry Garry looks so sad here.

Funfetti Waffles
Adapted from Celebrations.com
Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 3-4 large waffles

Now you have to decide if it goes in a cake pan or a waffle iron

Waffles
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Funfetti Cake mix
3 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp  salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Colorful sprinkles to your heart's content

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
4 tbsp Funfetti Cake mix
4 tbsp milk
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Even more colorful sprinkles, preferably shaped like dinosaurs

1. Preheat your oven to 200 F.
2. Whisk the flour, cake mix, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. 
3. Make a well and add in the eggs, milk, olive oil, and vanilla extract. 
4. Whisk together until a thick batter forms. 
5. Stir in extra sprinkles to make it more colorful.
6. Add ~ 1/3 of the mix to a hot waffle iron coated with cooking spray and cook until the waffle is easily removed (typically ~3-5 minutes). Keep waffles warm in the oven after they're done.
7. Make the glaze by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl. Change it to your desired consistency by adding milk or powdered sugar. The current recipe is on the thick side.
8. Prove to the world that bringing your sprinkles with you during your move was the best choice ever and decorate the hell out of some waffles.

Layer upon layer of sugar the way god intended. 

Of our two waffles, I think these were the most up Leslie's alley. It's a waffle made of cake! The funfetti taste (and of course fun) really came through in this unique sugar bomb that held the distinction of being the birthday girl's favorite. Plus it finally gave me a chance to prove to Robin that bringing all of my sprinkles with me during the move was not in fact insane (dinosaur sprinkles all the way!). My only regret was that we have a thinner waffle maker and these would have been even more caketastic in larger, Belgium Waffle form.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Waffles
Adapted from Alton Brown
Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6-8 large waffles

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs at room temp, beaten
2 oz unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
16 oz buttermilk, room temp
Milk chocolate chips
Whipped cream
Raspberries

1. Preheat your oven to 200 F.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, melted (and cooled) butter, vanilla, and buttermilk together. Make sure to have these near room temp, or your batter may take on a weird consistency.
4. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and whisk well.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
6. Ladle the desired amount into the waffle iron and let cook until finished (typically around 3-5 minutes). Keep waffles warm in the oven until finished.
7. Apply a small, yet pretty amount of whipped cream and raspberries for the picture. Immediately add a Leslie Knope-ian amount once said pictures are taken.

Picture showcases ~1/10 of the final amount of whipped cream used while eating.

For Robin and I, these chocolate waffles won the night. The perfect amount of chocolate soothed us while we said goodbye to our favorite show, but it also allowed us to have tons of fun with a can of whipped cream while we made sure each bite of waffle was properly covered (and then washed them down with some straight from the source). These were great for the size/texture that our waffle maker produces, and they blew away my previous attempt at chocolate waffles.

Parks taught us many important life lessons like the love of breakfast foods

These waffles provided us with a proper sendoff for our most beloved Parks crew, while they in turn gave us one of the most brilliant and rewarding finales ever. I thought I was going to be sad to see my tv friends go, but I was too busy being excited and smiling yet again while watching their pitch perfect futures. Goodbye, Pawnee, and thanks for everything!

I now leave you with the immortal wisdom of Leslie Knope.

"We need to remember what's important in life: friends, waffles, work. Or waffles, friends, work. Doesn't matter, but work is third."

Super Bowl Coffee Whoopie Pies

For last year's Super Bowl, I may have gone slightly overboard by making a dish for each team (see Denver's Double Cheddar Beer Bread and Seattle's White Mocha Caramel Frappuccino Cupcakes), so this year I decided to consolidate my baking into one mega-cookie encompassing both teams with the New England staple whoopie pie featuring a coffee cream cheese filling in honor of the land of Starbucks.

Coffee Whoopie Pies
Adapted from this post, Mrs. Fields, and Food Network
Time: 60 minutes (plus cooling)
Servings: 6 giant whoopie pies

Properly mixed batter

Cookies
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground espresso
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup salted butter, softened
3 large eggs, room temp
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Sugar and butter made better with caffeine!

Filling
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 cups powdered sugar
3-5 tbsp freshly brewed espresso (I used Cafe Bustelo)

1. Preheat the oven to 300 F.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ground espresso, and cocoa powder together in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugars together in a stand mixer until they form a grainy paste.
4. Mix in the vanilla and one egg at a time until fully incorporated. 
5. Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture in several batches. Be careful not to overmix.
6. Stir in the chocolate chips.
7. Scoop ~ an ice cream scoop's worth of batter onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking sheet. This is key to get the right cookie height and texture.
8. Bake for 18-22 minutes, rotating once halfway through. When the edges start to firm up, they are done.
9. Let cool on the baking sheets for an additional 3 minutes. Then transfer to wire racks to finish.
10. Make the filling by creaming the butter, salt and cream cheese together until smooth using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment. Make sure the cream cheese and butter are near room temp or you'll get nasty lumps.
11. Mix in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. 2 cups gives a good level of sweetness that isn't overwhelming, but feel free to adjust.
12. Add in the brewed espresso 1 tbsp at a time until you reach the desired level of amazing coffee flavor. 
13. Once the cookies have cooled, assemble the whoopie pies by scooping frosting in between two giant cookies.
14. Let cool in the fridge until ready to serve (at least 1 hour).

They already look so perfect and they're not even sandwiched around frosting yet!

Whoopie pies may just be my favorite dessert, and this was the closest I have come to recreating the SusieCakes awesomeness that introduced me to them. Using a silicone baking sheet produced the best cookie quality yet, as the cookies spread less and maintained their jaw-unhinging height better than ever before (it's also important not to overmix or you'll get a batter that's far too thin). The coffee flavor did not really come through in the cookie (thanks to all the awesome chocolate), but the frosting more than made up for it, as the coffee alterations led to the best whoopie pie filling I have made yet.

This juggernaut of a cookie sandwich casts a large shadow over all other baked goods

Now enjoy a special addendum on an alternate version of the cookie that I made during one of my Robin Night Shift care packages.

The Radioactive Cherry Almond Cookie Option

I was worried they were going to jump up and attack me.

Additional Ingredients (cookie only)

Maraschino cherries, drained and cut in half

Almond slivers

Switch in dark chocolate cocoa powder 

This cookie previously appeared in the toxic waste scene at the end of Robocop.

1. Go to the store hoping to get fresh cherries for some amazing cookies. Realize it's winter, and there are no fresh cherries available, so settle for super sweet, bright red maraschino cherries.
2. Follow the above recipe for making the cookies but substitute in the dark chocolate cocoa powder, and stir in the cherries and almonds at the end.
3. Be amazed that something that looks like a melting alien can taste so good!

Success! One of them looked normal and edible!

Despite their odd, radioactive appearance, these cookies were actually pretty tasty. I was hoping to recreate the amazingness of these Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond Muffins in unhealthier seeming cookie form, and for the most part I succeeded. This definitely will require some revisiting with fresh cherries at a later day to achieve maximum cookie excellence.

Arroz con Pollo

Growing up in a New Orleans/Cuban household had its food related perks. While a good home-cooked meal tended to skew toward the Cajun side of our heritage, there were two mouthwatering Cuban dishes that my mom specialized in- the cardiologist's worst nightmare fried steak known as milanesa and the simple yet oh so soul enrichingly delightful arroz con pollo. Now that I had wet my toes in the Cuban cooking water, it was time to tackle one of my mom's heavy hitters.

Would my arroz con pollo make my ancestors proud, or would I be cut out from my future inheritance?

Arroz con Pollo
Adapted from discussions with my Mom and The Cuban Table by A. Pelaez and E. Silverman
Servings: 8-10
Time: 2 hours

3 lbs chicken (I used breasts and thighs)
Lime juice
Salt 

Pretty much the base for all Cuban dishes and for good reason

Pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped and drained pimentos + more for garnish
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp saffron
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Red chilli flakes to taste
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup white wine
6 oz beer
1/2 lb asparagus, chopped
3 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 16 oz package short grain Spanish Saffron Rice
1 cup sweet peas

1. Miss your Cuban mom's home-cooking.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe pot until hot but not smoking.
3. Brown the chicken in the oil for ~6-8 minutes per side. Set aside on a plate lined with paper towels.
4. Sauté the onion, bell pepper, and garlic in the oil until the onion becomes soft and translucent (~ 6 minutes).
5. Stir in the crushed tomato, pimentos, cumin, oregano, nutmeg, cayenne, saffron, red chilli flakes, and bay leaves. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Return the chicken to the pot along with the wine and beer. Let simmer for 5 more minutes.
7. Add the asparagus, water, and bouillon cubes. Adjust seasonings (it's okay to be a little salty now because the rice will help). Bring to a boil.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
9. Add the Spanish Saffron Rice and let boil over high heat uncovered for 20-25 minutes until the rice has absorbed a good amount of the liquid.
10. Mix in the peas, cover, and let cook in the oven for an additional 20 minutes.
11. Serve with additional pimentos for garnish.
12. Take in all the love.

I would like to thank my stomach for being too small to physically allow me to eat the entire pot in one sitting.

Each bite transported me back to my mom's table, and would have made her even more gushingly proud than she usually is. Sure the dish sounds simple (it's chicken and rice after all), but the flavors are anything but. The result was essentially a risotto/stew hybrid combining both juiciness and heartiness, while the chicken was perfectly moist and fall-apart tender. The rice and chicken absorbed all the wine, beer, saffron, and broth goodness to hammer home that Cuban soul, while the cayenne instilled some Cajun spirit and spice. There isn't a single thing about this dish that I would have changed because it hit each and every note (and heart string) exactly as I had hoped.

Sriracha Cookies aka The Hot Robin

Sometimes you get an idea that's just crazy enough to work. Fortunately, I had plenty of crazy to turn into culinary thoughts thanks to spending far too much time surrounded by only animals during the current job hunt. I had previously made the already insane Robin cookies (they're curry, cardamom, and cinnamon based, how does that even work as a dessert?) once back in Houston, but their inspiration was not able to enjoy them. As a result, it only seemed right to finally make some for her in her night shift care package (see Chicken Fideo Soup). But I would not be satisfied with simply repeating myself. No, I would make them even more ridiculous than ever by adding the next most ludicrous cookie component I could think of, the spice of the gods known as Sriracha, to complete my Frankensteinian quest and breathe life into THE HOT ROBIN!

The Hot Robin
Modified from The Spice House and My Original Robin Cookie the Triple C
Servings: 36-48 cookies
Time: 30 minutes (+ 4 hours resting)

The batter should provide a nice tingle when tried

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2-1 tsp ground cardamom
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
Sriracha to taste
1 cup salted, roasted pecans, chopped

1. Get really bored during your search for a job while waiting for your significant other to return home and allow your Netflix binging to continue.
2. Cream the butter and brown sugar together.
3. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until thoroughly incorporated.
4. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl then add in multiple increments until smooth. 
5. Stir in the pecans.
6. Get brave and decide to put sriracha in a batch because surely this can't be the craziest thing you've ever done. This makes 4 batches of cookies, so I'd suggest reserving at least half to give you the full experience of sriracha vs. sriracha-free. You want to add enough to give a light red tint to the dough. Fortunately, cookie dough is fun to eat and delicious, so do a taste test before proceeding.
7. Wrap each batch in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
9. Slice the dough into the desired size cookies (around 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
10. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden.
11. Let cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes then transfer to wire racks to finish.
12. Enjoy comparing both equally delicious versions of The Robin.

You can practically see the spice waiting to be devoured

Sure there may have been 3 batches of standard Robin cookies to ensure our sweet-tooths would not be disappointed, but I was, nevertheless, still worried about the outcome. I needed this win, and I got it. The Hot Robin was a tremendous success! Just like it would have in an actual meal, the sriracha worked beautiful magic with the curry and cardamom to enhance the already unique experience. Reminiscent of my Fiery Red Hot Red Velvet Cupcakes, the cookies featured a fantastic tingly hit of spice on the backend without being overwhelmed by it yielding a cookie worthy of its namesake. For best results, pair with tea and a good book.

Or if you're not quite adventurous enough, you could try the standard, less colorful but equally delightful Robin cookie.

Sopa de Pollo con Fideos

Following the success of Cajun Cubanos and Robin's awesome Cuban cookbook Christmas present, I decided that my New Year's cooking resolution was to get more in touch with my Cuban half. After many mornings of strong Cuban coffee and an initial attempt at the Cuban staple black beans that was somewhat underwhelming (and will become a post after some further attempts and tweaking), I realized I was going to have to connect the two halves of my heritage and Cajunify my Cuban cuisine for the best of all worlds.

With a freeze approaching and a night-shift Robin in need of a food-laden care package, I decided to go with the Hispanic version of chicken noodle soup known as sopa de pollo con fideos spiced up with some New Orleans andouille sausage along with some fresh rolls and cookies (more on that to come later) to keep us warm and too full to care about the weather.

Sopa de Pollo con Fideos
Adapted from The Cuban Table by A. Pelaez and E. Silverman
Servings: 6-8
Time: 60 minutes

What are so many veggies doing in my cooking?

4 cups shredded chicken (about 2-3 lbs)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb andouille sausage, sliced
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1" rounds
1/2 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 1/2 yellow onions, diced
2 green bell peppers, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
5-6 cups chicken stock
1 bay leag
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Red chili flakes to taste
1/2 tsp saffron threads
Sriracha to taste
10 oz fideo noodles (thin spaghetti)
Lime juice

Perfectly shredded chicken. Thanks, pressure cooker!

1. Make your shredded chicken. I lazily made mine by adding 2.5 lbs chicken breasts, 4 cups water, 3 chicken bouillon cubes, 1 chopped carrot, 1 chopped bell pepper, 1/2 onion, and sriracha to a pressure cooker and cooking under high pressure for 20 minutes. This also doubled as most of my stock, and it was delicious. Set aside.
2. Heat your oil over medium in a 6 quart pot. Sauté the carrots, potatoes, onion, bell pepper, garlic and sausage together until the sausage is cooked through and the veggies are tender (about 10 minutes).
3. Add in the chicken stock, bay leaf, salt, pepper, red chili flakes, saffron, and sriracha. Bring to a fast simmer and let cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add your noodles and let simmer until the noodles are tender (~ 10 minutes).
5. At long last, add the shredded chicken and cook until warmed through (5-10 minutes). Adjust the seasoning, and serve with a dash of lime juice.

So much going on and all of it delightful

This soup was exactly what I needed to hibernate during the freeze (It's amazing how spoiled I have already become to avoiding cold weather after just a month away from near constant travel to upstate New York.). Starting with the pressure cooker shredded chicken that was already a delicious soup on its own, I knew this was going to hit the spot. The andouille sausage I added gave it the perfect hint of gumbo, while each bite was overflowing with all the noodles, veggies, and chicken your heart could desire. In fact the ratio of broth to ingredients was heavily on the ingredient side, which was exactly what I was looking for. My original introduction to chicken fideo soup was at the Loredo Taqueria in Houston, oddly enough in taco form because of Texas law, and this brought back all those wonderful memories. Combined with the dense, buttery goodness of pan de media noche, and my greatest baking risk ever, the sriracha cookie (stay tuned), I had everything necessary for several days of a Netflix aided stupor while avoiding the barren wasteland of the outside world.

Buttery, eggy Cuban rolls perfect for dipping or just devouring on their own

The original inspiration for making this soup, the chicken fideo taco, transported me back to Texas during the lone day of harsh winter.