Harissa Ramen

The mail does not come until near evening here. Getting used to the rhythm of life in the new house has meant waiting until dark until the postman rolls his truck up front, with packages from UPS and Fed Ex arriving even later, sometimes as the children are getting ready for bed.

Their energy and enthusiastic smiles are infectious, especially as they do their Santa work, delivering holiday cards and Christmas gifts to our door. They’re starting to trickle in, and it’s the Christmas cards that I love the most.

Call me corny, but I love Christmas cards. I love seeing how big our friends’ children have grown. And to be honest, I always prefer the picture cards when the whole family is there, but I understand how elusive the family picture can be. This year, the photo for our own card almost became an afterthought, and my sanity thought it best to keep it simple by capturing a picture of just the kids.

So there’s the key word: sanity. How are you staying sane this holiday season?

With 10 days to go until Christmas eve, I’m finding myself at the busiest time of year – so I just don’t have the time or energy for anything elaborate when it comes to dinner. By now you know that soup is my best friend, but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Spicing it up with some heat and a luxurious soft boiled egg is all it takes to make me excited about a simple bowl of noodle soup.

I pulsed some roasted red peppers with garlic and herbs to make a spicy jar of harissa sauce. I keep it in the fridge and it comes in handy – whether I’m roasting chicken, jazzing up some pork tenderloin or in this case, Harissa Ramen. The best part of ramen is I can use leftovers (pork, chicken, etc.) and pantry ingredients. And then there’s the soft boiled egg; I’m not sure what it is, but a soft boiled egg is always reason to get excited, for me. Kind of like the Christmas cards in the mail.