Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup

I crave Hot and Sour Soup when I get sick. I love it when it's so spicy it clears up my sinuses. This is a vegetarian version I've been playing around with. It has egg but you could omit that if you really wanted to. I recommend leaving the egg in the recipe unless you're going for a vegan dish.

The hardest part is the chopping. Once I started chopping I just kept going until I had everything chopped. I put half of everything in a big bowl and put it in the fridge for the next day. Hot and Sour soup on the second day is so much faster. You could just double the recipe and use everything at once.

I always crave this when I'm sick so I usually go for a pretty hot flavor. You can scale back on the pepper and chili garlic sauce and add more to taste.

I find that the trick to a restaurant taste is to let it cook for a long time so the tofu becomes less tofu-y. If you don't mind the tofu taste you can eat it a lot sooner. I think restaurants have a big pot on a burner and they just let it simmer until someone orders it.

Hot and Sour Soup

1 32 oz box Vegetable broth

2 cubes vegetable bouillon

2 cups water

1/4 c rice vinegar

1/8 c low sodium soy sauce

1-2 Tbsp Chili Garlic Sauce, start with 1 tbsp and increase to taste

1 pinch of sugar

1/2-1 tsp of finely ground white pepper

1/2 can of bamboo shoots, cut into matchsticks

1/4 package firm tofu, cut into matchsticks, drain on paper towel

2-3 green onions, chopped

1/2  package of gourmet mushroom blend, further sliced into thin pieces

3 Tbsp of corn starch

3 Tbsp cold water

1 Egg

Slices of green onion and La Choy Fried Rice Noodles to garnish (Optional)

Start with your tofu to give it time to drain.  Cut your tofu into matchsticks and place on a paper towel to drain. 

Add your broth, bouillon, water, vinegar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, sugar and pepper to a soup pot. Allow it to come to a boil. Add vegetables and tofu and bring back to a gentle boil. Turn heat to simmer and place a lid on the pot. Allow to simmer for at least an hour. I don't like my tofu to taste like tofu so I cook it until it taste like something else. I left this particular batch simmering for just over two and a half hours. Yum!

In a small bowl or measuring cup, add your corn starch and the cold water and stir. Slowly add this to your pot while stirring. I add it 1/3 at a time, stirring slowly. You may not need all of it. This will thicken it up. Allow it to simmer a while longer for the corn starch to cook up and the soup to thicken.

In a small bowl or measuring cup (I rinsed and reused the same one), beat an egg with a fork. Beat it to within an edge of its life. You don't want any big pieces. Beating is good here.

Now...I have trouble with this part. But slowly stir the soup in one directions. While you are stirring it SLOWLY drizzle in your beaten egg in a small stream.

Continue to cook for another few minutes to make sure the eggs cook up.

Bowl it up with more sliced green onion and the La Choy Fried Egg Noodles on top.

The noodles add a nice crunch!

COT Dorm Room Inspections

Hubs left for COT ten days ago and it seems like he's been gone forever. Please don't confuse me for one of those needy and clingy wives as I am not one. It really does seem like a long time. Part of that could be because I've been fighting a wicked chest cold. I've been feeling really gross but very happy that it isn't the flu. I've also been out of work as my industry shuts down for Christmas and having a hacking crew member is just bad for morale. (Audio equipment is very sensitive.)

Hubs had a dorm room inspection today and his flight failed the test. If you're going to COT I suggest you look up the details for a dorm room and start working on your folding. There is a lengthy list of do's and don'ts and you might save yourself some trouble by planning ahead of time.

Hubs got dinged for having a coffee cup on his desk. Others had more serious infractions resulting in demerits.

There are several video tutorials on the folding of t-shirts, socks, etc. on YouTube. Look for the Air Force ones and try to practice before you leave.

I'm not allowed to send any care packages until they pass room inspection.

Part of my nervous energy over him being gone has been directed towards care packages and cooking soup.

I'm drowning in soup.

I've also put together a lovely package for a friend stationed in Afghanistan.

Next week I may send her my living room couch.

Holy Non-Refundable Pet Fees, Batman

It's my anniversary and Hubs is at Maxwell so I thought I'd do something to perk up my afternoon. I decided to make my hotel reservations for Montgomery for his graduation.

They're such hellions. 

Interesting thing I just discovered. While some hotels in Montgomery allow you to bring pets at least one charges a $100 NON-REFUNDABLE pet fee.

What?

I called.

I asked.

They said it's so they can deep clean the carpets and room once you checked-out.

I know I can board my chihuahuas for less than that. I just want to take the dogs because it's a short enough drive, it will be good PCS practice for the dogs and the hubs misses them terribly.

I'm not doing this to call out a particular brand of hotels for their fine print. I try to limit the snark on my blog, avoid giving scathing reviews and limit that to my other other Twitter account. I'm just pointing this out in case anyone is planning to travel with your pets to any graduations in Montgomery. Check the fine print.

Anyway, if you're going...I hope to meet you there.

And your dogs.

COT Day 3

I've received one text and an email. Things seem super hectic at COT. I wish I started a Facebook page for friends and family for this particular class. We could probably string together the cryptic emails and frantic texts to draw a conclusion about what they're going through. Besides, having someone to toss care package ideas around is always a good thing.

Future COT'ers, take note.

I did put his first care package together. It contained the following:

One pillow from our bed, packed in a Spacebag along with a dryer sheet
One package of Oreos to share with his flight-mates
One package of powdered Gatorade drink mix
One package of 100 Calorie Cocoa Almonds
One package of granola bars
One package of organic fruit leathers
One hand written card with an update on stuff at home...all good news.

In other exciting news...

Hubs forgot to pack his cold and take it with him.

I had a scratchy throat this morning and it got worse over the day.

I bought NyQuil and cough drops at Publix.

I drank my NyQuil out of a shot glass.

Big pimpin'...housewife style.

COT Day 1

I just got a text message that said he was alive and trying to go to bed. While I was tempted to ask him more questions I decided to suck it up and just tell him to kick butt, take names and message me when he could. Sometimes I think being a good wife is about just letting things go and not wanting details.

I sent him off this morning with two suitcases, a gym bag full of towels and his briefcase. I hope he didn't show up looking like a pack mule. Again...sometimes you just need to let it go.

He called about an hour from Maxwell when he realized he forgot some paperwork. It was paperwork he may or may not have needed but to be on the safe side I made a lovely dash to Maxwell and got there about 10 minutes to spare. (Almost three hours in driving with the traffic from Atlanta and the overturned syrup truck...I-85 was sticky...Ha!) My phone was dead, I hadn't showered and I was a hot mess. I was also in my pajamas.

I tossed him the paperwork, he took off and then I went in search of a charger for my iPhone 5.  It's a new phone and I needed a charger but never got around to it. Nothing says needing a charger like being almost three hours from home and wearing pajamas.

I came home, opened a 750ml bottle of Blasphemy beer and hung out with my neighbor, Jason.

Jason's wife is traveling abroad and we've committed to grabbing a meal or sharing leftovers since we're both solo for the next several weeks. Jason's mom is a retired Colonel and he's familiar with the nuttiness. Another neighbor has offered to cook dinner the nights the movers are packing us up. I've had two other neighbors offer to come by for mover oversight duty while they pack our goods.  Living in a condo has its perks.

Lesson learned: Wait until after he leaves before starting the task of purging and cleaning closets. My house needs a good torching, as with a bomb or big set of matches. I started buy had to stop halfway through. I couldn't get anything done last week as we were prepping for COT. Now I'm stuck with piles of clothes, hangers and assorted random all over my house. I don't know which end is up and I would bang my head on the table if I could find it.

Good news: We got the antique furniture out of storage in SC.

Bad news: It's a dusty mess and I needed more time to get it cleaned up. It took longer than expected and we both got sick from all the dust and crazy schedules.

Lesson learned: Check the calendar and plan an early celebration for any big dates he'll miss. We made dinner reservations and celebrated our anniversary last night since he'll miss it later in the month. A nice steak at a great restaurant meant he could relax and I didn't have to cook. I'm guessing Maxwell has great restaurants but taking him to a REALLY great restaurant was a nice send off.

Buying Uniforms for COT and Christmas (before a big move)

Here are some things I picked up on while hubs and I were shopping for his uniforms last week. He begins Commissioned Officer Training (COT) soon and then he's off to JASOC. We've been in prep mode so there hasn't been much time to blog. I'm also including some gift ideas if you're looking to have some COT friendly gifts as part of your holiday, give a send-off gift, pack something in the suitcase as a nice surprise or mail a care package later on.

Our tree.

We live about 2 and a half hours from Maxwell and decided to make a day trip to buy uniforms before COT. The Exchange that has the uniforms is actually a block or two behind the main base exchange (the big one is a lot like a small Target and the smaller only has uniforms). There was also another store where items could be purchased but they were closed for the holiday. The store that was open had 95% of what he needed so there are only a few things left to pick up. He may even wait until the first day of COT. We were actually able to get almost everything from the COT uniform list but items like the flashlights need to be picked up at the other store. Yay!

We were told the PT uniforms sold at Maxwell and required for COT are different than the ones sold at most other bases. We thought we'd pick those up and anything else we could and pick up the rest at Dobbins or Robbins. We lucked out and got almost everything he needed.


Tips: 

What I learned: Green goes with green, blue goes with blue, BLACK GOES WITH EVERYTHING!

• The PT shirts are huge, so go down a size. They're also 85% polyester and I kept shocking myself so I'm sending hubs to COT with Static Guard.

• We were the only ones in the store when we got there and the associate went through the list with a fine tooth comb. She provided a lot of information. She was so amazing I'm going to send her a thank you card. Her name is Julie and if you're within driving distance of Maxwell it's totally worth a day trip (that you can write off your taxes in 2012 BTW.) We were there for almost three hours. She even knew how the shoes were supposed to fit. 

• They chalk your uniforms while you're there and they go straight to alterations along with the ABU shirts to have the velcro sewn on for the name tapes and such.

• We were told they don't give you a chance to try on if you buy the first day of COT. She said they just hand it to you based on what size you think you are. Oy! She said lots of people come back through to get a better size shoe.

• Julie said that good socks are key since they will spend so much time on their feet and marching is a lot harder than walking. Leave the Gold Toe or Calvin Klein socks at home and invest in the Under Armour and the Thorlo boot socks. If you're heel is slipping in the low quarter (black oxford shoes for the blues) you should get the thick socks they sell there and consider the gel inserts. We ended up spending close to $70 on socks. 

• Mess jackets run small in men's, not sure about women. We didn't get his mess jacket since he was between sizes and the woman who does the complicated alterations wasn't in. They advised us to come back after the holiday so she could be there to get him fitted.

• We grabbed an extra ABU uniform and extra PT uniform just so hubs wouldn't be on the same laundry schedule as everyone else/

• They'll keep your ABU shirts to sew velcro on them. They'll place orders for your blue name tags and name tapes for the ABUs. You aren't allowed to wear the JAG pin until you complete JASOC so you start with just your name and the Air Force tape on the front of the ABU. 

• If you're buying at a different base, make sure you tell them that you're a 1st LT and make sure they get the right rank. Most people starting off as officers are 2nd Lieutenants. They grabbed the wrong rank at first but as soon as I said he was a lawyer she knew he was a 1st Lieutenant and got us straightened out.

• I'm glad I took some time to read through parts of the AFI before going shopping. I started reading up when I was trying to shop for Christmas. With a 1,000 mile move I wanted to buy things that could be used at COT or JASOC (Read: I don't want to pack it while he's gone). We were also pretty good about buying smaller things this year. I wanted everything to fit inside a shoe box.

Here are a list of gifts that could be used at COT:

Last minute Christmas ideas or send off presents...

Remember: Green goes with green, blue goes with blue, BLACK GOES WITH EVERYTHING!


Black gloves (no logos). These can be worn with ABUs or the service blues. Grab a pair (or three) so he can wear them for PT as well. It actually gets cold in Maxwell in the winter, no snow, but cold enough to suck if you don't have gloves. Obviously, go with machine washable. He has a pair of Nike running gloves that he can use for PT but I'll have to kill the logo with a black sharpie.

Black watch cap. Like the black gloves these can be worn with any of their uniform combinations in cold weather. It's just the plain black knit hat that you can find for $2-$5 most anywhere. It appears as if polar fleece hats are also acceptable.

Ear muffs: Navy or black, over the head or behind the head. (Ross has the behind the head ones for $3.99). Again, blue can only go with the blue uniforms but black can go with anything.

Ipod or MP3: Yeah, I know you have one but unless it's black, dark blue or silver you'll need another one. My hubs had a bright blue iPod (I don't think they've ever released a dark blue one) that wasn't regulation according to the AFI. I opted for silver since much of their PT will happen in the early morning when it's still very dark. If he drops it at night it should be easy to find.

MP3 Player armbands have to be black too, no bedazzled armbands.

Watches:  Have to be black, silver or gold and trend neutral. I think it looks more professional to check your watch for the time instead of fishing out your cell phone. Hubs is definitely taking a watch. I'm not sure if they can even have cell phones with them during the day and while in class.

Thermal Underwear: Must be cream to wear under the ABU

T-shirts: Must be the sand color (for ABU) or white V-neck for the blues

Socks: Sage green boot socks for the boots and black for the low quarters. We went with a thicker black sock sold there but will look for a black hiking sock at REI. Invest in the good hiking socks that provide lots of support.

Shoe strings. The shoe strings for the black shoes and boots seemed a little on the thin side to me. I suspect a broken shoe string could spell extra stress so I'm going to look into picking up a spare set for the shoes and the boots. They don't take up much room and if you need them, you REALLY need them. Besides, he'll use them eventually.

Military IDs and prepping for COT

Last week the hubs took a long lunch and we drove to Dobbins to get his ID so we could get his uniforms before COT. I'm glad he was able to take a long lunch because the process took closer to two hours with the drive.

There were lots of retirees and people in uniform getting their new cards and several children in the waiting area.

Once our name was called it was a pretty quick process. We were only expecting to get his ID but she asked if I had two IDs and the marriage license. We did so I got one too!

My ID is red and I have no idea what access I am allowed with it. Hubs was listed as a reservist and I think they will issue a card of a different color after the start of COT. Not 100% sure.

(I'll post about buying his uniforms in my next blog.)

I've been picking up a few toiletry items each time I go to the store and I think I've got him stocked for the duration of COT and JASOC. He'll probably need to buy contact solution and deodorant before it's over but he won't need it for several weeks.  I like that he'll be able to focus on school and not worry about running to the store for a basic need item.

When he had his internship I bought him the LL Bean hanging toiletry bag. It will be perfect for COT and JASOC. It holds full size items so he'll be set for a while. We're also sending along his smaller toiletry bag since his class will be making a trip to DC and Florida and he'll need smaller travel sizes for those trips. I blogged about the LL Bean toiletry bag here.

I decided to send him with Tide PODs. It will be easier to take a few PODS to the laundry room instead of lugging around a bottle. I may scoop Oxyclean into ziplock snack bags but I suspect he's about to put his foot down before requiring the need of a pack mule to move in.

I'm also packing a snack box for him. The measurements for the approved seal-able container are the size of a shoe box and I was able to find him one at Target. I've read that meal times are pretty hectic and they sometimes only have 7 minutes to shovel food in their mouths and drink three glasses of water. I don't want him starving while he's trying to study so I'm sending along some healthy snacks with good calorie sources for his dorm room. In addition to granola bars I am sending along fruit leathers. I thought it would be nice to have something sweet available without sending straight up junk.

I got this kind from Trader Joe's and a few other flavors from Whole Foods. They only cost $ .55 each and there are a number of flavors available. They're also very small and are about 60 calories each.

Some other items going in the snack box:

Gatorade drink mix packets
Country Time lemonade drink packets
Beef Jerky
Various granola bars
Gu or other sports gel (in case he is able to squeeze in a long run on the weekends)
Chex Mix or other snack
Fruit cups