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Audrey JoAnn | Content and Copy Writer

Compelling Copy for Female Founders

Lots in Ramen

January 26, 2016

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Nothing makes me much happier than eating rich, indulgent ramen soup—not the kind that comes in styrofoam cups, either, but the stuff that’s homemade with a poached egg to top it off. But up until a few months ago, I was certain I did not have half the culinary skill to make a batch of that kind of ramen on my own. It looks so complicated! What even is a poached egg? How do you get the complex flavors just right?

And then, as usual, Pinterest swooped in and saved my life with this recipe I found . Let me be clear from the get-go: this recipe is so easy. Time-consuming, yes, but not difficult at all. And I am a whiner when it comes to difficult tasks, so you can go ahead and trust me on this. I’ve thrown in a few of my own tweaks (including way more Sriracha sauce than the original recipe calls for and jalapeños to up the spice factor even more, because I’m a rebel like that), but all in all, this is one of my absolute favorite comfort meals. Plus, it makes enough to feed a small tribe—or me for, like, a week and a half.

So, go ‘head with your gourmet self, and cook this up to impress all the ramen-adoring people in your life like I do. Go on. I dare you.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp. sesame oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, diced
  • 1 inch of ginger root, diced
  • 2 c. green onions, sliced
  • 1 tsp. curry powder
  • 1 tsp. coriander
  • 1/2 c. Sriracha
  • 6 c. vegetable broth
  • 4 c. water
  • 12 oz. dry udon noodles
  • 1 tbsp. coconut oil
  • 2 c. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 red bell peppers, sliced
  • 2 jalapeños, sliced
  • 1 c. steamed spinach
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 c. white vinegar
  • 1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

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Directions:

Heat sesame oil in large soup pot. Sauté garlic, ginger, and half of the green onions for 3-4 minutes. Add curry, coriander, and Sriracha and cook for 1 more minute.

Stir in vegetable broth and water. Let simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes.

Add the noodles and cook until softened, about 7-8 minutes. They absorb liquid–quick–so add more water if they soak it up too fast.

In a large sauce pan, sauté the mushrooms, red pepper, and jalapeños in coconut oil over medium-high heat until supertender.

To poach the eggs, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add vinegar and continue stirring in a swift circular motion while maintaining a slow boil. (The water circulating in this circular motion will help keep the egg from dropping to the bottom and sticking to the pot.) As the water is still spinning, crack an egg into the pot. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Repeat for all eggs.

To serve: ladle noodles and broth into a bowl. Top with sautéed veggies, steamed spinach, a poached egg, fresh green onion, and cilantro.

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3 Comments in Food, Health

Hearty Vegetable Lager Soup

December 30, 2015

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Hi! I’m back! I hope you had the merriest Christmas and are ready for a joyous New Year. I took a little week-and-a-half hiatus from Freckles and Figs while I was at home in Las Vegas spending time with family: learning to play Hearts, climbing through Calico Basin and Red Rock National Park, running errands with my always-busy mom, playing ball with and brushing the snarly fur of my old Border Collie Charlie, seeing the Beatles Love (best Cirque du Soleil show ever), playing Blackjack with my boyfriend and family, and eating. Always eating.

My mom likes to say she’s a “horrible” cook, but while I was home, I don’t think I was never not full, from king crab legs dipped in lemon-butter for Christmas Eve supper, to spicy tortilla soup (two versions: one for meat eaters and one for veggies, like me) complete with sour cream, chives, and shredded cheese, to scrambled eggs with green onion and sundried tomatoes with sides of fruit salad and caramel pecan rolls to feed eight. Okay – fine, the rolls were actually made by my grandma, who also insists she isn’t skilled in the kitchen, which I’d like her to argue to anyone after they’ve tasted these rolls.

It was too good of eating all week, and it was a lovely, much-needed break from work and deadlines and daily stresses. Those things were promptly replaced with lots of red wine, laughter, and schedule-less days. Happy is a feeling I’m not short of right now, even though I missed seeing a few familiar faces at home and I’m missing home now more than ever. The holidays always seem to bring about bitter-sweetness, whether they are dipped in drama and family debacle or they are made into beautiful capsules of celebration and conversation. No matter what, I always leave sad to be leaving. That’s just home, isn’t it? Anyway, nothing leaves acute homesickness at bay better than a hearty, comfort-food recipe.

Enter this chunky, flavorful, filling vegetable-lager soup. I’m on a serious soup kick right now. Usually, I can opt for a simple tomato soup from Trader Joe’s, but occasionally I need something beefier, sans the beef. You know what I mean. This one – which I made up by simply deciding I wanted to throw together a stew that had lots of vegetables, some pasta, and a beer in it and hitting the grocery store with only those items in mind – does the trick. It’s easy and warms the stomach and soul. Give it a taste!

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Beggar girl.

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Ingredients:

2 tbsp. butter

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

3 carrot sticks, peeled and chopped

5 small gold potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 head of celery, chopped

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Fresh rosemary

Fresh thyme

3 c. cooked wheat rotini

32 fl. oz. vegetable broth

12 oz. lager (I used Dallas-based Lakewood Lager)

3 to 4 c. chopped kale

1 leek root, chopped

Directions:

Saute the onion and garlic in the butter until cooked through (about 4 minutes). Add in the carrots, potatoes, and celery. Saute for another 5-or-so minutes. Add salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary.

Stir in the pasta, followed by the broth and the lager. Mix ingredients together and let the mixture set on medium heat for 10 minutes.

Add in the kale and leek; let simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes (until potatoes are cooked through).

Serve with shaved parmesan and garlic toast.

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Welcome! I'm Audrey, and I adore connecting with female founders and telling their stories in a way that matters & lasts for years to come.

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audskelton

Who do you think was more excited about this day t Who do you think was more excited about this day trip out to the coast... us or Wallace? 😅😂 I love them. Also, I can’t get over the burp cloth on John’s shoulder. Ya know, just in case. #newparentlife
One hour, just us two in our backyard with a big c One hour, just us two in our backyard with a big charcuterie board, a deck of cards, a couple glasses of rosé, and no baby monitor. 🤎

The first week of Wallace’s life? I ached even being in another room from him (#hormones). I was a wreck of emotions and had legitimate baby tunnel vision... preeeetty much nothing else mattered. But things have been balancing out this past week, and today was so needed.

My mom is in town all month and watched Wally for us so we could have some time just us two—yep, in the backyard because of shelter in place restrictions from COVID. (Plus let’s be real... I’m not quite ready for an out-of-the-house date yet anyway. 😂)

As much as I desire to be a present + loving mama and ambitious business owner, it’s just as important to me to prioritize our marriage with little moments like this to just be in each other’s presence (and not just talk about burping and swaddling and bedtime routines, like most of our recent convos).

Here’s to (almost) 2 weeks of being parents, @the_beermonger. I think we’ll do okay.
My two favorite guys in the world. 🤍🌎 My two favorite guys in the world. 🤍🌎
Me, trying to figure out what to do with my hands Me, trying to figure out what to do with my hands without a bump. 👐🏼 Wallace, trying to figure out what we’re doing out of the house. 🤨

First family walk in the books! All of 10 minutes. 🤪 (Also, does anyone else notice the rainbow over Wally?... My heart. 🌈🥺)
1 week old. 🤎 The hardest, most emotional & mos 1 week old. 🤎 The hardest, most emotional & most rewarding week of my life. Babies’ sleep schedules, y’all. They are not for the faint of heart.

Wallace is hitting all his milestones, has learned the alphabet, and is picking up Latin. Just kidding. But he CAN poop 3 times in an hour and a half 😎, and he eats like a champ, is so strong that we prefer to tag team diaper changes for now, and makes the sweetest, cutest noises all day long. (And night.) Like even his cry is cute. 😩

One of my friends called this time the “wet weeks”: urine, breast milk, spit up, night sweats, tears, blood, more tears. It’s a lot, and it’s temporary. So even in the hard moments, we are reminding ourselves that the hardest things are often the best things. 

And this really has been the best thing.

So, so thankful for a hands-on husband who’s been so involved in everything... there’s something indescribable about watching your partner care for your child and step into a big, new role like this so gracefully. And we are thankful for ALL of the support, near and far (... mostly far), from our family and friends and coworkers. What a week... here’s to continuing to figure it all out together as a family. 😌
At 5 a.m. my water broke and at 3:44 p.m. our worl At 5 a.m. my water broke and at 3:44 p.m. our worlds and hearts were changed forever. Everything in between was a gritty, fast-moving tidal wave of emotion, pain, instinct, and a kind of love I never could’ve imagined.

Welcome, Wallace Ronal Skelton. 🤎 You kept us waiting until you decided, very quickly, you’d like to be here. I’m still in disbelief that you are ours. 

January 4, 2021 • 7 lbs 4 oz • 20.5 inches • Sweet as can be.
Well, this baby friend doesn’t exactly have our Well, this baby friend doesn’t exactly have our sense of punctuality which realllly threw me for a loop after thinking & saying for months that I was certain he/she would get here early. I’ve drank 3 boxes of raspberry leaf tea in 3 weeks, walked dozens of miles, eaten way too many dates, done hundreds of squats and bench step-ups... and now I’m surrendering. You come whenever you feel like it, little one. I’m comfy enough and can still sleep through the night (minus a bathroom break or two) so we will just keep on waiting and letting you teach us our first lesson of parenthood: PATIENCE. I knew I could always use some more of it. 😉 #40weekspregnant #pregnancy
scenes from our blissful, muddy, much-needed morni scenes from our blissful, muddy, much-needed morning hike. ☀️🍂 in a year that’s felt like 5, getting outside whenever we can has been my favorite way to reset. so thankful to live in such gorgeous surroundings!
our first and probably only christmas just us thre our first and probably only christmas just us three! quiet and simple and a little sad but mostly filled with hope and gratitude. hope yours is special in all the best ways. 🤍
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