What's For Lunch?: Quick Marsala Noodles

My new kick seems to be using very thin Asian noodles as a pasta base for nearly anything imaginable.  Meat is only optional due to the high protein content of the noodles. My latest experiment was Marsala sauce.  Here is what I did:

Heat light olive oil, crushed red pepper, and garlic in pan until oil is almost at smoke point.  Add Marsala and chicken stock, keeping at a simmer to cook off the alcohol.  Cook pasta for about 1 minute (this is very, very thin pasta) so that it is not fully cooked.  Add anchovy, thyme, and basil, and squeeze of lemon to the sauce mixture.  After about 5 minutes, add a small amount of cornstarch and reserved pasta water solution to thicken the sauce.  Dump noodles in the sauce, heat until it thickens, and serve.

Overall lunch rating: [8/10].  Pleasantly surprised at the richness of the sauce even though no butter was used.
-DV

What's For Lunch?: Grilled Swiss, Turkey, and Salami with Tangy Mayo

Like any other week, our refrigerator is stocked with an assortment of deli meats, including (this week) turkey, Swiss cheese, and hard salami. Generally, this translates to a week full of boring meat-and-cheese sandwiches, but my being home grants me access to the panini press, perhaps our most transformative, if not respected appliance.  This implement can turn any sandwich into a crusty and juicy masterpiece, granted copious amounts of extra virgin olive oil is spread on the contact surfaces.  Still, this sandwich could not be grill-worthy without one more ingredient: gussied-up mayonnaise. Much unlike the panini press, special mayo garners an almost divine respect in our household.  Heck, my mother literally preaches to all who will listen the wonders that this sometimes-not-so-simple condiment can work.  Neither of our go-to mayos (chipotle and pesto) were suitable for this application.  I needed something more savory and tangy, but not spicy, to offset the overall unoffensive deli meats.  This is what I came up with:

-In order of amount-

-Low fat mayo
-Dijon mustard
-Worcestershire sauce
-Finely chopped olives
-Balsamic vinegar
-Basil
-Oregano
-Thyme

All of the ingredients were then placed on two slices of crusty Trader Joe's Panini Bread and grilled on the press until golden.  I must say that I was pleasantly surprised of the result.  The Balsamic vinegar and Worcestershire don't add bite. but rather a nice tang that cuts through the fatty salami.  The herbs add nice depth to the sandwich, and you can't go wrong with mustard.  Overall lunch rating : [7/10].  Not bad for the unassuming ingredients.

-DV