This recipe is cozy, easy, and a great way to use what you have on hand!
Ingredients
1 pack instant ramen noodles per person (discard seasoning packets or save for later)
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp chili oil (optional for heat)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp grated ginger
Protein (choose one or mix):
1 soft-boiled or over-easy egg per bowl
½ cup sliced cooked chicken, pork, or tofu
Veggies (your choice) :
½ cup sliced mushrooms (shiitake or button)
½ cup shredded carrots
½ cup spinach or bok choy
2 green onions, chopped
Toppings (optional) :
Nori strips or seaweed snacks
Sesame seeds
Fresh cilantro
Lime wedge
Chili crisp or sriracha
Instructions
1. Make the broth In a medium pot, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add in the garlic and ginger and sauté 1 minute until fragrant. Then, stir in the broth, soy sauce, and chili oil. Bring to a simmer.
2. Cook the noodles and veggies This step depends on your veggies of choice, but first add mushrooms and carrots to the pot. Simmer for 3–4 minutes until slightly softened. Then, add ramen noodles and cook per package instructions (usually 3 minutes). Add the spinach or bok choy (if using) in the last 30 seconds.
3. Prepare the protein If using boiled eggs, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add eggs and cook for 6½ minutes for soft-boiled. Then, transfer to ice water, peel, and slice in half. If using an over-easy egg, cook in some oil in a pan for about 3 minutes on each side over medium-low heat. If you would like to add tofu or another protein, prepare it during this step as well.
4. Assemble Divide noodles and broth into bowls. Top each with protein, corn, green onions, and any extra toppings.
5. Serve it hot Sprinkle with toppings of your choice and serve immediately to enjoy this cozy dinner.
This adorable girl is as sweet as they come — a gentle soul who lives for love, attention, and endless cuddles. She’s quiet and well-mannered most of the time, but she’ll proudly let out a hearty bark to alert you when someone’s at the door. Juno absolutely loves playing with other dogs and zipping around the backyard, her tail wagging a mile a minute.
While she can be a little shy with new people at first, it doesn’t take long for her to warm up — a few gentle pets and she’ll be your new best friend. Whether it’s curling up beside you on the couch or snuggling close at bedtime, Juno just wants to be near her humans. She’d thrive in a home with a yard to explore and maybe a few furry siblings to play with.
Juno is ready to fill your home with love, loyalty, and plenty of cuddles.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Voters in North Carolina’s largest city reelected their Democratic mayor, keeping her in place even as safety concerns in Charlotte have risen since the August stabbing death of a young Ukrainian woman on a commuter train.
Vi Lyles won comfortably on Tuesday over Republican and Libertarian challengers in a city that hasn’t elected a GOP mayor since 2007.
“I am just so grateful for the voters — for the people that helped me be here tonight — to be able to say that I have the opportunity to serve the city once more,” Lyles told WBTV on Tuesday evening.
The Aug. 22 killing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on a light-rail car sparked outrage from President Donald Trump and other Republicans about violent crime and pretrial release decisions. It also sharpened campaigning in Charlotte, where Republican candidate Terrie Donovan, a real estate agent, had made crime her top issue even before the stabbing.
Decarlos Brown Jr., the suspect in Zarutska’s stabbing, had previously been arrested more than a dozen times, and he was released earlier this year by a magistrate on a misdemeanor count without any bond. Public anger intensified with the release of security video showing what appeared as a random attack.
The GOP-controlled state legislature passed a law in late September that, in part, tightened pretrial release rules. Lyles, who easily won the Democratic mayoral primary, has highlighted additional safety measures for the light rail system, including a greater presence of transit system officers.
Lyles, a former longtime municipal employee, said Tuesday that city officials need to follow the lead of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department on what public safety improvements are needed “instead of trying just to say, ‘well, we’ll just throw something out there.’”
City leaders announced just last week the hiring of recent Raleigh police chief Estella Patterson as Charlotte-Mecklenburg’s next chief. Current Chief Johnny Jennings is retiring at year’s end.
Brown is charged with first-degree murder in state court and was indicted on a federal count in connection with Zarutska’s death. Both crimes can be punishable by the death penalty. Brown’s next state court hearing is scheduled for April.
Democrats outnumber Republicans by over 2-1 in voter registration in Charlotte, which has well over 900,000 residents. But the number of registered unaffiliated voters is nearly on par with Democrats.
The mayor and 11 elected officials comprise Charlotte’s city council. With Tuesday’s elections, Democrats will soon hold 10 of the 11 other seats.
An eclectic group of stars — from ballet dancer Tiler Peck to YouTube’s “Hot Ones” host Sean Evans — will join the annual holiday kick-off, highlighted by Audrey Nuna, EJAE and Rei Ami of HUNTR/X, the fictional girl group at the heart of the Netflix K-pop hit.
The trio are behind the film’s soundtrack, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and recently went platinum. Two characters from the movie — Derpy Tiger and Sussie — will join the parade lineup as a mid-sized balloon and the adorably named balloonicle.
The parade will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 27 in all time zones and will feature 32 balloons, three ballonicles, 27 floats, 33 clown groups and 11 marching bands — all leading the way for Santa Claus. The familiar TV hosts — Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker from the “Today” show — will return on NBC and Peacock. More stars will be announced later.
Broadway, Buzz Lightyear and Debbie Gibson
Broadway will be represented by cast members from “Buena Vista Social Club,” “Just in Time” and “Ragtime,” while the Radio City Rockettes will be there and some serious athletes — three-time U.S. national champion figure skater Ilia Malinin and U.S Paralympian Jack Wallace.
Every year, spectators line-up a half-dozen deep along the route to cheer the floats, entertainers and marching bands. Last year, more than 31 million people tuned in on NBC and Peacock, up 10% from the previous year and marking the biggest audience ever for the parade.
This year, four new featured character balloons will debut, including Buzz Lightyear, Pac-Man, Mario from Super Mario Brothers and a 32-foot-tall (9.8-meter) balloon onion carriage featuring eight characters from the world of “Shrek.”
Ahead of next year’s 100th anniversary of the parade, organizers are also including balloons from previous marches, including Rainbow trout, the Happy Hippo Triple Stack, Wigglefoot and Freida the Dachshund.
Six new floats will also debut this year, including from Holland America Line, Lego, Lindt chocolates, “Stranger Things” and a bunch of whimsical sheep trying to get to sleep courtesy of Serta.
Some of the stars on hand will be Jewel, Debbie Gibson, Drew Baldridge, Matteo Bocelli, Colbie Caillat, Gavin DeGraw, Meg Donnelly, Christopher Jackson, Darlene Love, Roman Mejia, Taylor Momsen, Calum Scott, Shaggy, Lauren Spencer Smith and Luísa Sonza.
The marching bands will hail from South Carolina, California, Texas, Arizona, New Hampshire, Mississippi, Alabama, Pennsylvania and Santiago, Panama. The New York Police Department’s marching band will also join.
TOKYO (AP) — Japan deployed troops Wednesday to help contain a surge of bear attacks that have terrorized residents in a mountainous region in the northern prefecture of Akita.
Reports of sometimes deadly encounters with brown bears and Asiatic black bears are being reported almost daily ahead of hibernation season as the bears forage for food. They have been seen near schools, train stations, supermarkets and at a hot springs resort.
Japan’s Defense Ministry have sent troops to the northern prefecture of Akita to help contain a surge of bear attacks that have horrified residents in the mountainous region.
Since April, more than 100 people have been injured and at least 12 killed in bear attacks across Japan, according to Environment Ministry statistics at the end of October.
The growing bear population’s encroachment into residential areas is happening in a region with a rapidly aging and declining human population, with few people trained to hunt the animals.
The government has estimated the overall bear population at more than 54,000.
Soldiers will not open fire
The Defense Ministry and Akita prefecture signed an agreement Wednesday to deploy soldiers who will set box traps with food, transport local hunters and help dispose of dead bears. Officials say the soldiers will not use firearms to cull the bears.
“Every day, bears intrude into residential areas in the region and their impact is expanding,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Fumitoshi Sato told reporters. “Responses to the bear problem are an urgent matter.”
The operation began in a forested area in Kazuno city, where a number of bear sightings and injuries have been reported. White-helmeted soldiers wearing bulletproof vests and carrying bear spray and net launchers set up a bear trap near an orchard.
Takahiro Ikeda, an orchard operator, said bears have eaten more than 200 of his apples that were ready for harvest. “My heart is broken,” he told NHK television.
Akita Gov. Kenta Suzuki said local authorities were getting “desperate” due to a lack of manpower.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Tuesday the bear mission aims to help secure people’s daily lives, but that service members’ primary mission is national defense and they cannot provide unlimited support for the bear response. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces are already understaffed.
The ministry has not received requests from other prefectures for troop assistance over the bear issue, he said.
Most attacks in residential areas
In Akita prefecture, which has a population of about 880,000, bears have attacked more than 50 people since May, killing at least four, according to the local government. Experts say most attacks have occurred in residential areas.
An older woman who went mushroom-hunting in the forest was found dead in an apparent attack over the weekend in Yuzawa city. Another older woman in Akita city was killed after encountering a bear while working on a farm in late October. A newspaper delivery man was attacked and injured in Akita city on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, a resident of Akita city spotted two bears on a persimmon tree in her garden. She was indoors and filmed the bears as they walked around for about 30 minutes. She told a local TV network the bears appeared at one point to want to enter the room she was in, and she moved away from the window.
Abandoned neighborhoods and farmland with persimmon or chestnut trees often attract bears to residential areas. Once bears find food, they keep coming back, experts say.
A call for training more hunters
Experts say Japan’s aging and declining population in rural areas is one reason for the growing problem. They say the bears are not endangered and need culling to keep the population under control.
Local hunters are also aging and not used to bear hunting. Experts say police and other authorities should be trained as “government hunters” to help cull the animals.
The government set up a task force last week to create an official bear response by mid-November. Officials are considering bear population surveys, the use of communication devices to issue bear warnings and revisions to hunting rules.
The lack of preventive measures in the northern regions has led to an increase in the bear population, the ministry said.
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AP video journalist Mayuko Ono contributed to this report.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Isaiah Evans scored 23 points, Cameron Boozer had a big second half and finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds as No. 6 Duke overcame a sluggish start to beat Texas 75-60 at the Dick Vitale Invitational on Tuesday night.
The Blue Devils got 10 points from Patrick Ngongba and used a stifling defense to limit Texas to 32% shooting and force 16 turnovers.
Dailyn Swain had 16 points, while Jordan Pope and Matas Vokietaitis each had 15 to lead Texas in coach Sean Miller’s debut.
Boozer, one of the nation’s top high school recruits, was 0 for 7 from the field and held scoreless in the first half with three rebounds as Duke trailed 33-32 at the break.
But Boozer, the son of former Duke star Carlos Boozer, made his presence felt in the second half getting to the foul line 12 times and converting nine free throws. He also had three steals, two assists and a block in an all-around effort reminiscent of Cooper Flagg a year ago.
Duke, which lost five players from last year’s team including Flagg to the NBA draft, looked like a team finding its way early on.
Nearly seven minutes into the game the Blue Devils trailed 7-3 and were 1 of 10 from the field with two turnovers.
But that changed in hurry as Evans, who played high school basketball just north of Charlotte, began to heat up with four 3-pointers helping the Blue Devils open a 26-17 lead. Texas clawed back to take the lead at halftime with Evans on the bench for an extended stretch.
Honoring Dickie V
An emotional video introduction about Vitale’s legacy and fight against cancer narrated by former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was aired on the Spectrum Center videoboard before the game, bringing the 86-year-old commentator to tears as he looked on from press row.
As Krzyzewski finished with “you are awesome with a capital V’ the crowd roared and gave Vitale a standing ovation.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A large UPS cargo plane with three people aboard crashed and exploded Tuesday while taking off from an airport in Louisville, Kentucky, igniting a massive fire that left a thick plume of black smoke over the area.
The plane crashed about 5:15 p.m. as it was departing for Honolulu from Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
Video showed flames on the plane’s left wing and a trail of smoke. The plane then lifted slightly off the ground before crashing and exploding in a huge fireball. Video also revealed portions of a building’s shredded roof next to the end of the runway.
“We know that there are injuries. We don’t know yet about fatalities, but we’re asking all Kentuckians to pray for those that have been impacted,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told The Associated Press.
The crash has drawn a massive response, including from police and fire agencies, and because of the flames, some responders “have had to shelter behind different things,” Beshear said.
“It is still a very dangerous situation with different flammables or potentially explosive materials,” Beshear said.
Mayor Craig Greenberg told WLKY-TV that fuel on the plane was an “extreme reason for concern in so many different ways.”
UPS’s largest package handling facility is in Louisville. The hub employs thousands of workers, has 300 daily flights and sorts more than 400,000 packages an hour.
A shelter-in-place order was extended to all areas north of the airport to the Ohio River. The Louisville airport is only a 10-minute drive from the city’s downtown, which sits on the river bordering the Indiana state line. There are residential areas, a water park and museums in the area.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 airplane owned by UPS was manufactured in 1991.
