By Gretchen McKay From Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Noodle dishes are a menu standard in homes, restaurants and food stalls from Japan to China to Italy to Peru. Often made with easy-to-find, everyday ingredients, they’re both wonderfully economical and oh-so versatile: They can be tossed in tomato sauce or pesto for a taste of Italy, simmered in…

By JeanMarie Brownson From Tribune Content Agency The inspiration for this stir-fry: curried noodles from our local takeout shop. The combination of crisp-crunchy vegetables with tender noodles pleases the whole family. For seasoning, simply mix bottled curry powder with chicken broth, garlic and ginger. I add shrimp for protein and offer hoisin-glazed tofu for even…

Make no mistake, weeknight cooking challenges everyone. To reduce stress, and the temptation for take-out burgers and fries, I stock ground beef and turkey in the freezer, onions and garlic on the counter, and rice noodles, interesting sauces and marinades in the pantry. The fridge usually boasts a member of the cabbage family, a bag…

In China, salt and pepper shrimp is traditionally made with tongue-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. If you have some in the pantry, feel free to use them here; we opted for a combo of easier-to-find white and black pepper. The white pepper adds earthy flavor, while black kicks up the heat. Salt & Pepper Shrimp with Snow Peas Serves 4…

“It has to be done, so it might as well be done by me,” I told myself as I dumped the thawed package of supermarket potstickers into the vegetable stir-fry. I may be crazy, but it’s a lock that my kids will like it. So how crazy could that be? Trying to make a stir-fry…