Peanut Butter Noodles

Classroom setup has begun — Mrs. Dominguez gave me access to the building starting July 9th. I drove over on Monday morning with three boxes of supplies: the accumulated clearance bin, a roll of butcher paper, a label maker I found at the Goodwill for four dollars, a bag of clothespins. I spent four hours rearranging the furniture, trying different configurations until the room felt right. The sensory corner stayed where it was — the previous teacher had placed it well, in the back corner away from the main door. I added a floor lamp I brought from home.

I labeled everything. The bins, the shelves, the back of every chair. I put up a visual schedule board the way Ms. Reyes had hers, with velcro-backed picture cards. I covered the corkboard in yellow butcher paper. I stood in the middle of the room at two in the afternoon and looked at it. Still bare in most places. Still not yet inhabited by the children who will make it real. But oriented correctly. The bones are right.

Mrs. Dominguez stopped in and said "Looking good, Ms. Kowalczyk." Ms. Kowalczyk. That is me. That is my name in that building. I have been Amanda Kowalczyk my whole life and suddenly Kowalczyk means something different — it means the teacher in Room 108, the person with the key to this room, the person those kids are going to walk in to meet in seven weeks.

Made a big pot of cold sesame noodles for the week — the same recipe from last August, peanut butter and soy sauce and sesame oil, over spaghetti, with cucumber and green onion. Room temperature. Ate it standing at the kitchen counter after the classroom, tired and satisfied. The classroom and the noodles. A good day. An August that is coming whether I am ready or not, which means I had better keep being ready.

This is the recipe I made when I got home from Room 108 that first Monday — tired in the best way, smelling like label maker tape and butcher paper. Peanut butter noodles are my August ritual: one big pot, room temperature, eaten standing at the counter when I’m too satisfied to bother with sitting down. They keep all week in the fridge, which means the rest of classroom setup is already covered, one meal at a time.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

8 oz spaghetti or lo mein noodles
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey or brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated (or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger)
2–3 tablespoons warm water, to thin sauce
1/2 cucumber, julienned or thinly sliced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
Sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Cook the noodles. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti or lo mein noodles according to package directions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking and cool the noodles down.
Make the peanut sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, garlic, and ginger until smooth. Add warm water one tablespoon at a time until the sauce reaches a pourable, coating consistency.
Combine. Add the cooled noodles to the bowl with the sauce and toss well until every noodle is coated. If the sauce tightens up, add a splash more warm water and toss again.
Add the toppings. Transfer noodles to a serving bowl or container. Top with julienned cucumber and sliced green onions. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and sesame seeds if using.
Serve or store. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days — toss before serving and add a drizzle of sesame oil if the noodles seem dry.

Nutrition (per serving)

Peanut Butter Noodles — The Recipe That Fuels a Teacher’s August