Eat Your Noodles; Then Have Ice Cream
If you ask Rick Oaks to describe his work environment, he’ll tell you that he drives a big yellow truck that has a picture of a swan on the side.
He is called, he says, “the Schwan dude.”
Oaks is a route manager for Schwan’s Fine Foods, a company that relies on positive people skills for home delivery of frozen foods.
“I enjoy contact with people. You become a real family member,” says Oaks, who averages 90 to 115 stops each day. His truck contains 250 frozen items including ice cream, pizzas, meats and casserole dishes.
He puts in a full day, going from 8:30 a.m. until 9 or 9:30 p.m. Oaks works North Spokane routes for eight days and Elk on the ninth day, and gets every other Friday off along with weekends.
“That’s one of the nice things I like; I’m off weekends,” says Oaks, who was in restaurant management for 25 years before joining Schwan’s a year ago.
Good ice cream is one of the things that has made Schwan’s so popular. Oaks has a variety of choices on his truck, including one called Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Binge. Demand continues through the cold weather of fall and winter, he says.
Here’s a quick noodle dinner to make and follow with, of course, a bowl of ice cream from your favorite Schwan dude.
Honey Sweet Noodles
From “The Meatless Gourmet, Favorite Recipes From Around the World” by Bobbie Hinman (Prima Publishing, 1995).
1 (8-ounce) package thin Oriental whole-wheat noodles or linguine
2 tablespoons creamy-style, no-added-fat peanut butter
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon very finely chopped dry roasted peanuts, unsalted (optional)
Cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain.
While noodles are cooking, place peanut butter in a small bowl. Gradually stir in soy sauce and then honey, stirring until the mixture is smooth.
Place drained noodles in a serving bowl. Drizzle sauce over noodles and mix well. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired. Serve right away.
Yield: 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 244 calories, 5 grams fat (18 percent fat calories), 44 grams carbohydrate, 9 grams protein, no cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 413 milligrams sodium.