People have asked what is it like for a mother and teenage daughter to blog together. It can get rocky at times. Despite occasional creative snafus and differing work habits, we are still talking to each other. We have one rule: we always set aside time for blog business.

A few things have become apparent about our different styles. I tend to go for the recipes that I remember from my childhood - the ones that have been passed down from my family. Ella likes more visually attractive and challenging recipes that have a bit more pizazz. Many of hers are curated and adapted from different sources she loves, to name a few: TasteSpotting, Food52

Our styles are complementary and we cover different ground. As far as photography and food styling goes, I have worked on lots of shoots in my career so I want to try many options, and like to play around. I gently make suggestions. Ella has definite ideas about the way she wants the visuals to look. She is more decisive. With time and experimentation, our sensibilities will blend. Despite our differences of opinion, the bottom line is that we try our best to meet in the middle and it helps us learn about each other.

Ella here - I developed a fascination with David Chang a couple years ago after watching The Mind of a Chef, and shortly thereafter, eating at the Momofuku Noodle Bar. My brother gave me the Momofuku cookbook for the holidays and the ginger scallion noodle recipe was the first one I tried. Around the same time my Dad became obsessed with pickling things (cucumbers, radishes, onions). The quick pickles add a nice crunch.

Serves 3-4, ready in 20 minutes

1/2 cup of thinly sliced scallions
2 tbsp minced or grated ginger
2 tbsp any neutral cooking oil, I used canola
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp mirin
1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 pack of ramen noodles (if you're near a Whole Foods or a Japanese convenience store you may have access to fresh ramen noodles-- if not, the packaged ones work.)

Quick pickles

1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/3 cup of rice wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp water

Slice the scallions. I used a microplane grater to grate my ginger, but it would work just as well to mince it. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and add more salt if needed.

For the pickles, slice the cucumbers thinly, preferably using a mandolin. Toss the cucumbers with the salt and sugar. Place them in a jar and add the rice wine vinegar and enough water to cover them. Let both the ginger scallion sauce and the pickles sit for at least 15 minutes.

Make the ramen noodles, toss with the ginger scallion sauce and serve with the pickles.