#24 Cotswold and Humbolt Fog Cheese Taco

I finally jumped on the cheese bandwagon. It's about time! My recent dish with Brie had motivated me to full investigate the world of cheese. I decided upon Humboldt Fog and Cotswold because I vaguely recollect serving it when I worked as a waitress at The Flying Saucer. They were the most recognizable of the cheeses because of their distinct appearance. Humboldt Cheese had an iconic layer of edible vegetable ash in the center. It is a goat cheese that is mold-ripened, forming a hardened outer-shell and soft cheesy center. Cotswold cheese is derived from Gloucester Cheese, a Gloucestershire classic. The hardened cheese is blended with chives and onions, giving it an alluring herb flavor.

I added a small amount of sausage and a wedge of lime to compliment the moldy flavors. 

#23 Sausage and Walnut Brie Ramen

I ended up going home for the holidays which means that I am in Hollywood, FL. Contrary to my past experiences and doubts, I managed to have a great experience. My prejudices about South Florida have nothing to do with visiting my family, but have everything to do with the impenetrable sense of morbidity that hangs in the air. South Florida is a manifestation of death. It seems like businesses never take off and opportunities never began. Anyways, this trip was actually refreshing. Seeing my folks reminded me of how awesome it is to be loved for doing nothing more than eating, walking and pooping. 

Back to the ramen.... For my birthday I made my folks a crab and sausage pizza. There was so much sausage left over and I was motivated to create a high-end ramen dish. The sausage and walnuts were simmered in duck broth, and the brie was melted in. You can not see the ramen that well. but it is there. I promise.

#22: Poor Man's Meal: Beans N Toast

According to an old friend of mine, Heinz beans and toast were the English equivalent to ramen; at least when he was attending university. He has been in the "successful" stage of his life of his life for at least a decade; where as, I have been bobbing about for a good year. Because, I've found myself decrepit more of than once; he satirically makes for me a plate of beans and toast. Fortunately, the humor is not lost on me AND Heinz beans are delicious. I decided to give this meager yet classic meal an update by adding ramen.

The bread was toasted with a toaster (much surprised) and fried on a pan for 1-2 minutes. I've found that gives wheat baguettes some extra crunch. I, also, added parsley to the ramen and topped the beans with Muenster cheese and a fried egg. Yummy

# 21 Burger Bahn Mi + Kevin's Masterpiece

Bahn Mi is amazing! Long story short. I believe that I had previously gone on a digression about the joys of the Vietnamese sandwich; but it deserves constant praise. According to the internet, "Bahn Mi" is the Vietnamese term for "bread"; and this includes bread of all varieties. When the baguette was introduced to the tropical land via the French, the po-boy really took off. I guess French Imperialism had one benefit. Anyways, my meat-stuffed sandwich is packed with burger, cheese, ramen, and parsley AND topped with maple syrup. I can feel the heart palpitations just looking at it.

Also, Kevin managed to top himself this Thanksgiving. Somehow, he turned mere vegetables and Wonderbread into this piece of artistry. Looks like a Klimt, no?

#20 Jamazian Curry Chkn

In celebration of Asian-fusion cuisine and the many fine food trucks they have inspired, I made a Caribbean ramen dish: Jamaican curry chicken.
So what makes Jamaican curry, Jamaican?
Good question. Fortunately, the internet has the answer. Jamaican curries tend to combine the tastes of sweet and spicy; where as, Indian and Thai curries are traditionally tangy and sour. In addition, Jamaican curries have allspice which adds a clove and nut taste.
On a side note, I added pineapple to the dish. It's acidity actually works well with the broth.

#19 Grilled Ramen Cheese Sandwich

Tonight, Houston celebrated it's first major craft beer festival. There were over 40 breweries and (supposedly) 700 beers. I died and went to beer snob heaven. Daniel and I bought "beer/show" tickets which meant that we were able to sample 2 oz of 12 beers. Fortunately, stringency and beer do NOT get along well, so we ended up sampling a crazy amount of potent beverage. Naturally, ramen, cheese, and butter are the best preventative measures to a avoid hangover. Here lies the creation of a bacon grilled cheese sandwich with a ramen layer.

#18 Crunchy Ramen Bowl/ Kevin's Chikn'

It's a gorgeous cool day in Houston. What a rare find! And there isn't a better way to celebrate this coming of "Houston fall" than with a Ramen Bowl. Ramen often embraces the full spectrum of the texture "soft". A fine bowl can gluttonously combine the elements of mushy, soft, smooth, and chymal. However, it is quite a feat to find a Ramen Bowl with bite of "crunch"; and after experiencing the tongue throttle of fried ramen, I am in constant pursuit of a crunchy Ramen meal.

In order to achieve some semblance of crunch, I coated my ramen meal with fresh parsley, pretzels, and black sesame seeds. There's nothing like an audible mouthful. 

On a side note... Kevin made Chicken Parmesan the other day. What a fantastic roomie!! You can even see the love melted on top.

# 17 Burrito Disguised Spring Roll

After a long haitus, Ramen is back. So this creation started off as a spring roll and fortunately turned into something far more filling. Apparently, the difference between a spring roll and a burrito is portion control. Something that wrapped items should not have to suffer with. Because of this meals oriental origins, I'm going to label the dish as an Asian Burrito;. made with spring roll wrapper, curry ground turkey, onions and bell pepper.

#16 Sesame Pancake Brunch

Today's feast is a celebration! "A celebration for what?" might you ask. My first half-day in the new lab. I can't think of a better way to celebrate than making the breakfast that I skipped out on. Pancakes it is! I still have some sesame seeds on my pantry so I sprinkled some of those into the batter to get a whole-grain sort of look and texture. And, hey, not bad.

Recipe? Erm... make some pancakes and then add a splash of awesome (aka fried ramen and whiskey). Presto!

#15 Scrabbled Spring Ramen

Ouch! I haven't made a post in awhile. Sorry about that guys. It seems like my free time went from 100% to 0% in a week; which I am perfectly content with. Anyways, it's wonderful Sunday for ramen! Last Monday I made a visit to a local Asian Supermarket. I was pretty excited about this and had intricate fantasies of strolling down aisles full of Bento flakes, Kimchi, and fish cakes. Not suprisingly, the reality was a cold slap in the face. This place looked like they hadn't updated their stock in 5+ years and I was lucky enough to find sesame seeds. It make matters worse, I discovered that instant noodles can expire. Intensely. I did however, pick a pack of semi-expired spring roll sheets for 20 cents. They don't have the best structural integrity anymore, so I decided to soak them and fry them up. Which segweys into my lasted deconstruction: an egg spring roll.

This bad boy is a polygamous marriage between ramen, an omelete, and a spring roll. And do take note of the sesame seed topping. Mmmmmm....

#14 Mermaid PIZZA: Keisha-Tossed Crust

So the glorious thing about this pizza creation is that I managed to make my own crust. This comes as a bit of surprise because I've just had terrible luck with yeast lately. I understand the principles of yeast activation and militant kneading, but for some reason all of my past efforts have been mute. I can only assume that my understanding of "warm water" had been off.

Anyways, TA DA! A wonderful crusty creation. This pizza has a creamy and spicy sauce, and is topped with Ramen, Mackerel, Kale, and Mozzarella. Clearly, with the gold noodle locks and fishy taste, Mermaid is the appropo name or this dish.

Ingredients:

Arg.... too tired to list. It's been a long weekend.

#13 Breakfast Taco: pig vs ramen

This morning I decided against boiling ramen. You see, I was trying to revive some cold potatoes on a frying pan with mint leaves and oil, and I assumed that throwing in some raw ramen would be easier. Little did I know how AMAZINGLY FRIGGIN' DELICIOUS fried ramen is! They just absorbed the flavor of mint and sausage and took on the consistency of fried duck skin. Because of how satiated the mixture is in flavor and fat, I highly recommend stuffing it in warm tortillas.

Ingredz:

Sausage

Egg

Fried Ramen

Mint

Cilantro

Potatoes

Cheez

#12 Steamed Buns with Ramen + Tripe

The beautiful thing about Vietnamese left overs is that all of the ingredients are stored separately. So, say you have extra tripe and mint, you can use them later on in a completely different fashion. Today I used some left-over tripe, ramen, and bean sprouts to make a meat filling that I stuffed into home-made steam buns. To be honest, the dough didn't rise as I would have liked so the end product was a bit too doughy for my liking.

Oh yeah... I sliced up heirloom tomatoes and added them for some extra sweetness.

#11 Whiskey Waffles & Ramlette

Insomnia proved to be productive this evening/mid-morning. While moving out of my apartment, I unearthed a waffle maker. And she's a real beaut! She does not have a heat setting per say. But, hey, that's what I like in a lady: a one-tracked mind (note: I haven't slept in awhile). Anyways, I've had waffle meals on the mind. There's this famous brunch spot in Houston, "The Breakfast Klub", that is known for its southern belle, Chikin' & Waffles. Because seating is practically impossible on the weekend and of my phobia of public eating, I doubt I'll ever be able to go. But, I knew it was time for me to crank out some nontraditional waffles. Instead of using vanilla extract, I added Maker's Mark into the batter.

These bad boys were topped with a mushroom, ramen and kale omelette and were smothered in maple syrup.
In order to make these "waist-friendly", I recommend using egg whites for the batter and omelette.

#10 Nach-ur-ramen

So this colossal meal was inspired by a heaping amount of left-overs from a Mexican Resturant, El Tiempo. It's one of those fine establishments that makes sure that the chip basket never empties and the salsa bowl never runs dry. Needless to say, there were A LOT of tortilla chips left in my fridge. Restaurant tortilla chips rarely get a second chance at glory. I, however, pride myself in being a necromancer of left-overs. This plate is a mean, BEAN, RAMEN NACHO machine!!

Ingredients:

Lima Beans

Refried Pinto Beans

Zucchini Squash 

Tortilla Chips

Ramen

Tomatoes

Pepper Jack Cheese

Bon Appetit!

#9 Meatball + Blue Cheese Revival

Sorry about the short hiatus, Ramen fans. Moving and an infected-tooth took it's toll on my time and ability to stomach ramen. But never fear, it is back with a vengeance. I understand that some people have reservations about pungent or unfamiliar ingredients. If that is the case, this is not the blog for you. I am not one to palate discriminate but I can truthfully proclaim that I like bold flavors. I love BOLD flavors. And they will continue to float in my ramen until the day that IBS says otherwise. That's precisely why I used blue cheese in this meatball and blue cheese ramen dish.
Chezz faktz
What is blue cheese? Cheese that has been infused (naturally or artificially) with the mold Penicillium. When grown in a dark and dank environment, this blue and black strain is able to colonize throughout the cheese creating a sharp and salty flavor.

Ingredz:

Carrot Soup

Ramen

Parsley

Meat

Blue Cheese

Cumin

Salt + Pepper

#8 Ramenizza

Ramen pizza with Pork Belly, Avocado, Oyster Mushroom, Cilantro and Goat Cheese because pizza never has to be plain! Making pizza dough is a very frugal move. It takes only a couple of ingredients (yeast, flour, salt, water, cornmeal and olive oil) and holds up very well in your freezer. From another pizza making adventure, I learned that the crust cooks ideally on a grill. It's that quick exposure to high heat that gives your crust a crisp and satisfying bite. Also, if you like to load your pizza with veggies you will not have to worry about overcooking and ruining the texture of your toppings.

#7 What's that stuffing? It's RAMEN!

I'm not feeling very verbose today so I am not going to fill up this blog with too many words. I'm currently fighting a severe toothache with Nyquil, Advil, Tylenol and Wine. The cocktail has proven to be effective when I am in bed but it does not carry over well AT ALL. Anyways, here's another Ramen meal to get me through the day!

Green Bell Pepper stuffed with Ramen and Beef. Enjoy^^

#6 Scramen Sandwich and Egg Info

This meal is a homage to left-overs and laziness. I'd like to say that there is no way that you could incorrectly cook an egg, but I have had the unfortunate memory of trying to cook an omelette in the microwave. Microwave cooking is a trial-by-error process. I recommend it to the patient and strong-stomached. From my failures, I've learned that there are valuable pieces of information that you need to consider while cooking an egg.  The egg can be divided into two parts: 1) the yolk which largely consists of unsaturated and saturated fats (7:3 ratio) and 2) egg white IS the protein albumin. The yolk contains omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids which are associated with cardiac health. Now here is what is important. Microwaving egg whites alone will not go well. It will EXPLODE. I believe that this have to do with the condensation reaction that occurs when the albumin cooks.
Anyways... here's my meal for today

Ingredients:

Egg

Ramen

Refried Beans

Salt & Pepper

Bread

Cilantro

#5 Scrambled Salmon Egg Meal

There's no denying how amazing eggs are. Firstly, you can cook them any which way you so please: grilled, fried, boiled, microwaved. You can even not cook them (a.k.a "yolk dip") and call it a dish. But not only is the egg a cheap convenience, it has an excellent nutrition profile. Egg albumin is so concentrated with amino acids that consuming too many whites can actually put a strain on your kidneys. That's a potent amount of protein! I'm not sure what it is but the Japanese love their ramen with tamago. I often spot a delicate hard boiled floating in a dish of ramen... so why not scramble them? And then add salmon? DONE!

Ingredients:

Ramen

Egg

Spices (cumin, salt, pepper)

Salmon

Parsely

Cheap mission complete!

#4 Ramen Seafood "Paella"

The other day I was watching this Anthony Bourdan-inspired show about David Chang. He's a large-set, pot-smoking, slow-talking, fusion chef who appears to be the Asian version of Anthony himself. I have not watched enough episodes to confirm this, but from what little I have seen, David Chang prides himself on deconstructing traditional dishes and adding an Asian touch. During his visit to Spain, he removed tradition from seafood paella when he added ramen noodles to his Spanish dish. It looked great!

Naturally, I needed to do the very same thing. Unlike the fancy kitchens and fresh ingredients that are within David's reach, I have an HEB. So I did not use saffron or mussels; but I highly recommend adding them to get that mouthful of seafood gold. Instead, I used imitation crab, curry, and salmon.

Ingredients:

Ramen ($.17)

Grilled Imitation-Crab ($1.50)

Grilled Egg

Parsley

Curry

Chicken Soup

Salmon ($3.00)

 Thanks David!

#3 Viet-ram-ese Bahn Mi

So here's the thing with sandwiches. They are ridiculously filling, simple, and cheap to make. So why do restaurant's charge $10 for a bloody piece of bread with a side of meat? Heck if I know. The one sandwich that seems to defy this rule of overpriced yet scrumptious is: Bahn Mi. Vietnamese translation: PO BOY. And because I am a fan of carbohydrates, I decided to make a ramen spin on Bahn Mi.

(Side View)

Ingredients:

• Sausage
• Cucumber
• Cilantro
• Ramen
• Tomato Sauce
• Basil

Proportions? The sausage to bread ratio should be 2:1. Don't be a coward.

#2 RamenOLI

Today's rendition of noodles is a ramen interpretation of a classic Italian dish: Spinach RAVIOLI! Well, it might not necessary be a true "rendition" because I did incorporate left-over pieces of ravoli into the dish rather than recreate them. But, hey, who's judging? Anyways, I LOVE blended greens in my noodles. Not only do they give ramen a much needed color upgrade, but they provide an easy way to prevent scurvy. Also, as I get older, my bowels are less inclined to digest greens readily. And I find that pestos and blended spinach have already gone through half of the digestive process.

Ingredients:

Spinach (blend with some butter, milk, and parsley)

Nutmeg

Cumin
Ravoli
Ramen
Sriracha
Salt & Pepper

#1 Roe...Roe...Roemen?

                                                                      Fishy Ramen

Ingredients:

• Ramen ($0.17)
• Caviar ($3.50)
• Mackerel ($1.55)
• Tomato Paste ($.27)  
• Cumin
• Salt & Pepper
• Lemon Juice

This ramen dish is a slap in face to the conservationist ideology of ramen. It's rich in flavor, taste, and smell. There's no human sense that can escape the pungent nature of fish in this bowl.

Genesis

The title of the blog suggests that I will consume ramen EVERY day for a year. That is not the case. Although I highly condone taking on a commitment and using creative means to encourage doing so, I am afraid that I will not. I am just a regular girl (like you or your mother/sister/friend) with regular nutritional needs. Instead, I will not embrace the fallacy of the title and eat ramen when the time comes. You see, I was a poor unemployed recent grad at the start of the year. Currently, I am a poor graduate student. It seems like a majority of my adult life has been spent being financially-challenged. As a result, ramen has become a stable part of my diet. For better or for worse, I am stuck finding new and interesting ways to satiate my cheap excuse for food. Fortunately, my hunt to mask the taste of 17 cents has led to some flavor-packed spoonfuls that I am proud of. I know that I am not the only person in a cheap-eats predicament, so I would love to share some recipes for a well-balanced and filling ramen meal.

Let the boiling begin....