#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.