Topped Ramen: Number 2

I decided to get a little adventurous. So, I tried Oriental flavored Top Ramen...apparently I don't really like it as much as the chicken or beef flavors. It wasn't bad tasting, it just wasn't great...I also ended up feeling sick afterwards, but that is probably mostly my body's fault, not the recipe.
This time, I included a lot more ingredients than I did last time. In addition to my Oriental flavored Top Ramen, I added some canned chicken, sweet peas, and some black olives. The peas and olives especially added some tastiness to this meal. The chicken was a little odd since I'm not used to canned chicken, and possibly added to the fact that I felt too sick to even finish my meal. However, it did add some much needed protein. I think it's one of those food items that I'll get used to over time. I think, too, if I start using my own sauce, I might be able to add flavor to the entire dish, instead of having flavored noodles with bland meat stirred in later. I'm still experimenting with everything...obviously.

I'd suggest trying this one out if you're a fan of oriental flavored Top Ramen and if you are already used to eating canned chicken. It really isn't all that bad, it just made me sick... (yeah, I'm probably not selling this one too well, am I?)


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Topped Ramen: Number 1

The time has come. I have begun to eat Top Ramen. It's time for true college food now. I'd like to thank my brother for giving me an electric kettle for Christmas, as well as the school for now selling Top Ramen in their new market (which is pretty much a mini-convenience store in the basement of the cafeteria, which uses meal points to pay for purchases instead of actual cash).

If I were to just eat Top Ramen as per the actual instructions on the packaging, this blog would be pretty boring, as would my meals. So, instead, I introduce to you Topped Ramen. From time to time, I will be sharing different ways that I have improved these instant noodles. Some of the inspiration comes from Serious Eats: Ramen Hacks, while some, too, comes from the Ramen Homepage.

My first Topped Ramen is extremely simple and only requires two ingredients. Yet, it tasted much better than plain top ramen. To make it, just follow the instructions on the packaging using as much or as little of the seasoning as you want. I also poured out some of the water, which makes the flavor a bit more concentrated so I didn't need to use as much and it also made it a bit less soupy. Then, I simply added a few whole, pitted black olives. I did this with Beef Flavor Top Ramen, but any brand should work, and I am sure other flavors would work quite well, too.

This ended up tasting delicious and it was super easy, fast, and cheap to make. There were very few ingredients used to make it. However, it was absolutely not healthy. While scientifically, olives are considered a vegetable, when it comes to nutrition, they should be considered an oil. Not to mention, each package of Top Ramen includes 2 servings of noodles. That makes the entire package (with flavoring) have about 22% of your daily fat intake. Plus, both olives and Top Ramen are high in sodium. So, it's not intended to be a nutritious meal, by any means. But it is hot and tasty, which was all that was important when I made this.


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Back for More

Spring semester began on Monday, so it's official: I'm back. Which is lovely, really, because I enjoy my dorm, I enjoy learning, and I enjoy being at school in general.

Over break, I didn't really do all that much cooking. Actually, after Christmas, I didn't do all that much of anything. I had several doctors appointments and spent most of the rest of my time with my boyfriend (I'm slightly concerned with the fact that I may be becoming one of those girls who spend all their time with their boyfriends and not with their friends, but to be fair, my friends were in school while I was enjoying an entire month away from school). I did end up playing Zelda, which was something I've been told to do for quite some time. And, most importantly, I did end up with a few answers about my stomach aches. It turns out I have some decreased functionality in my gallbladder, as well as a hernia in one of the muscles around my stomach, which caused a bit of bleeding, apparently. It took several doctors appointments including two outpatient procedures at two separate hospitals, but I finally have a few answers. Now comes the fun part of visiting a surgeon over spring break, and we can decide what to do from there.

Anyway, now that I am back to school, I will be getting back into the habit of blogging. Besides cookies, I didn't make very much that was blog-worthy over break. But now, I'm back and I have plans for some amazing food in the months to come.

So far, I've been enjoying a lot of oatmeal and hot chocolate, thanks to my brother who gave me an electric kettle for Christmas. It's been slightly snowy (though until last night, nothing was sticking to the ground...and today everything was just a slushy mess by the time I was heading off to class), so a nice mug of hot chocolate and a bowl of oatmeal every morning feels absolutely perfect. In addition, I've been munching on some quiche, which, as my mother loves to point out, can serve as breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Essentially, that is all I've been eating in my dorm room. My cafeteria eating has been pretty limited as it is quite cold and wet outside so I've been trying to avoid evening food ventures.

Basically, that's about it. There's not all that much to say since it's only my third day back to school and not too much has happened yet. As this is a new semester, I'd like to start fresh with my blog so if you have anything you'd like to see on here, leave me a comment and I'll see what I can do. Just a warning, now that my brother has given me this electric kettle, I may start experimenting with TopRamen...be warned.


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