Oriental Fried Ramen-Starving Student’s Survival

My granddaughter calls Oriental Fried Ramen Starving Student’s Survival.  That is because this recipe can feed four people for less than $2.00, and she is a starving student in California.  It is a "go-to" recipe for her.

I like to have fried rice as a side dish when I make something Oriental.   Since hubby doesn’t really care for rice, I often make this dish instead.  Use your favorite ramen noodle flavor in this.

Like all recipes for fried rice, you can use whatever veggies that you want in this dish or whatever you happen to have in the fridge.  I rarely make this exactly the same way twice in a row.  I do almost always use onion and red pepper.  This particular time I used carrots and snow peas.  I also sometimes add chopped nuts.

Although I include eggs when I make this, they can be left out, and almost any kind of cooked meat (even bacon) can be used to make it more of a main dish.

The recipe is loosely based on a recipe I found at  - http://busycooks.About.com a number of years ago.

Oriental Fried Ramen
2 pkgs. Ramen noodles, flavor of choice
3 c. boiling water
1 T. vegetable oil
1 t. sesame oil (optional)
1/2 c. chopped onion (regular or green)
1/2 c. chopped red pepper
1/2 c. carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch matchsticks
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. frozen peas (or chopped snow peas or sugar snap peas)
2 T. soy sauce
2 eggs, beaten
1 to 2 c. chopped cooked meat or poultry

Break ramen noodles into six or eight pieces and place in a medium mixing bowl.  Sprinkle with the contents of the seasoning packets.  Pour boiling water over noodles and let set while preparing rest of ingredients.  Heat vegetable oil and sesame oil in a medium skillet.  Add onion, red pepper, carrots and garlic.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until tender-crisp, about 7 minutes.  Drain noodles well and add to skillet.  Add soy sauce and mix until well blended.  Cook and stir noodles 1 or 2 minutes.  Push noodles to the side of the skillet and pour eggs into the center.  Cook eggs, scrambling and cutting into small pieces as the eggs cook.  Mix eggs with noodles.  Add meat or poultry if using and heat through.  Serve as a side or main dish as desired.  Makes 4 servings.

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Italian Sandwich Casserole

A few weeks ago one of my Friday Finds was a Meatball Sub Casserole from Dining with Leslie.  Since we had our Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday night, I decided to make this on Thanksgiving.  Sometime I “jump the gun” and don’t plan ahead very well.  That is what happened with this recipe.  I didn’t check the recipe early enough so when I needed to make it, I did not have time to let the cream cheese soften or the meatballs thaw.

Going to Plan B, I checked my pantry, freezer and fridge to see what I could find.  I had purchased the Italian bread so had that and spaghetti sauce in my pantry.  In my freezer I found a pound of browned-up Italian sausage, and in my fridge I found Philadelphia Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Crème, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.  If I had not found the Italian sausage, I would have used browned-up ground beef and added some Italian seasonings to it.

I thawed the Italian sausage in my microwave and combined it with the other ingredients to make what I call Italian Sandwich Casserole.  My husband and son liked this very much, and it reheated very well in the microwave.

Two changes I will make when I make this again.  I left the bread slices whole, and they were a bit difficult to cut through.  Next time I will cut all the bread slices in half so that I can cut between them.  I will save some mozzarella cheese to sprinkle on the top of the second layer of bread slices along with the parmesan.  My recipe reflects those changes.

Italian Sandwich Casserole
10 slices firm bread such as Italian or Texas Toast, cut in half
1 carton Philadelphia Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Crème
1 lb. Italian sausage browned or ground beef browned with 1 t. Italian seasonings added
1 (8 oz.) pkg. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 jar (28 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese

Place bread slices on a large baking sheet and put in a 350 degree oven for 3-5 minutes to toast slightly.  Remove and set aside.  Line a 9x13-inch pan with foil.  Place 10 half slices of the bread in the prepared pan.  Cover bread slices with the cooking crème, spreading evenly.  Spread the browned Italian sausage or ground beef over the cooking crème layer.  Sprinkle about 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese over the meat.  Pour spaghetti sauce over the cheese and spread evenly.  Sprinkle with another 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese.  Add the last 10 half slices of bread, placing them over the previous slices.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle the last of the mozzarella cheese over the top along with the parmesan cheese.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes more.  Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes.  To serve, cut between the bread half slices and remove to plates.  This is very hearty so could make as much as 10 serving depending upon what is served with it and whether it is served for lunch or dinner.

Thanks Leslie for a great idea.  So tell me, do you ever create a dish with ingredients that you have on hand?

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Taco-Macaroni Supper Skillet

 Here is a quick, good one-dish dinner that can be on the table in the amount of time it would take to cook Hamburger Helper and with none of the additives.  I used my "Ready Ground Beef" from the freezer and a homemade taco seasoning.

Ready Ground Beef
I brown 3 lbs. of 15% ground beef with 1 1/2 c. each chopped onion, celery, red pepper and 3 cloves garlic.  When it is cooked, I drain it and rinse it with hot water.  I divide it into 4-5 packages and freeze.  When I am ready to use it, I thaw in the microwave for casseroles or just put in soups still frozen.  I use this anywhere 1 lb. browned ground beef is called for.  I do not worry that the amount is not a whole pound.  It doesn't really make a difference in casseroles and soups.

Taco-Macaroni Supper Skillet
1/2 to 1 lb. lean ground beef (If using Ready Ground Beef, omit onion, pepper, and celery)
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped red pepper
1/4 c. chopped celery
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix (or homemade-see below)
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 1/4 c. water
1 1/2 c. uncooked elbow macaroni
1 1/2 c. frozen corn or 1 can (16 oz.) whole kernel corn, drained
1 can (15 oz.) pinto or kidney beans, rinsed and drained or 1 can (15 oz.) chili beans, undrained
1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. (4 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese or Mexican Blend

In large skillet brown ground beef, add onion, pepper, and celery and cook for 5-6 minutes.  Drain.  If using Ready Ground Beef start here.  Add taco seasoning mix, tomato sauce, water (use part of measured-out water to rinse tomato sauce can), corn and beans.  Bring to a boil.  Stir.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover, cook 8-12 minutes or until macaroni is of desired doneness, stirring occasionally.  Top with dollops of sour cream.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Cover; let stand 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Makes 6 servings.

Taco Seasoning
1 T. chili powder
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. onion powder
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/4 t. oregano
1/2 t. paprika
1 1/2 t. cumin
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper

 Mix together well.  Makes about 2 1/2 T. mix.  Use in above recipe, starting with half of mixture and increasing to taste.  It may be too spicy for children if all the mix is used.

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