Amen Ramen - Quick Coconut Curry Noodle Bowls

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It has been a really hectic day. I've been packing for this year's adventure and the clock and I have not been in agreement since breakfast this morning. I keep forgetting the hidden clause the Silver Fox buried in our marriage contract. Like you, I promised to love honor and cherish, but in my haste to marry Galahad, it seems I also agreed to do his packing when we travel. Double the fun, right? I actually have calluses on my hand from ironing. I'll have more about the trip tomorrow, but tonight I wanted to share this very quick, very simple and surprisingly good noodle bowl with those of you who also occasionally need something quick to prepare for dinner. The recipe is easy to follow and you can have the noodle bowls on the table in less than 30 minutes. That time can be cut in half if you use deli-roast chicken or have other leftover meat that will eliminate the need to stir-fry the chicken. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the results. Here is how the noodle bowls are made.

Frugal Foodie Friday - Ramen Noodle Salad

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Those of us with small families eat loads of chicken and pork. Their convenient sizing makes them an ideal meal to prepare for two to four people and  chops and cutlets have become a mainstay of small family dinners. The Silver Fox recently requested I make Tonkatsu, a Japanese pork cutlet, for dinner. I was happy to comply, because the cutlets are also a favorite of mine, and it gave me the opportunity to test an vaguely Asian noodle dish that I found on the blog What's Cookin Chicago. The dish was made with 30 cents worth of ramen that was tossed with carrots and cilantro and then dressed with a tart-sweet dressing that had some real zing. I decided to use the noodles as a side dish and arbitrarily called it a salad because I preferred it at room temperature rather than warm. Obviously, you can vary the vegetables you use, and the addition of a bit of meat or shrimp would make the dish suitable for a light meal. It takes all of ten minutes to make this noodle salad, so it is as easy on the cook as it is on the pocketbook. The dish adds color to the plate and if you like the tart-sweet combination, I think you'll enjoy today's Frugal Friday feature. Here is how the noodles are made.