Something BIG is happening in 2018 guys. In a little over a month, this girl turns 30. So far in my last few weeks of my twenties, I've watched the ball drop solo (went to a friend's house and decided to leave at 11pm because I'm actually 29 going on 70), joined a new dating app because I'm sick of the old ones that haven't worked out, won a month of free bagels from Panera, and tried to get into the new season of the Bachelor. I'd say there are a lot of wins in there so maybe 2018 will be my year. As for turning 30, I'm really not that stressed out about it. I know that 30 feels like what should be a major milestone in my life but the reality is that I'm not going to get married or have a kid in the next 6 weeks so there's no point in my wallowing over the fact that I'm not where I thought I would be, even when it seems like everyone else around me is checking off those boxes. Instead I'll be proud of the things I've accomplished in the last 29.9 years and look forward to seeing what's up next for me. I've got a good feeling about you 2018!
Another notable 2018 moment: last night's ramen upgrade. I knew I was in the mood for a noodle bowl of some sort but when browsing through the internet's many, many options, I opted to mix and match a few to get exactly what I wanted. I screen shot a few directions and ingredient lists and headed out to my local grocery store on the day before a blizzard. While everyone else was buying out the store, (why? It's not like we'll never be able to go to the grocery store again. And why is it always bread and milk that go first? I thought we're supposed to hate carbs and drink water) I headed down the international aisle to see what I could find. The recipe called for a few tablespoons each of rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and sriracha and though I was able to find them, it felt a little aggressive to buy three slightly expensive bottles of things to use for one recipe and then let them sit in the fridge until I tossed them. So instead I opted to buy a bottle of Kung Pao stir fry sauce, assuming that the flavor profiles would be pretty close and have the heat kick I was looking for. From there, I picked up some packages of Ramen, broth, and a few veggies, knowing I probably had soy sauce at home (I didn't have a bottle like I thought but instead used packets of soy sauce that you get from Chinese or sushi take-out), that I had baby carrots leftover from a NYE veggie platter, and that there was some leftover chicken that needed a little love or was destined for the trash soon. In total, I spent $6.96 and that includes the extra quart of chicken broth that I bought and the six pack of Ramen even though I only needed 2 - this sets me up to make it again soon with another small price tag. The recipe probably makes abut 4 servings aka $1.74 per serving! Amazing! I highly recommend giving this a shot - you'll love it! Most of my inspirations came from here.
Recipe Eighteen: Easy Ramen
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil (or sesame oil if you have it)
2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons stir fry sauce (or 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons of Sriracha)
1 cup shredded carrots (I don't have a box shredder so I just finely chopped into strips)
4 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 3oz. packages of Ramen noodles (discard flavor packets)
1/2 cup sliced scallions
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cut into small strips
Instructions
Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and simmer until fragrant.
Add soy sauce and cook for one minute, stirring to blend thoroughly and avoid burning.
Add broth and stir fry sauce. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Add carrots and mushrooms and simmer lightly for at least 10-15 minutes. The longer it simmers, the better the depth of flavor so I covered it and went and watched an episode of Easy on Netflix (30ish minutes).
3 minutes prior to serving, add the Ramen noodles to the pot and cook for those same 3 minutes until cooked and tender.
To repurpose the chicken, I heated it in a skillet with a little stir fry sauce so all pieces were lightly coated. Doesn't take more than a few minutes.
Add some chicken to bowl and ladle the soup and noodles over the top. Garnish with scallions.
So easy guys! You can totally do this! I can't wait to hear how yours came out. I do have the means to make another batch or two so I may just be able to share with a few of you. I'm off to indulge in some leftovers. Thanks to those of you who reached out and asked for the recipe! Happy to share.
I genuinely hope that 2018 is your year!
- Kela
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