Now here’s a recipe that used to be a mainstay in our repertoire, but that we haven’t enjoyed in ages and ages! Ramen with Rotel – plus a chik’n patty – is always a filling, easy, tasty meal to make when one is short on time and, perhaps, patience in the kitchen. That makes it perfect for tonight!
I dropped by the animal shelter on the way home from work for an hourlong volunteer stint in the cat room, where I spent a good amount of time cuddling with and baby-talking to about a dozen of my favorite felines. One of my current besties is this fellow, Chester, who started out so shy and timid but has now blossomed into a little social butterfly:
Hey, Handsome!
It amazes me how downright relaxing my time at the shelter can be. I know, I know – “relaxing” isn’t necessarily the first adjective that comes to mind when you think of an animal shelter. But this one really is (at least for much of the time). There’s just something about sitting on the floor in a kennel with a cat on your lap that sort of puts the rest of the world into perspective, you know? And then to come back a week later and see that your buddy’s been adopted and that there’s now a new buddy in his place, well – it does a heart good.
Anyway, by the time I arrived home post-shelter (and fed my own Wonder-Cat), I was very hungry and also ready to relax for a few minutes. Enter: Ramen with Rotel!
All this dish requires in order to achieve perfection is a two-minute stint in the microwave to heat up the chik’n patties, and then about five and a half minutes to heat up a microwaveable bowl of two ramen packets (minus the seasoning), one can of Rotel (to be honest, we used Harris Teeter brand tonight), and about half a can’s worth of water. Once everything is heated through, I stirred the ingredients thoroughly, added a pat of butter and a dose of nutritional yeast, and divided the servings between LeeLee’s plate and my own!
I’m pleased to say that I haven’t lost my touch, either. We both mowed down our helpings and found ourselves pining for more. There was no more to be had, but no matter; a helping of dessert trifle settled the score just beautifully.
:)