Japanese Noodles Dress Up Meal

Japanese Noodles 

Adding Flair and Flavor to Japanese Ramen Noodles

Just because one is on a budget - a single person, parents, elderly, a student - does not mean food must be plain, bland and without options! Many people choose ramen noodles as a single or family meal, and I am one of them.  However, rather than use the flavor packet the ramen comes with, I opt to regulate what goes into the "broth", manage the sodium added as well as use fresh vegetables and herbs. I am on a low sodium, low sugar nutritional adventure, for the health of it, and I found this meal a perfect place to practice what I preach....to an extent. You know me, I cannot do Anything without a little taste bud excitement! Let me tell you how I "dressed up" my ramen dinner, adding flair and flavor to a very simple meal, and how I managed the ingredients. 

First, I like a well-balanced meal, but I had no meat thawed or ready to use, and while I knew I was going to get protein from a couple of eggs, I wanted something with a bite of flavor.  I had bacon, already halved from a previous meal, and seared it up low and slow, slathered with a mixture of plum and hoisin sauces, draining the fat renderings often, which allowed the caramelized process. I added a toasted sesame and nori rice topping mix to the bacon, adding yet another distinct flavor layer. This takes about eighteen minutes.  Bacon can be baked, but when adding a sauce to it, I have been unsuccessful baking it so that a sauce can caramelize.  

In addition to making a sort of candied bacon with plum sauce and hoisin sauces, I also very coarsely chopped an onion, slivered garlic and plucked off several fresh parsley leaves and a couple of little thyme sprigs. I also set aside two eggs.  I love eggs with Japanese noodles. 

Partly following the directions on the package, I bring 1.75 cups of water or chicken broth to a boil with the garlic slices and a teaspoon of chili sauce, add the noodle square and the onion.  After a minute, I add one tablespoon of citrus shoyu (soy sauce), a teaspoon of garlic powder and onion powder and a quarter teaspoon of ground black pepper. Despite the fresh aromatics in the broth, I like to add a little bit more of the same flavors in powdered form. I do not add salt, as a rule, due to the shoyu, and today, because of the bacon.  

Meanwhile, I crack the eggs over the softening noodle square, not breaking up the noodles, and allow them solidify. The aroma was and always is quite amazing! 

After three-to-five minutes over high heat, I turn off the heat and allow the hot pot to cool off for ten minutes. Afterward, I take out the noodles, place the onions and eggs atop the noodles, slide in the meat on the side, in this case, the candied bacon, and I topped tonight's meal with fresh parsley and thyme and a bit more of the toasted sesame nori rice topping. 

However you decide to dress up your ramen, be it adding vegetables, leftover meats, or, just eat it as is, my goal with this recipe blog post is to help you realize you are not tied to that flavor packet - which IS good - but not good for those of us with dietary restrictions, especially sodium restrictions. You have options to dress it up, add your own taste palette and flair to it. Go experiment with it!  Have fun with it!  Find your favorite flavor combinations! 

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A few days after this initial post, I decided to make mustard curried lamb and, when deciding what to serve it with, I decided to take a risk and serve it with Japanese noodles.  I certainly loved it and decided to update this humble blog post.  I marinated the lamb shoulder steaks in a special grilling sauce made by my favorite brewer, and seared the meat.  It was delightful.  It is funny, my youngest son and I are the only ones who like lamb in our entire family, both maternal and paternal sides.  

After allowing the steaks to rest several minutes, several LONG minutes, I sliced the meat from the bone.  I had decided to not use the delicious, but overly salty (for my dietary need) flavor packet and instead, I added the lamb bones to the pot of water for the noodles, along with onion, garlic and fresh parsley, thus creating a flavorful lamb broth.  It was wickedly tasty!  After removing the bones and having brought the water to a roiling boil over high heat, I added the noodle square, and a bit more fresh onion and garlic.  I added eggs and, after about three minutes, I turned off the heat and added some of the lamb meat.  The curry and mustard flavors were incredibly aromatic and added an intricate flavor to the noodles.  If you are not a fan of lamb, use whatever meat you wish, IF you wish to use meat at all!  Fish with a sprinkle of nori and toasted sesame seeds is also wonderful. Make it your own!  Fresh vegetables and meats are best, but leftovers dress up a meal of noodles in a fantastic manner. 

My "plating" apparently in need of practice and better elegance.  One of my early mentors thought it was a really awful ice cream sundae, at first look.  I will do my best to spruce up my plating.  In the meantime, despite that, the dish was wonderful.  

With that, go cook ramen for someone you love!

As always, Thank You for your time and readership and viewership!  I am grateful for all of you and your support!  

~Martin

In-House Cook

In-House Cook's Rachael Ray "Week In-A-Day" Inspired Recipe Blog Post

In-House Cook's "Week-In-A-Day" 

Culinary Therapy Adventure

Inspired by the TV Program and Cookbook by Rachael Ray

Everyone who knows me understands that I am a die-hard fan of Rachael Ray. Love her or not, I would not be on this journey if one, I had not had a purpose and desire to want to learn how to cook and, two, if I had not gotten hooked on Rachael Ray's "30 Minute Meals" back in 2004.  I had been divorced for a few years, and my youngest son lived with me at the time, but neither of my sons ever stayed to eat at my place unless I was grilling, which I was quite proficient at. I had come down with a terrible flu that October and was - doctor's orders - bedridden for two weeks. Thank goodness it was during my autumn break! During my time in bed reading and watching tv, I got completely hooked by Rachael Ray's "30 Minute Meals" and another show, no longer on, "While You Were Out", which is where I discovered my love for making candles.  Yes, I am multi-crafty-talented. I had watched Rachael make a meal then called "Spaghetti Western Man Spaghetti", which is now called "Cowboy Spaghetti".  My friends, whom I could not wait to make it for, nicknamed the dish: "Mansghetti".  All appropriate. I do not think I have ever blogged it. My first Rachael Ray meal and I do not think I have blogged it, although, I did not start blogging until May 31, 2012. 

In any event, I also love Rachael Ray's show "Week-In-A-Day".  Rachael's instruction helped me create Weekly cooked-ahead meals and meal "bags" of ingredients for my son while he was away to college. I did blog those, if you are interested in scrolling through my blog's history, 2013 or 2014 and early 2015.  Being on a budget, I have decided to return to Rach's "Week-In-A-Day" instruction.  I decided to spend a day making three meals to stretch out over five days. The first is a familiar rigatoni pasta bake.  Next, pesto chicken with onions and the last, Bacon-Wrapped Italian Meat Loaf.  

Let's get started, shall we?  I am sure you will find a meal here, tweak it to make it your own, and enjoy saving money on these easy to prepare and make meals.  The best part is that the oven does all the hard work for you!  

Rigatoni Pasta Bake

A personal favorite of mine for make-ahead lunches for the work week is a pasta bake.  I always use shorter pasta to catch the sauce well, such as penne rigate, rigatoni, farfalle (bow tie), fusilli or campanelle. I recently posted a pasta using campanelle, about two or three recipe blog posts back, if you are interested.  Simple ingredients, simple preparation and incredible flavors.  Here we go!

Ingredients

1 pound Italian sausage (hot or mild)

1 medium red or yellow onion

2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

4 leaves fresh basil, rolled and chiffonade cut (into ribbons) 

4 sprigs fresh Thyme

1 rounded tablespoon dried Italian herb seasonings 

(Or fresh, if it is spring or summer with a full herb garden!  Fresh herbs are amazing!)

salt and pepper

1 28-ounce can tomato puree

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 pound rigatoni pasta

Bring about four quarts of water to a roiling boil. 

In a large skillet, add the evoo and a pinch of the garlic over medium-high heat.  When the oil begins to ripple, remove the garlic.  Add the sausage, break it up and brown it up, about five minutes.  Add the onion and garlic, a little salt and pepper, and saute another few minutes until the onions begin to appear translucent. Add the tomato puree and incorporate well.  Add half of the dried Italian herb seasoning and half of the fresh basil ribbons and mix in well. Add a few tablespoons of water to loosen up the sauce and bring to a boil.  Then reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer for fifteen to thirty minutes, whatever time you have available. 

While working on the sauce, watch the pasta water. When it comes to a roiling boil, add about half a palm full of salt and stir. This is the only chance you have to season the pasta itself.  Now, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. The pasta will cook about ten or twelve minutes. Before straining the pasta, retain half a cup of the pasta water. Add it and a tab of butter to the pasta back into the pot (with the heat turned off). Stir well.  

When you dump the pasta into the water and stir, add the remaining dry Italian seasoning and fresh basil to the sauce and stir in well.  

Now, spray a 13' by 9' baking pan with non-stick spray. Add three or so ladles of the pasta sauce to the bottom of the pan.  Add a layer of the rigatoni, top with some mozzarella and parmesan, then the sauce, and repeat the process until you have used all of the pasta and sauce. You Could just add the pasta to sauce and pour it all in, which is much easier, but I enjoy layered pasta bakes, somewhat like a lasagna. I enjoy the cheese and the sauce melting into the rigatoni cores and how it soaks up the sauce flavors and cheese flavors. Amazing. 

Top with a generous layer of the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses and drizzle with evoo.  I like to add a little fresh oregano to the top as it bakes. Now, bake for 20 minutes until the top crisps up golden. The aroma will fill your kitchen like a dream. 

Once done, allow the bake to rest and set about twenty minutes.  Serve either on a plate or a bowl.  

I like to serve with a garnish of fresh basil or oregano. 

Bon Appetito!  

Next up, Pesto Chicken!  

Pesto Chicken is simple and perfect for make-ahead meals. Served with pasta, salad, in sandwiches, it is a versatile protein that anyone can enjoy in myriad ways. Let's get to it!

Now, you could make your pesto, which is easy enough, and I will share my recipe with you, but for this, I just used a jar of pesto I found on sale. It is always a great idea to stock your pantry with items you use often and with items on sale, such as pesto, which will save you time and effort. 

In-House Cook's Pesto Recipe

1.5 packed cups of basil

(You could use kale, chard, Flat Leaf Italian Parsley, mint, arugula and more!)

1 - 2 cloves smashed garlic

1 palm full of grated parmesan cheese

2 rounded tablespoons of toasted pine nuts 

pinch salt and pepper 

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (drizzled in as it processes in a food processor) 

Always taste before serving, and adjust, if necessary. 

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees.

Now, pat dry three chicken breasts.  Rub them with a little evoo, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Just a hindsight thought, which I did not do, but will in the future, halve the thick chicken breasts so you can have smaller, thinner portions, follow the seasoning procedure, and what comes next.  Very simple, very easy, tons of flavor!  Grease or spray the bottom of a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (I use the olive oil non-stick spray). Slice one small or two small or medium onions into discs and lay them on the bottom of the pan. Add a little salt to the onions, which will help the onions sweat and soften during the baking process and release their flavor. Slather the bottom of the chicken breasts with some of the pesto and place them atop of the onions. Add the rest of the pesto to the tops of the breasts. I like to add a medley of fresh herbs atop the store-bought pesto. 

Place the breasts into the oven at 375-degrees and roast for 30-minutes.  After thirty minutes, use a meat thermometer to make sure meat has reached about 170-degrees. If you do not have one, stab the thicker piece with a fork and if the juices run clear and clean, it is most likely done. You will, of course, have to check further to make sure there is no pink. 

My secret: About half way through, I topped the chicken with a little mozzarella to melt over the pesto.  You didn't know I like cheese, did you? 😋

I used the cheese in a small bowl of pasta salad and sandwiches and a green salad.  As I mentioned above, versatile!  I further caramelized the onions to use in the sandwiches with a little balsamic vinegar and my secret ingredient, Worcestershire Sauce.  Love it!

Up Next.....

Bacon Wrapped Italian Meat Loaf

I have not often made meat loaf, so I decided to give it a shot and try to be versatile with it.  I decided to be a little decadent with this last dish, and it proved to be worth while. I served it with mashed potatoes (not pictured) and as a breakfast sandwich. Both were equally delicious.  Let me tell you how I made it Italian with a twist. 

Italian Meat Loaf Ingredients

1 pound ground sirloin

1 pound ground chuck

1 large red onion

2 cloves grated or finely chopped garlic

2/3 cup bread crumbs mixed 

1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan

3 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon fresh oregano and thyme

6 fresh basil leaves, rolled, chiffonad sliced

1teaspoon coarsely ground coriander seed

1.5 teaspoon cumin seed

2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning, separated

3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1 rounded tablespoon tomato paste

salt and pepper

1 pound bacon

Preheat the oven to 375-degrees. 

In a large bowl, add the two pounds of beef, the dry ingredients, half of the herbs, a pinch of salt and pepper and the eggs.  Using your best kitchen utensils, your hands, mix the ingredients together. Add a little milk if the mixture is dry.  It was with two eggs, but not with three (me lesson learned). I know milk is often used when making meat loaf, but I do not like that.  IF you do, please, use it and enjoy!

I wanted to add tomato paste to the meat because I am not a fan of it atop the meat like mom's used to do in days gone by.  IF you like that, make it your own and carry on!  

After you gently work in all of the ingredients, without "overworking" the meat, meaning, it should not warm up and stick to your hands, set the bowl aside and wash your hands. 

Add a generous amount of non-stick cooking spray to a baking pan.  Add a layer of onions over that.  I love to use onions when roasting meats.  The onions act as a boost, allowing the heat all around the meat, at least until the onion bed softens. You could also place a rack in the baking pan, which would do even better; I just happen to like the onions and use them later. 

Next, lay out the bacon strips, overlapping each one just a little bit.  You will use eight to ten strips of bacon. More, if you wish!  Now, form the meat into a log and form it over the center of the bacon. Now, wrap one side of the bacon over the top of the meat and wrap the other side over that. Carefully take the log and set it into the pan over the onion bed, seam side down. 

 Add a sprinkling of some of the spice mix and a drizzle of aged balsamic atop the meat log. 

Add some of the fresh herbs, some of the dried spices and a drizzle of aged balsamic atop the wrapped bacon meat loaf. I topped it with a little fresh grated parmesan cheese. 

Now, bake at 375-degrees for fifty minutes to an hour. Use a meat thermometer, slipped between bacon slices, which have baked tightly around the meat loaf log, to make sure the meat is adequately done, 160-degrees, approximately.  

Allow the meat loaf to rest about fifteen minutes before slicing and serving.  I had used some leftover Yukon Gold potatoes to make garlic mashed potatoes and served it first with that.  Delicious. Those two textures go well together! 

You will notice that the chuck beef and the bacon will have rendered a lot of fat. The onions will have softened and the fat rendering will have kept the bottom of the meat loaf quite moist. 

My meat loaf resting. I love how the aged balsamic caramelized. The flavor intensified and I love the tangy, seasoned flavor. 

While I prefer my burgers medium-rare, I chose to bake this loaf nearly well-done. 

A couple of days later, I made breakfast sandwiches for friends and I.  The photos are below. I simply cut a few slices of the roast off and seared them, like a hamburger, but much more briefly, in a skillet with a little extra virgin olive oil until the meat had seared. 

I toasted some rolls, added a chipotle mayo aioli, a little stone ground mustard, a sunny side up egg and served as a breakfast sandwich.  This was my favorite use of the meat loaf. 

Here we are, then, the end of my Week-In-A-Day Culinary Therapy Day.  I say that because, as I have said before, the process of cooking, the prepping, the science and the creativity of cooking helps me put "life things" in their proper place in the scheme of life, like a computer files away your data. Decisions seem easier, fears lessen and creativity is sparked to a wonderful degree.  

With that, go cook something for someone you love!  And, as always, Thank You for your time and consideration!  

~Martin

In-House Cook

Christmas Dinner at In-House Cook's! All New Blog Post!

Christmas "Spread" at the In-House Cook's Place

As my family ages, I have taken on Christmas duties at my little apartment. The family congregates at about noon or so, therefore simple snacks must be served and about four in the afternoon, dinner, as the family does not like to drive at night.  My mother likes simple flavors and textures, my aunt is game for almost anything, as are my sister and my son, so I try to find a flavor happy medium.

This was a special Christmas Dinner for me because my youngest son is soon to leave the state for an internship and chances are very good he will live on the other side of the country for years to come, so I wanted to give him a grand dinner for Christmas.  My youngest, although 25, is my "mini-me", we are two-peas-in-a-pod (poor guy), and I will miss him terribly. 

One of the most prominent lessons I have learned in cooking for more than four people is to keep lists. Not just shopping lists, but also a check-off list of things to do, recipe-by-recipe.  Here is mine:

With that, as tears need to dry, let me tell you about my Christmas "spread", as I call it. I started with the frozen food snacks my family likes, such as jalapeno poppers and mozzarella sticks.  No trick to making those; just follow the directions on box.  I also put out the obligatory chips and salsa. This is what they like...not exactly grand or fancy, but traditional. 

In addition, and this is the fun part, I made semi-homemade cinnamon rolls with blood orange and lemon scented cream cheese frosting (to die for) and cakey brownies with Ghirardelli dark chocolate chip frosting.  Chocolate heavenly overload! I made those two on Christmas Eve.  Before I get to those, let's get to the main course:  prime rib bone-in roast. 

I decided to season the bone-in prime rib roast Christmas Eve so that the simple three ingredients could work their flavor magic overnight.  The three ingredients are:  salt, pepper and garlic cloves. 

3 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons fresh cracked black pepper
8 cloves garlic, halved

I added a little extra virgin olive oil to my hands and rubbed the roast down.  I jabbed the fatty top of the roast and inserted (I call it "plugging in") the halved cloves of garlic throughout from front to back. After mixing the salt and pepper together, I generously applied the mixture to all sides, including the bottom. 

I placed the roast in the roasting pan and rack, covered it with foil and put it into the frig overnight. A roast this size would take three hours to finish.  I preheated my oven to 450-degrees, let it get an oven sear on for 18 minutes, then reduced the heat to 350-degrees for the remainder of the three hours. 

Oven Ready!

Now on to the sweet stuff!  I made my semi-homemade version of cinnamon buns.  I used two sheets of pastry dough, put together end-to-end. First, I melted one stick of butter in a metal measuring cup. In a large bowl, I mixed 

2 cups of dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup of ground cinnamon.  I drizzled in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and thoroughly mixed the ingredients together. I brushed the long sheet of pastry dough with butter and generously, end-to-end, spread out the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. I drizzled butter very lightly, very sparingly over the mixture, then rolled it up into a log.  I sprayed a 13 x 9 baking pan with non-stick spray, though I could have buttered the pan. I sliced the rolled up dough into about 1-inch (more like 1 1/4 inch) sections and carefully placed them into the baking pan.  My mistake this time was that I did not roll up the pastry tightly enough.  The result was that too much brown sugar melted onto the bottom of the pan and crystallized. Very tasty, but made for some loose rolls. My cream cheese frosting made up for that mistake!  Meanwhile, I baked the rolls until golden brown on top, about twenty-two minutes at 375-degrees.  

My Blood Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cups confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup blood orange juice (fresh squeezed)

1 brick of cream cheese (8 oz)

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

I added 1 cup of confectioner's sugar with the wet ingredients and lemon zest to a large mixing bowl and, using my hand mixer set to low, so as not to splatter the room with powdered sugar, which is something I am pretty famous for, I began to slowly mix the remaining sugar; I added more sugar a little at a time until it was fully incorporated. The aroma was ethereal. The flavor, even more so.  You MUST try this!

Once the rolls were finished baking, I let them cool completely before covering. In my race to clean, decorate and cook, you see, I forgot to frost the cinnamon rolls (which smelled insanely delish fresh out of the oven!) and forgot a few things, even though I had made a list (see above). I had to frost them Christmas Day, and, because I was tardy putting out the snacks, I haphazardly slapped the frosting on to the rolls. Awkward as they looked, they were certainly delicious, if I do not say so, myself!

Next, I made fudge. Nothing spectacular or majorly blog-worthy.  It was from a box, but I tell ya, I had a good time making it!  They give you everything you need:  chocolate chips, marshmallows and sweetened condensed milk. All you need to add is butter!   

After combining the butter, sweetened condensed milk in a sauce pan over medium-high heat, I added the chocolate chips and swirled the mixture together until the chips had completely melted and the mixture was smooth and glossy.  I had put down foil into an 8" x 8" pan and sprayed it all with non-stick baking spray and added the fudge batter mixture.  I spread it with a spatula to make it pretty and set it aside, uncovered, to set, about thirty minutes.  Afterward, I placed the fudge into the refrigerator overnight, covered. I cut it into small, one inch cubes to serve. 

As if the fudge was not chocolatey enough, I made a double batch of cakey fudge brownies with melted Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate chips as frosting.  I only have a photo of the finished product prior to the frosting setting.  It was simply from a box. As you know, I am not a baker, and making the cinnamon buns, the fudge and the brownies was quite a feat for me!  

I made a double-batch of cakey fudge brownies in my large stoneware.  I cut the finished product (when the frosting had set) into two inch-by-two-inch squares and, in decorative Christmas solid red and green plastic ware, I added a layer of brownies and a layer of the fudge.  My family did not exchange presents this year, though we really did, but not in a traditional way as in years past, so I gave each person two boxes of the brownies and fudge. 

 After three hours, the meat thermometer finally read 140 degrees (my family wanted that, rather than rarer at 120-degrees), and, after a good nearly thirty minute rest, I sliced the roast. 

The salt crust remained after the fat rendered and basted the roast. It is funny looking but it was quite flavorful!  The garlic made each slice aromatic and quite tasty!

I do not have a photo of the roast plated, but I will add one from New Year's Day.  I also served prime rib (but, NYD's was a boneless rib roast) on New Year's Eve for dinner. 

Now, an hour prior to dinner, I made one of my favorite potato dishes ever, one that is new to me and one that I need to practice a lot more, Pommes Duchesse.  This dish calls for two pounds of peeled, cubed, boiled russet potatoes (just covered with cold, salted water, brought to a boil from there; done when fork tender), a stick of unsweetened butter and a cup of heavy cream. I used a cup of buttermilk rather than heavy cream, however, as I like the flavor of buttermilk better; just how I was raised. To that, I added a cup of garlic Gouda cheese.  It is a long story, but I needed to find a substitute for the Gruyere the original recipe calls for.  I used my hand mixer to thoroughly combine the fork tender potatoes, cheese and creamy, buttery mixture (to which I'd added finely chopped rosemary and sage, mind you), salt and pepper and two egg whites.  The tricky part, which I have not mastered, is using a piping bag to make beautiful swirls of creamy potatoes.  Mine sagged and unswirled, but, they tasted quite amazing. I set them into the frig to set prior to baking at 375-degrees for thirty minutes. 

I'd dusted the Pommes Duchesse with Paprika, which was a last minute choice.  I thought it made them even more pretty, if you could call mine that. When finished, they form a golden brown crust at the bottom and along the scalloped edges to the top. Very beautiful. 

Finally......

One can only "LOL" at the top picture.  While I did not squish my Duchesse Pommes on Christmas Day, I certainly did New Year's Eve.  Live and Learn and do better next time, is my motto for this year, and to not stress over the small stuff.  I do want to bring to your attention the delectable crust (bottom left) and you can see the now roasted garlic plugged into the top of the roast,lending its flavor well into the meat. This second roast I'd cooked until 130-degrees, leaving the center rare and pink, which is how I like it. I served the Christmas Day Dinner with oven roasted broccoli tossed with evoo, fresh grated garlic and salt and pepper.  Corn for New Year's Eve dinner. The buttery rolls were store bought, but quite delicious, from Nobb Hill stores, by my aunt. 

So............

Christmas is over, now New Year's is over....what to do with those leftovers?  While my family took home just about every bit of leftovers there were at Christmas, I had a good amount of Pommes Duchesse remaining at New Year's (because I fed two, rather than 5), and decided to use them for New Year's Day Brunch. I remixed the pommes with a bit more cheese, two beaten eggs, finely chopped scallions and made croquettes.  

I added four tablespoons of vegetable oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. I rubbed my hands with some oil so I could easily handle the potatoes and not have much stuck to my hands. I scooped about two tablespoons of the potato mixture into the palm of my hand and covered them with salt and pepper seasoned panko breadcrumbs and added the croquettes to the skillet. I turned them over after six minutes.  Nice and golden brown, oozing a little cheesy goodness, the garlic Gouda cheese aroma filled my kitchen. I removed the croquettes when finished and let them set a few minutes prior to plating. I also sauteed up some bacon seasoned with oregano (I am obsessed with oregano) and fried some eggs over-easy, gently crusted with grated parmesan cheese.  Delightful brunch!  

Thank You so much, gentle readers and viewers, for your time and consideration and patience with this rambling post.  I hope you will make a prime rib or rib roast at some point (they are not just for the holidays, you know!) for your loved ones and friends, and perhaps think of creative ways to use leftover potatoes.  Breakfast is one of those meals that is delicious at ANY time of day, which is why I call them BLDs, Breakfast for Lunch or Dinner (or Breakfast!).  

Thank You, again, for your loyal readership.  I am profoundly grateful for you ALL!

Happy New Year's 2017!!!

Below are some extra photos of New Year's Eve dinner. 

My rib roast oven ready! NYE

Side view of my NYE rib roast, oven ready. 

Finished rib roast, resting. 

May your 2017 be full of grace, wonder, love and good food!  Now, go cook for someone you love!