Kate’s Cooking: Simple Lunches

Greetings to you on this cold day. How’s your December going? It has got cold where my small family lives. Our cats are asking for more food and the soup pot is out on a regular basis. Today’ column is all about two simple lunches. They are economical, tasty and what I call ‘very useful’. The VEGE CUSTARD is good with any meat, particularly hotdogs. The RAMEN SOUP SURPRISE is an instant meal which we enjoyed today for our lunch. Here then, is an old family favorite and a new family favorite.

Ramen Noodle Soup Surprise

This meal came about because of my looking in our food cupboard today and thinking ‘oh my’, what am I going to do (we havenot been to buy our groceries for the coming week).

Into a medium/large pot put the following:

6 cups water
2 packets of Ramen noodles (Oriental Flavor) – but this becomes a personal choice.
2 grated carrots
2 large cloves garlic – chopped small
1 cup chopped celery
1/3 packet (16oz.) bacon – cut into inch squares
1 tablespoon butter or margarine – optional (for extra flavoring)

Cook the above until noodles are soft and bacon is cooked. I served this with bread and butter. It was tasty and hot on a cold day.

NOTE: Thank the Lord for Ramen noodles. They are, in these difficult economic times, well worth stocking up on. If you have salt restrictions then I would limit the use of the flavoring provided in the noodle packets. Many people I know use these noodles. The local student population eats copious quantities. So do ‘crazy’ columnists!

Vege Custard

2 cups chopped celery
1 cup grated carrot
2 spring (green) onions – chopped
1 or 2 large cloves garlic – chopped
2 cups milk (approx.)
4 or 5 eggs – beaten
seasonings – own choice (optional)

Cook the vegetables in the milk until tender. Add seasonings if used. Put in a buttered ovenproof dish and pour the eggs over the vegetables. Bake in a moderate oven until firm. If you like, this dish can be made in a microwave and I have done this in a frypan too. NOTE: a little grated cheese sprinkled on top right at the end of cooking, adds additional flavor.

Take care out there and for those of you living in the northern hemisphere, keep well and warm. For those of you south of the equator, keep well too and enjoy your upcoming summer.

Bless you and happy cooking, Kate.