Ramen in Peanut Sauce

This next recipe is a bit more intensive than the previous recipes, mainly because it involves making your own peanut sauce from scratch.  There are a few things that need to be said first:

1. Make the sauce before you play start your session.  It stores well, so it can be made well in advance.  Just don't waste any time making it while you could be getting on with the rest of the recipe.  
2. You can buy peanut sauce from a jar at the store.  No one will think less of you, I promise.
3. I got the recipe for the sauce from eHow.com.  The Internet is a great resource for recipes, so if you have access to it, use it!

Ingredients:

Sauce:

• ¾ cup chunky peanut butter
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup brown sugar
• Tbsp. Soy sauce
• 1 Lime or equivalent tablespoons of Lime juice (research shows ~2, but I like it much limier, so I'd say ~3 or a bit more)

 Ramen:

• 1 package Lime Shrimp Ramen
• 1 cup water
• 3 handfuls of Shrimp
• Hot sauce (optional)

Equipment: 

• 2x >2 quart pots
• 2 stirring implements
• measuring cups and spoons

Directions:
Sauce:

1. Place the peanut butter and the water into a pot on medium heat.
2. Once the peanut butter and water have mixed, add in the brown sugar, soy sauce, and lime juice.  Mix until combined.
3. Remove from heat

Store it or use it immediately, it's up to you.  I find that this recipe makes enough for four people, so double the recipe for a normal sized party.

Ramen:

1. Boil the water.
2. Add the noodles.
3. Once the noodles are cooked, add the shrimp.
4. When the water level is even with the top of the noodles, stir in flavour packet.
5. When the water is mostly boiled out, remove from heat.
6. Portion into bowls and top with peanut sauce.

Serve and enjoy!

Possible alterations:
Consider adding a sprinkling of chopped peanuts on top, and mixing in a dash of hot sauce.  The inspiration of this dish was Pad Thai, so any flavours that make their home there would probably work fairly well here.  Feel free to experiment, and I'd love to know what you come up with!

Happy Gaming!

Cheesy Ramen

I had a conversation with a friend at Walmart once, where she talked about having attempted to make cheese ramen by mixing canned nacho cheese with ramen made following the directions listed on the packaging.  It was described as being terrible. 

This lead me to ponder how one would make cheesy ramen.  What combination of ingredients would make a tasty concoction while still maintaining the cheapness and speed that makes ramen so awesome.

By George, I think I've got it!

Ingredients:
1 package shrimp ramen
1 cup water
~1/3 package of frozen mixed vegetables
4~6 oz. of Easy Melt (or similar) cubed
1/4 cup Milk

Equipment:
large stirring spoon
2 quart pot

Directions:
1. Boil the noodles in 1 cup of water
2. Add the frozen mixed vegetables slowly.
3. When the water level is even with the top of the noodles, stir in the flavouring.
4. Add the cubed Easy Melt, combining with the milk as needed.
5. When the mixture is of the desired consistency, remove it from heat.  If the concoction is too thick, add more milk.  If it is too thin, add more cheese.

Serve and enjoy! It should create two generous portions of ramen.  If more is needed (which is likely if you're entertaining), increase the amount of ramen and water such that there is one package for every two people, while increasing the vegetables at a 1:3 ratio.

Possible alterations:
Using other types of ramen other than shrimp flavoured is probably fine.  I'd be wary around the "oriental" flavour, however.  Adding shrimp or other types of browned should prove tasty, especially if it is the same as the flavour of the soup (e.g., chicken in chicken flavoured, beef in beef flavoured, etc.)

There's a lot of possibilities for this meal, so feel free to experiment.

Happy Gaming!

Classic Ramen with a Twist

Ramen is the food of college students.  It is cheap, it is fast, and it can be positively delectable when done properly.  It is so versatile and tasty that for the rest of the month, we will be discussing ramen in depth.  That being said, I find ramen cooked as per the directions on the back bland, boring, and tame.  This is probably why I don't make it by the directions on the back of the bag.

Ingredients:
1 bag Ramen with shrimp flavouring
1 cup water
1/2 bag frozen mixed vegetables
3 handfuls of frozen shrimp (optional)

Equipment:
1 2QT pan

Directions:
1. Boil the noodles in the 1 cup of water.
2. Add the shrimp and frozen vegetables slowly.  This is to ensure that the temperature in the pot doesn't get too low.
3. When the water level is even with the top of the noodles, stir in the flavouring.
4. When the water is mostly boiled out, remove from heat.

Measure out the noodles into bowls.  It should create two generous portions of ramen.  If more is needed (which is likely if you're entertaining), increase the amount of ramen and water such that there is one package for every two people, while increasing the vegetables and shrimp so that it is closer to a 1:3 ratio.

Possible alterations:
I have found that adding sliced hard-boiled eggs can be surprisingly delicious.  Sweet peas are also a good addition, if your bag of mixed vegetables does not already contain them.  Tofu makes a good substitute in place of shrimp, although you may want to consider browning it first.

Happy Gaming!

Why Encounters is Awesome (and March of the Phantom Brigade Chapter 1 Recap)

In these modern times of fast food, rush hour, and video games, it can be hard to find the time to sit down and play Dungeons and Dragons for hours at a time. That's why Encounters is so awesome. You show up with yourself and your dice, and you're ready to play. If you're unfamiliar with D&D Encounters, it is a series of weekly encounters sent out by Wizards of the Coast that are usually run at your local comic shop (if your local shop doesn't run them, and you think they should, talk to the manager/owner). 

The purpose of Encounters is threefold: introduce new people to D&D, show off new products such as Essentials or Fortune Cards, and provide a way for new players to meet veterans. Regardless of the technical purposes of Encounters, they're just a great way to meet people and play D&D.

The current season of Encounters has been going very well so far.  The first chapter just completed this past week.  The adventure began with our heroes as a part of a caravan of settlers, striking out to found a new town in the ruins of Castle Inverness.  After travelling for days by wagon, protecting the caravan from stirges and other creatures, the party arrives at the Castle.  Having proved themselves to Brother Splintershield (the leader of this expedition) and Malgram, the captain of the guard, ask them to ensure that the ruins are safe for the rest of the caravan. After having searched the courtyard (and run into some trouble!), the group reports their findings to the Malgram and Brother Splintersheild. The caravan moves in safely to the interior of the castle ruins. 

As they are unpacking, a shriek rings out. The center tower of the ruined castle, nothing more than a foundation a moment ago, reappears in all its former glory.  A few moments after, undead attack the fledgling village.  The adventurers defend Brother Splintershield against the undead as he performs the cleansing ritual on the town.  Brother Splintershield completes the ritual, thus protecting the town.  The enemies having been dispatched, a ghostly warrior approaches the town.  His name is Salazar Vladistone, and he is very displeased with the settlers for keeping him from his wife's grave.

As you can tell, it's been a very exciting story so far, and will only get more exciting as time goes along.  If you haven't played Encounters before, you should definitely consider it.  They are usually played at 6 or 7 pm on Wednesday evenings at a comic store near you.  To find a participating store, you can visit the Dungeons and Dragons website.