New Food! Yay!

So normally we're pretty thrifty at our house, but there are two things I can't resist: new and exciting books and new and exciting food. I've curbed the book problem by (mostly) staying out of bookstores unless I'm really out of new books, but I still go grocery shopping once or twice a week. (Once if I remember everything the first time, twice if I don't). So while walking the aisles picking up things I actually need, I usually find one or two things I don't need but suddenly really want.

I've decided to justify my zest for new flavors by starting a semi-regular feature based on what I buy and whether it tastes good. Everyone else is welcome to record their new and exciting purchases in the comments or as totally separate posts or features. Obviously. ;)

This first “New Food! Yay!” will be mostly inspired by the excellent cheese suggestions and my resulting indulgences, but I don't really buy new and exciting cheese every week. It just seems like that lately.

I actually bought seven new things this week and last, but I've only tried six so far. Here they are:
1.Beehive Cheese Cajun Cheddar—this is now hands-down my favorite Beehive cheese. The cheddar flavor really works with the cajun spices to give you a nice rich flavor with a nice heat left behind. But if you're not into spicy I'd skip this one.

2.No Woman jerk cheese. This was Glynne's recommendation, and Harmon's had a nice little piece for sale. He's spot on about the complex flavor. There's definitely a strong jack vibe with a smoky and surprisingly sweet taste to it. Very enjoyable.

3.Da Vinci Goa from Holland (this is what is says on the package), a nice mild cheese with tomato, olives, and herbs mixed into it. It's got a nice savory flavor without being spicy.

4.Havarti Cream Dill from Denmark. This is exactly what it sounds like—some bites seem a little overwhelmed by dill, and some bites seem like the perfect blend of mild, slightly acid havarti with bright dill flavor.

5.Private Selection Arrabiata pasta sauce—I mostly hate jarred/canned pasta sauces because they're way too sweet for me, but for various reasons I've been looking for a jarred sauce I can agree with. I think this one might be it—it's nice and spicy and thin-enough-but-not-too-thin, and even though we had it more or less plain this time I think it would be great for adding my own veggies and such. Private Selection is actually Kroger, so I don't know where-all sells Kroger stuff where any of you live (if anyone does), but that's where you'd find this.

6.Archer Farms (Target) sesame orange dressing—we actually bought this because I'm going to make Glynne's cabbage salad thing and we didn't have any real sesame dressing on hand. I had some on regular salad last night and it was quite nice. Sometimes I find sesame stuff too bitter, but the orange sweetness offsets that nicely. We actually found the Masa's brand that Glynne recommended but I haven't tried it yet, so I can't tell you if I like it better than the Target one. So I'll have to save that one for next time.

So this is a lot more new stuff than I get in a normal week. This is even slightly much for the two weeks I'm covering here. But the bigness of the list probably makes it a good kick-off for a semi-regular but much shorter feature.

Instant Ramen

So I am more than likely the only family member who still eats instant ramen but I am posting this anyway. For me, Maruchan ramen is a major comfort food. With Scott having just moved to Texas and also having just taken on a lot more debt since I bought a car, I have definitely been on a ramen kick. The soup form is my fave-y but with no additives I think it is really boring. This is what I have been throwing in recently (as with seemingly everything I cook, the ingredients change dramatically based on what I have on hand)

To one package Maruchan Beef Flavor or Oriental Flavor Ramen:
-2 or 3 red radishes, sliced
-3 white mushrooms, sliced
-2 green onions, cliced into rounds (whites and tops)
-1 inch piece of fresh ginger grated or sliced finely
-1/2 to 1 tsp garlic powder
-1 tsp sriracha
-1 tsp soy sauce
-1 good grind of pepper

I cook the noodles to an al dente consistency with the seasoning packet in the water so the noodles absorb the flavor. I put all the other ingredients at the bottom of a bowl and pour the cooked noodles and broth over top.

*last night I also put in some cubed ham. It totally worked.

other favorite additives: Furikake, sesame seeds, crushed coriander seed, dried red chilies, mung bean sprouts, red onion, fresh sliced garlic, white vinegar or rice vinegar.