Noodle Surprise

I have a new favorite easy lunch food. I will admit, this one came entirely from my husband. The first time I encountered this little "creation" was during the summer of 2007 while I was doing CPE. Jeff was visiting for the weekend and our CPE group was planning a get-together for Sunday afternoon. We were going to have a potluck gathering. I was making some thai peanut noodles with chicken. I had a little leftover chicken so Jeff decided to make Noodle Surprise with it for our dinner/late night snack.

That first noodle surprise was made with the ramen noodles, chicken, and a shredded cheese blend we found in the fridge. I feel like there was something else, but that's all I remember. I tried a bite to be nice, and promptly made a frozen pizza.

Jeff's "standard" for noodles surprise was ramen, hot dog weiners, and cheddar cheese. I turned my nose up at it. I still turn my nose up at that version. I can't help it. It is just lacking something.

While Jeff was living in Cullman I decided to try making PW's steak bites. They were quite tasty just as I made them, but Jeff wasn't satisfied with that, and the next thing I knew he had thrown some water, ramen noodles, and cream cheese into the pan with the steak tips for his 5 minute stroganoff. I must admit, it was good. Really good. I was intrigued.

Then, not too long ago he made some with leftover smoked sausage, the oriental seasoning that came with the noodles, and cream cheese. I was absolutely hooked. There was something about the spiciness of the sausage and the creaminess of the sauce and the speed with which it was prepared that found a special place in my heart and my stomach.

I finally broke down and made some for myself. I used the smoked sausage, but did it a little differently. Jeff likes the big circles of sausage. I cut it into smaller bites. I got more of the yummy, crunchy, caramelized bits and it was easier to eat. Although Jeff usually makes two packages at a time, I only made one. I added the water to cook the noodles after the sausage had browned a bit. However, instead of the oriental seasoning I used my garlic pepper grinder. Not much because the sausage had a good flavor to start with, but it did add a little something! Top it off with about an ounce of cream cheese and I had a very tasty lunch.

It's not terribly healthy but it's tasty! And it's very customizable. Who knows what I'll come up with next!