Birds Eye Voila! Three Cheese Chicken

Made By:  Pinnacle Foods Group LLC  [USA]
Required to Prepare:  Covered Skillet & Range (or Microwave), 1/2c water
420 calories per 1/2 package


We worked hard today, and so I'm making a convenience meal for our dinner tonight!  In the freezer I had this Voila! Three Cheese Chicken skillet meal, which sounded pretty good, so that's what I settled on.  These Birds Eye meals are actually very economical compared to some of the other brands--I think I gave around $4 for this, so if it's good, then I expect to be trying some of the other varieties!

Inside the bag is a mélange of broccoli, corn, carrots, radiatori pasta, and chicken cubes.  I don't actually see any sauce chips; I think the sauce might be frozen onto the pasta pieces.  Anyway, this one is very simple to prepare; we dump the contents of the bag into our skillet, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.  After I lifted the lid, the meal was hot, but still looked watery, so I gave it a couple of extra minutes uncovered to cook down a bit, which helped things quite a bit.  I ladle it out into two dinner-size bowls, and my sweetie and I are ready to eat!

For something billed as a Three-Cheese Chicken, I do have to say that the cheese and chicken, while present, are not all that prominent.  The veggies actually seem to be the star of the show; the broccoli and carrots are very nicely firm-tender, and the carrots and corn are naturally quite sweet, to the point of making the overall dish seem a bit sweet.  The chicken pieces do have a nice texture and flavor, as does the sauce, though I wish there were a bit more of both.

On the plus side, it was a reasonably good dinner for a very reasonable price, and it has the side benefit of making you feel like you just had a really healthy meal--we definitely ate our vegetables tonight!  That said, I'm not sure it's the kind of thing I would really get excited about.  :|

Maruchan Akai Kitsune Udon

Made By:  Toyo Suisan Kaisha, Ltd. [Japan]
Required to prepare:  ~14 oz. boiling water
410 calories per serving

Available online through Amazon.com

Today is a cold, rainy day in Woodinville, WA, so a hot comfort food sounds like just what I need for a quick lunch!  I'm trying these noodles from Maruchan of Japan (who should not be confused with Maruchan USA).  Although there is english writing on the package in various places, such as the instructions and nutrition information, strangely there is no translation of the name on the package.  So, I have to resort to my extremely-limited japanese-decoding skills, and I make out the name as Akai Kitsune Udon, which seems like it would mean something like 'red fox noodles.'  Whatever they're called, I'm ready to try them, so on with the review!

The kitsune [fox] part of the name means that the noodles are topped with an abura-age, which is a seasoned fried tofu pocket thing, and which are the same thing used for making inari sushi.  Unlike other 'udon' products I've tried, these are dry noodles rather than being vacuum-packed fresh ones.  We also have a double-packet of seasonings, that has a basic-looking soup base in one side and what seems to be an extremely tiny amount of chili powder in the other.  We open the packet into the noodles, fill the bowl to the line with boiling water, close the lid, and let stand for five minutes.  Then after a quick stir we are ready to eat!

The broth is mild but quite flavorful; it has that dashi flavor that I really love, like in the Nong Shim Japanese-Style Udon.  I don't notice any sort of heat at all; if that really was chili powder in the packet, there wasn't enough of it to change anything.  The noodles are nice, but remind me more of an egg noodle than a true udon--the flavor is close but a little too rich, and the texture isn't quite right either.  Still, they are not bad by any means and accompany the broth well.  The abura-age has an interesting flavor, if you've never had one; they're mildly sweet and kind of remind me of a waffle.  It can also be a bit unwieldy to eat, especially (I would imagine) with a different implement than chopsticks--the outside crust is quite firm and tends to resist efforts to stab or cut it.  I can fold it in half and pick it up to take bites, but I'm not sure how you'd go at it with a fork or spoon.

Overall, I liked this one quite a bit; it seemed like another nice variation on traditional Japanese noodle soup. It might not be my absolute favorite in the category, but I'll probably buy it again. :)

MAMA Oriental Style Instant Noodles Artificial Tom Yum Pork Flavor

 Made By:  Thai President Foods, Ltd. [Thailand]
Required to Prepare:  Hot water (10oz)
270 calories per package

(Available online from VeryAsia.com)

Today I chose another noodle from MAMA, just so I can remind myself how good their 'regular' noodles are compared to those 'non-fried' ones I had last time.  I've already reviewed two of these Tom Yum flavors--Shrimp, and Creamy Shrimp--so I'll also see how much different a Tom Yum Pork can possibly be from a Tom Yum Shrimp.

Inside the package is our lovely golden-brown block of noodles, along with three seasoning packets.  The pink one is the powdered Tom Yum soup base, but unlike the shrimp varieties, there is no chili powder packet--instead, the yellow foil pack has mostly sesame seeds in it, and rather than a bright red chili oil packet, the orange oil packet has a thick oil infused with minced garlic.  Preparation is the same, at least:  We place all the ingredients into a bowl, add 1-1/4 cups of boiling water, and cover and wait three minutes.  Then we stir it up and serve!

While the Tom Yum hot-and-sour flavor is still the primary flavor of the broth, the sub-flavors are indeed quite a bit different.  The garlic sub-flavor is subtle but blends with the Tom Yum flavor well.  Despite the absence of either chili oil or chili powder packets, it is not mild in the least, although it's possibly a little less aggressive than the shrimp versions.  I think it might be my favorite version of Tom Yum soup I've tried so far!  As far as the noodles themselves go, I'll just say that MAMA's firm, light, delicious oriental-style noodles are still my favorite.  I'm definitely going to be keeping this one in stock from now on!  :D

MAMA Ramen Artificial Duck Flavor

Made By:  Thai President Foods, Ltd.
Required to Prepare:  Saucepan & Range, 1-1/2c water
220 calories per package


The Ramen Butterfly is back by popular demand!  Whoa, has it really been over four months since I did one of these?  I guess time flies when you get sidetracked, sometimes.  Thanks to the supportive commenter who reminded me I need to eat some noodles!

So, today I had these Artificial Duck Flavor "Oriental Non-Fried Instant Noodles" from MAMA; I figured the Thailand-style small serving was good for an afternoon snack.  I like most of MAMA's products quite a bit, but I'm also not sure what to expect from a non-fried noodle, so we'll just have to see what these are like!

Inside the package is a loosely-formed block of semi-translucent noodles, along with three flavor packets; we have a seasoning powder and a seasoning oil, along with the usual (for Thai noodles) small packet of optional chili powder.  We are supposed to bring 1-1/2 cups of water to a boil, add the noodles and cook for 3-4 minutes, and then stir in the seasoning powder--naturally, I add the entire packet of chili powder too.  The instructions tell us to put the seasoning "oil" (which is more of a paste) in the bowl and add the noodles on top, which I do, although why it matters how you add it to the soup is beyond me.  Give everything a stir, and we are ready to serve!

The main aroma I detect is of five-spice seasoning, not duck.  I wonder if that is a traditional seasoning for duck in Thailand?  In any case, the broth has a nice flavor of both duck and five-spice.  With the entire chili packet, I'd rate the heat level at around a 3/5, and of course that can be tailored to your preference by adding less or none of the packet.  The noodle texture is very different from MAMA's other noodle products; instead of being dark, firm, and flavorful, these 'non-fried' noodles are pale, quite soft, and don't seem to have much flavor of their own aside from what they pick up from the soup--a lot like the noodles in a domestic Top Ramen.  I wouldn't call them bad, exactly, but I do rather prefer the normal MAMA noodles.  Would I have them again?  Honestly, probably not, when I could probably find the same flavor with the nicer noodles for a similar calorie count.  I did like the flavor though. :|

Nissin Demae Ramen Five Spices Artificial Beef Flavor

Made By:  Nissin Foods (Hong Kong)
Required to prepare:  Saucepan & Range, 500cc water
460 calories per package

(Available online through Amazon.com)

One thing about making the transition from unemployed to self-employed is that there are more demands on time--just because there is a lot of work to do for the business doesn't mean there's suddenly less housework to make up for it.  So where does the Ramen Butterfly turn when she wants a quick and easy lunch?  Instant noodles to the rescue!

Today's rescuer is this Five Spices Artificial Beef Flavor ramen from Nissin of Hong Kong.  For those unfamiliar, the five spices in Chinese five-spice can actually vary a little, but the main flavor note is always a cinnamon-clove-anise blend of some sort.  (It's actually not that far removed from an American pumpkin-pie spice blend.)  It's an interesting flavor, but one that can be overpowering if used irresponsibly, so we'll see how it translates into a ramen flavor.

Inside the package we find a very typical block of ramen, and two seasoning packets--a soup base, and a small amount of seasoning oil (which has kind of a french-onion thing going on).  We boil our 500cc [2-1/4 cups] of water, add the noodles and cook for three minutes, then add the flavorings and serve!

The noodles have a nicer texture than I had remembered Nissin Demae noodles being; they actually have a very pleasant mouthfeel.  The broth is a very nice balance between a beef broth and the five spice flavor; the five-spice is definitely noticeable but it isn't too strong.  Being a Nissin Demae product, there are of course no vegetables or faux-meat bits to review, but those can be a distraction as easily as they can be a feature anyway. I would have to say that out of the three Nissin Demae products I've reviewed so far, this one is probably my favorite!  I certainly wouldn't mind having this one again. :)

Paldo Green Tea Chlorella Noodles

Made By:  Korea Yakult Co. Ltd (Korea)
Required to Prepare:  Saucepan & Range, 550cc water
510 calories per package (?)*

(Available online through Amazon.com)

It's noodle time again!  This morning I'm going to get adventurous and try these Green Tea Chlorella noodles I picked up at Uwajimaya Bellevue last time I was there.  For the uneducated (like myself before I looked it up on Wikipedia), chlorella is a type of edible algae that was originally discovered as an inexpensive protein source and has more recently gotten a following as a "superfood."  I'm actually not that concerned about the health merits of chlorella--I'm interested to find out how it tastes when you make noodles with it!

Inside the package we find our block of green-tinted noodles, along with two packets--one with dried veggie bits, and the other with a powdered soup base that has an aroma of dashi [fish & seaweed] stock.  We bring our 550cc (around 20 oz.) of water to a boil, add our soup base packets and noodles, and cook for four minutes, and then our soup is ready to serve!

The finished soup does look a bit strange, with the green-tinged noodles in the brownish-colored broth.  Despite the unusual appearance of the noodles, their flavor is fairly unremarkable; it may be that chlorella is a bit like tofu where it doesn't have a significant flavor of its own when you cook with it.  The texture is quite nice though; the noodles are firm, just a shade softer than al dente, and not sticky or slippery.  The veggies seem content to avoid the spotlight; there are bits of kombu seaweed, some green onion, and a couple of chile-pepper rings, none of which stand out either positively or negatively.  The broth is a fairly typical Japanese-style dashi broth, which I happen to love--it's very similar to the flavor of the broth in the Nong Shim Japanese-Style Udon.  If there is a 'green tea' flavor element present, it's very subtle to the point of being totally overpowered by the dashi flavor.

In other words, despite the odd appearance, the flavor of the soup is actually quite tame, though not in a bad way.  If you enjoy Japanese-style ramen soup, I'd recommend this one as a worthy option in the category!  And who knows, that green stuff might end up being good for us. :D

*:  According to the nutrition information, there are 510 calories in half the package.  I'm convinced this is a typo, though, because the entire package is only 120 grams, and 8-1/2 calories per gram of food seems rather implausible.

Shameless Self-Promotion

I'm going to start this entry with a little backstory about me...  Before my current "career" as a homemaker, I had been a computer tech and database designer for twelve years, working at the same employer from 1997 until I was 'let go' unexpectedly just before Christmas of 2009.  A little over a year later, in March of 2011, I finally found work as a personal caregiver for a man with cerebral palsy, which was a big change, but I felt needed in ways I never had in IT and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Unfortunately, after less than a month I suffered a serious back injury on the job and was no longer able to perform my duties.  This left my left leg permanently impaired and left me unemployed again--but now my job search was limited to jobs I would be physically able to do, and employers who would take a chance on an applicant with a physical impairment. 

My "Moon Flower" test pillar

Meanwhile at home, my partner and I love candles--they are one of the things I am most passionate about (aside from food of course).  We had been using PartyLite, but had been finding recently that their quality seemed to be going off--less fragrance, and less consistent burning.  I also tried some from a couple of popular small, independent candlemakers, and while the fragrances were great, some of the candles just didn't burn right at all, and would either smoke incessantly or drown themselves out.  Not to mention that candles get expensive when one of us is chronically unemployed!  Since I had time on my hands, and since we weren't having luck buying candles we were happy with, we decided I should order some supplies and try my hand at making our own.  I did discover that crafting a quality candle is a little more complicated than it sounds--but I also found out that I very much enjoyed it and after a short learning curve, I was able to make lovely candles that we were happy with and that burned beautifully!

We even got pretty boxes for the
candles!  My computer background
came in handy designing the labels. :)

We shared a few of them with family and friends, who all agreed that they were very nice, and that is when we got to thinking that maybe I should make them into a business of my own.  So, after another learning curve for building an e-commerce website, Paradise Lake Candles was born.  The website is a work in progress, but it is very much a labor of love--we're having a great time testing new fragrances for the site.  (As of this writing, one of the ones that is currently in testing called "Moon Flower" might be a new favorite of mine!)  I'm hoping that soon I can start contributing to the household again with my candles.  If I could make a living doing something I enjoy as much as candlemaking, then Paradise Lake would live up to its name for me. ^_^