Friday, October 24, 2008

Roger Ramjet Would Approve Of This Noodles Romanoff!


If you think that I enjoy catchy phrases and plays-on-words, you'd be correct. My funny bone enjoys jousting with words, and the writers from the old, old, old TV show Roger Ramjet certainly shared my folly. With it's subliminal political commentary, Roger Ramjet was the patriotic but not too bright cartoon superhero who triumphed every week over the bad guys like his nemesis, the gangster named Noodles Romanoff (this was during the Cold War after all), and the foreign spy femme fatale Jacqueline Hyde (Jekyll and Hyde). He took orders from General GI Brassbottom, and he was often needing to be saved from the clutches of N.A.S.T.Y. (National Association of Spies, Traitors, and Yahoos). I don't really remember a single episode, but I do remember the theme song. Funny how that works, I can't remember where I put something, but I can remember just about every song from my childhood and teenage years.


Another thing I remember from growing up was a lovely noodle dish called Noodles Romanoff. It is a very simple peasant dish, but full of creamy goodness and is VERY filling. I promise you that this noodle dish is just the ticket for the cold nights many of us will be facing in the coming weeks. Pair it with a lovely roast, or spoon it next to a slice or two of meatloaf. Yep, I said meatloaf. That poor maligned entree that many folks actually love, but won't fess up to. I like meatloaf in the cold months, and I especially love the leftovers in sandwiches. But enough about that, here's the recipe for a Noodles Romanoff that Roger Ramjet would approve of:

2 Cups Cooked Noodles, hot(I used Kluski style)
1 Cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese
1 Cup Sour Cream
2 Tablespoons minced onion (I minced mine really small)
1 small garlic clove, finely minced (next time I might just use garlic powder)
Seasoned Salt (I used Lawrey's)
Couple quick shakes of red pepper or hot sauce
Quick shake of White Pepper
1/3 cup Grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a 2 quart casserole dish. In a large bowl, combine the hot noodles with all the ingredients except the parmesan cheese. Spoon into the casserole, and top with the grated parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden. Serve.


This is so good and pure comfort food. Can you see that golden crust? There's no cheddar in this recipe, that golden color is from the parmesan and it adds a wonderful nutty flavor to the noodles. Every recipe I read discouraged adding additions to the dish such as mushrooms or veggies. It's meant to be a creamy noodle side dish. Alrighty then. I did sprinkle on some snipped chives for color though; parsley would work well, too.
Do you have any recipes from your youth that conjure up special memories for you? And ... what about meatloaf? Do you have a favorite recipe for that?

And, a very happy, happy birthday to my dear friend Marjie over at Modern Day Ozzie and Harriet.

**************************
Middle School Dance
One quick side note. My daughter attended the middle school sock hop dance tonight for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and had a wonderful time. The school offered these for the first time starting last December, and she really enjoyed attending. Her entire 7th grade class attended (30 kids) and they all hung out in one big group. Everyone dances with everyone, and no one is purposefully left out. When hubbyman went to pick her up, my son tagged along. My son knows all these kids because he used to attend that school years ago and still plays CYO sports with them. ANYWAY ... my son went to sit on the bleachers to wait for his sister when an 8th grade girl came over and asked him to dance. He said, "No thank you," and the poor thing walked away.(OUCH. Picture me performing a big eye popping expression and saying, "YOU SAID WHAT?") I know this girl, she's a petite little thing, and is very cute and sweet. Anyway, said girl lamented to my daughter (who was dancing at the time) that her brother said NO. My daugther, while dancing with a boy herself, told the girl to ask again because she figured her brother was nervous. So, this girl gathered her courage again and this time brought a 7th grade girl who knows my son with her for moral support (my son is in 7th grade) and asked him again. How gutsy she was to ask again! Keep in mind that my son is now 5'8", 185 lbs, size 13 shoes, is rock solid, and dwarfs just about everyone in his old class and just towers over her. This time, hallelujah, my son said yes. So he had his first dance ... with an older girl no less. Afterward, all his old friends wanted him to join in with them, but it was time to head for home. They told him to attend next time. While he loves homeschooling, it's great that he can walk comfortably in both worlds. Then my littlest dancer at the ripe old age of 9 was wondering which boys would ask her to dance when she's older. Ah, and so it begins. GULP.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yummy, love the crust. Since I'm Eastern European we ate a lot of potatoes and cabbage. I love those rustic foods and enjoy them to this day.

Maria Verivaki said...

that crust makes it look so tasty - well done!
ps: i'll be singing your praises in an up-coming post

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

Never had this before but it looks like a great comfort meal.

Jennifer said...

Girl that looks soo yummy but I dont know about those noodles, is that a shape or brand of noodle?
I want this with pork chops! and I do love Meatloaf both the singer and the food!

Marjie said...

Oh, you have no idea how it progresses. I'm glad the girl asked your son again; he'd have regretted the lost opportunity in years to come.

I think I remember Roger Ramjet, but I never watched much TV, even as a kid. And my mother has never been able to cook, so everything I make is a "new classic" to me. That may be why I cook so much, to make up for lost years; or maybe just so my kids will never have to tell their spouses that Mom was a "craptastic" cook.

And thanks for the birthday greetings. It means a lot to me that you remembered!

Anonymous said...

My Dad is a huge meatloaf fan! And anything with sour cream and Parmesan cheese gets me to the table, fork in hand. :oD

Congratulations on your son's first dance. That's way cool.

Esi said...

Hey Paula! I don' have a recipe for meatloaf, but I think your noodles look amazing and comforting and wonderfuly creamy without cheddar.

pam said...

The noodles sound like complete comfort in a bowl. As far as the memory, I'm the same way, I know Donny Osmonds birthday, but I can't remember what I walked into a room for!

Paula said...

Happy Saturday everyone. Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Noble Pig: The crust really makes the dish. I enjoy all the "old country" rustic foods.

Mediterranean kiwi: The crust turned out really well. It provided great texture against the creamy noodles. I'll be checking out your post! Thanks!

Lisa: It's more common in the Midwest/Great Lakes Region. This is the first time I've had it in years.

Cheryl: Kluski are a type of noodle. They are almost dumpling like in texture, similar to spaetzle. They are short, thick, narrow noodles. Linguini would work here, as well as thin egg noodles. I can recite the lyrics to Meatloaf's music from the 70's! Too bad I can't remember stuff from yesterday!

Marjie: I hope you had a great birthday yesterday! I'd love to hear more about how you learned to cook. I'm assuming you taught yourself. Your kids will be able to tell their kids and grandkids about how you spoiled the family with fresh baked bread, desserts, and home cooked meals EVERY DAY! I feel sorry for your future daughter in laws ... your boys will be saying, "Well, couldn't you whip up a batch of brownies; my MOM used to bake them all the time!!!" Then again, when my hubby laments about how his mom used to bake pies every week, I sigh right along with him and say, yep, I could go for a slice of pie, too!

Lori: The sr. cream and parm cheese in this was terrific! My son is still breaking out in a shy smile when I ask him about the dance. He told me today that when he stood up to dance, one of the girls said something like, Oh man, you sure are tall! Marjie's right, I'm glad he finally said yes, or he would have regretted the missed opportunity.

Esi: The next time I make meatloaf, I'll post a recipe. It's not fancy, but it's economical, easy, tasty and makes great sandwiches. It's really just meatballs in loaf form!

Pam: The noodles are great. Love the Donny man. I'll be humming Osmond songs!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I love these comforting kind of dishes Cathy.

grace said...

what a wonderful little story! i lived for sockhops when i was that age. i'll never forget the awkward rocking back and forth that we thought was dancing. :)meanwhile, this looks like a neat dish! i love cottage cheese in my lasagna, so this would be a great twist on that. :)

Cathy said...

Mmmmmmm. Good old fashioned comfort food. Gotta love it.

Aggie said...

I love meatloaf and am not shy to admit it! :) This noodle dish looks good Paula! I've never had anything like it, sound so creamy and cheesy! Yum!

Love your middle school dance story...so cute!

Pam said...

This looks really comforting and tasty.

What a sweet story about the dance. I am so glad she asked him again and that he said yes this time. What fun times!

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

Your noodles look amazing and so comforting. I haven't heard of this but all the ingredients sound delicious. I enjoy reading about your children...thanks for sharing.

Darius T. Williams said...

This looks great - really! I'm loving these flavors!

-DTW
www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com

The Blonde Duck said...

Awww! I'm glad your son said yes the second time. I would have been too scared to ask again. My husband will adore this. Printer, ho!

La Bella Cooks said...

This is total, warming comfort food and I love every delicious bite. While I have never heard of your show, I got a kick out of the character names and it would be right up my husband's alley with the play on words. Love the story about the dance...looks like it is all beginning for you!

Deborah said...

I love that you call it peasant food - my kind of food!! Looks delicious!

And I remember those jr. high dances, even though they were quite some time ago. Bravo for that girl - asking your son a second time! I would have never had the guts!

Lo said...

Now, that's not something I could eat every day -- but it looks scrumptious. You can't beat comfort food at this time of the year!

Anonymous said...

My family used to buy the boxed Noodles Romanoff all the time. This sounds sooo good. As for childhood recipes it would be either my moms tuna casserole or her spam casserole (I was defiantly a child of the times!)

Anonymous said...

The dish sounds so majestic even if it's a peasant dish. Creamy and filling means i don't have to eat as much.