Ramen Gets A Facelift

Before I went to college, I absolutely abhorred RAMEN NOODLES!  By the end of my freshman year, hell we went back like four flats and a Cadillac! (I'm still not completely clear on what that ole' adage means) LOL!!  At any rate, they became my best friend in times of need of sustenance, and delivered me from the utter misguided mayhem of the 'chefs' aka fellow work study students in the cafeteria!!  Anywho, Ramen noodles became the only thing is this world that I will eat as is, no extra s and p, cheese, chicken, beef, etc... Noodles were just noodles.  Additionally, I would only eat Ramen by Maruchan.   Today, Ramen crossed my mind and I came up with an idea of a dormitory gourmet style meal  of sorts.  It was fun and I was genuinely entertained by jazzing them up a bit.   I  created a low budget, labor friendly rendition of Chicken Parmesan!
I took a fried chicken drumstick and poured about 3 oz. of pizza sauce with a pinch of sugar over it in a small cast iron skillet.  I covered it with 2 slices of provolone cheese and grated on a little Pecorino Romano.  I put it under the broiler until the sauce and cheese started to bubble and brown in spots, about 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, I prepared a package of Ramen in 1 1/3 c. of water with the seasoning packet mixed in ahead of time to concentrate the flavor.  I gathered some fresh parsley, oregano and basil from my herb garden, about 2 tbsp. total , and roughly chopped them.  I used tongs to collect the Ramen without the excess liquid and arranged them on a plate.  I drizzled them with olive oil and placed the bubbling chicken drumstick with cheese in the center.  I lifted the chicken carefully and poured the remaining sauce underneath.  I garnished with the fresh herbs and some additional gratings of Pecorino Romano.  It was actually pretty darn good. My sister Hollie thought so too!! It brought back memories abound of my hardcore Ramen days!!:)  This recipe is 'dormitory' gourmet in that you eat it with a knife and fork and it's on a real plate!!  Not too shabby for a lazy, low maintenance meal, and it mimics the flavors of an all out Chicken Parmesan, and was kinda fabulous. GHETTO FABULOUS ITALIANO! CHEERS!!!