Our Foodie Friday post this week is brought to you by none other than Busvlogger (aka James Moore).

I developed this simple version of Ramen Salad for busy families with picky kids. If someone you’re serving can’t even, with the green onions, leave them out and reserve them as a garnish. I also give you a few pointers for add-ins that make this salad a lot of fun.

James Moore: Choose Your Garnish Ramen Salad

Ingredients

Salad

2 packages Ramen noodles
1 14- ounce package coleslaw
1 bunch green onions (greens chopped)
1 6-ounce can black olives
1 cup sliced almonds
1 8-ounce can sliced water chestnuts
1 cup sunflower seeds

Dressing

1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup canola oil
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 packages chicken seasoning from Ramen package

Garnishes

1 cup edamame
1 15-ounce can Mandarin orange segments, halved
1/4 cup cilantro
ed pepper flakes

Instructions

Cook noodles as directed on package (or leave crunchy). Drain; let cool.
In a large bowl, mix all dressing ingredients until sugar is dissolved.
Combine all ingredients except garnishes and crunchy noodles. Chill.
If you chose to keep noodles crunchy, incorporate just before serving. Present garnishes alongside your salad.
You can really get creative with your garnishes.
Try panko or, heck, crunch up your favorite chips; wouldn't crushed Takis be interesting?

https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/james-moore-choose-garnish-ramen-salad/

By James Moore AKA Busvlogger

When I was asked to do a post for the July fourth Foodie Friday, my brain started thinking in red, white and blue. There were plump blueberries, juicy strawberries, food colorings of crimson and cobalt and a lot of creamy dairy products swirling around in my head-blender. Then it dawned on me, it’s summer, we’ll be outside… S’MORES! That’s all the excuse I needed. My tri-colored ambitions were out the window.

At our Independence Day gatherings, people usually sit with their families. Our guests aren’t inclined to circle around a fire; they want to be facing the blazing, popping, whistling and flickering. Not conducive to s’moresy goodness, unless IT’S ON A STICK!

James smores stick

I’ve seen people dip a skewered marshmallow into melted chocolate and then roll the sad thing in graham cracker crumbs. I, on the other hand, have very strong convictions about marshmallows being thoroughly melted down to their core! I am one of those people who meticulously turns my marshmallow over the perfect embers for, what looks to people of lesser moral fiber, like days. When it has attained a crackly golden skin and turns independently of the roasting stick, it’s ready. (My chocolate and cracker halves will have been waiting for it on a warm flat rock, because I will judge you for reconciling yourself to cold chocolate too.)

In place of graham crackers, I almost took a rolling pin to some sugar cookie dough, but pie crust is so good with everything; heck, it‘s good by itself.

So here’s what you‘ll need:

James smores things

Prepared pie crust, (though you could certainly make your own)

Milk chocolate

Mini marshmallows

Small popsicle sticks

1. Cut room temperature crust into equal pieces (an even number) with a large cookie cutter or cut into squares about 50% larger than a gram cracker half.

2. Sandwich the stick, broken pieces of chocolate, and two mini marshmallows between two pieces of pie crust. Be sure the stick is placed against the bottom crust and pressed in slightly, so that the s’more will hold on and behave like a lollypop after baking.

3. Press the edges of the crusts together to seal in the new inhabitants. Bake per the instructions for cooking a baked shell, on a cookie sheet.

4. Let cool, but not too much, and serve.

This is a quick and easy idea for any potluck or picnic, but for the Fourth of July? Imagine a sparkler in one hand and one of these treats in the other! It’s what our forefathers would have wanted!

James smores done