Jailhouse Menudo, a Ramen Noodles Recipe

Ugh, do you ever go through periods where you crave foods and you're not even pregnant? My latest food craving/addiction is all Natty's fault! Natty is our friend/roommate and my daughter's partner and one night she was telling us about something called "Jailhouse Menudo." Evidently it's something that the inmates make in jail with things they can buy from the jail commissary each week. And I guess they enjoy it because it actually HAS some flavor since the regular jail food is bland and not high on the flavor.

When I first heard about it, I thought Jailhouse Menudo sounded disgusting, I mean come on, pickles and cheetos in ramen noodles? I did go ahead and taste it when Natty made it for herself one evening though. I was very surprised that it actually tasted good! Well since that first taste, I've had to have Jailhouse Menudo on a regular basis; in fact, I think it's about time I fixed myself a big bowl full! The really great thing is that I've finally learned how to make "Jailhouse Menudo" for myself and I didn't even have to spend time in jail to do so!

Jailhouse Menudo

Ingredients:

3 packages of Top Ramen noodles (Beef or Roast Beef flavor tastes best), broken into pieces then cooked according to package directions but pour out most of the water once its done cooking

1 large dill pickle (extra tangy or zesty garlic flavor tastes best), diced into small pieces plus 1/4 cup of the pickle juice out of the jar

Beef stick or Slim Jim jerky, sliced in small pieces (about 2 to 3 ounces of beef stick) OR (6 Slim Jims, short ones in the can)

3 small bags (kids lunch size) or 4 ounces of Crunchy Cheetos, (regular crunchy, or use the flaming hot flavor for extra zip and heat to your menudo)

1 Cup Cheese popcorn (can use plain popcorn if that's all you have)

Instructions:

Put your packages of ramen noodles on to cook in a large pot, cook about 3 to 4 minutes, drain out most of the water, add the seasoning packets and mix well.

While your ramen noodles are cooking, dice and slice your dill pickle and Slim Jim OR beef jerky stick in small pieces, the smaller the better.

Once you've prepared your Ramen Noodles and mixed in the seasoning packets, add the dill pickle and Slim Jim OR beef jerky stick pieces and the 1/4 cup of pickle juice from the jar, and stir well.

Right before sitting down to eat your bowl of Jailhouse Menudo, add the Cheetos (lightly crush them a little, not too much) and the cheese popcorn, mix well.

Serve in bowls, feeds 3 to 4 people.

Tips:

The amounts listed here can be adjusted up or down depending on taste and your preference.

Popcorn tastes good in the Jailhouse Menudo but I hate all the hulls. If there is such a thing as hull-less popcorn, it would be perfect for this recipe. Because of the popcorn hulls, I frequently leave the popcorn completely out of the recipe.