The Ryan Mark Mills One-Bowl Wonder: Discussed

Yes, Ryan, I'm talking to you about your signature dish. I know you read this--I can see you and your imitation Yu-Gi-Oh picture right over there. For my other readers:

Ryan is a close personal friend. If it were not for him, I would not be in my current, wonderful relationship with Donovan. I love Ryan like a brother--a brother whose survival I sometimes worry about.

Ryan, Donovan, and "Texan" Tanis Reed shared an apartment winter semester. Almost all the time, their friend Sean was there. They often played board or video games together. Sean actually knows something about cooking and nutrition. The same may not be said for the others.

Assumptions Boyfriend & Co. made about food in the course of the semester:

• Celery does not need to be refrigerated
• Chili does not need to be refrigerated
• You may slightly undercook Bacon without fear of repercussions
• Instant potatoes are the only vegetables you will ever need
• Sunny Delight=Tanis Fuel, ergo, I don't think I ever saw Tanis drink milk or water
• Frozen Corndogs + frozen tater-tots=a balanced meal
• It is just fine to eat chicken {frakking} nuggets. Every night. 
• Fried SPAM sandwich. I think that expresses my feelings succinctly enough.

And the list goes on. These are just the incidents that stand out to me. Once in a while, I toyed with the idea that every male ought to be tested in order to avoid being forced to take a Food Preparation class, depending on what level of kitchen-savvy he is at. But only when I got REALLY horrified.

But there is one thing Ryan does which, if approached correctly, can be good. 

The one-bowl wonder.

The base of a one-bowl wonder is either macaroni-and-cheese or instant mashed potatoes, depending on what he feels like. The mashed potatoes are made in a small saucepan, the mac-n-cheese in a rice cooker. Into whatever pan the based was cooked in, Ryan adds at least one type of meat, usually diced SPAM or hotdogs, but possibly chicken {frakking} nuggets. Possibly more cheese, salt, pepper, and cayenne. And then Ryan mixes it all together. And then he eats it, straight out of the pan he cooked it in.

The advantages of the one-bowl-wonder are that it is fairly cheap, also filling, and it is relatively easy to prepare.

Unfortunately, it isn't terribly nutritious. At all.

However, one day here in my apartment, I really had no idea what I wanted for lunch. My Mom had sent two boxes of Mac-N-Cheese home with me, so I decided I might as well do that. I made it, and then I thought about the injunction in my Food Prep class to vary color and texture. So I added some chopped Turkey Meatloaf and cilantro. I would have added broccoli, but I had none. I realized halfway through eating this concoction that I had made a one-bowl wonder. Granted, I didn't eat mine out of the small saucepan I cooked it in, but the concept was the same.

So, after discussing it, my only injunction about this item is to be sure you add veggies.