Mount Hood

Romen Recipes

Written by: Jude Bokovoy

If one doesn’t have at least three packets of Top Ramen in one’s cabinet, are they even a college student? Here are a few recipes to switch things up in one’s weekly ramen venture.

TOP OF THE MORNING

Start to finish: 15 minutes

Yields: 1 serving

1 pack of Top Ramen (discard seasoning packet)

3 cups water

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 egg

2 slices of deli ham

½ teaspoon everything but the bagel seasoning

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sriracha 

Start by boiling water in a small pot with a lid. Once boiling, add noodles and cook for three minutes. While the noodles are cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet and fry the egg. Once noodles are cooked, strain and set aside. Chop ham into small pieces. Scramble the egg and add seasoning. Place ham into skillet while separating egg into small pieces, this should take about a minute. Add noodles, stir until combined. Plate and add sriracha. 

SUPER SIMPLE

Start to finish: 12 minutes

Yields: 1 serving 

1 pack of Top Ramen 

3 cups water

1 egg

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sriracha 

1 teaspoon white sesame seeds

Start by boiling water in a small pot, then add the noodles. While noodles are boiling, fry an egg sunny side up with olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. When noodles are cooked, add to a bowl along with the seasoning packet, stir till combined. Place the sunny- side- up egg over top and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Drizzle with sriracha then serve. 

SOUP LOVERS

Start to finish: 12 minutes

Yields: 1 serving

1 pack of Top Ramen 

3 cups water

1 egg

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon mayonnaise

1 teaspoon chili oil

1 tablespoon green onion, chopped

Start by boiling water in a small pot, then add the noodles. While noodles are boiling, mix together the egg, garlic, mayonnaise, chili oil and green onion in a bowl. When noodles are cooked, add ¼ cup of the water to the mixture to cook the egg. Stir the mixture then immediately add the noodles in and enjoy. 

GETTING FANCY

Start to finish: 15 minutes

Yields: 1 serving

1 pack of Top Ramen (discard seasoning packet)

3 cups water

½ of a shallot, dice 

3 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 ½ tablespoons green onion, chopped

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons of soy sauce

Start by boiling water in a small pot. While waiting for the water to boil, prepare the shallot, garlic and green onion. Once the water is boiling, cook noodles for three minutes. Add the shallot, garlic and green onion into a small saucepan along with sesame oil over medium heat. After a minute, add soy sauce. By this time the noodles should be ready. Give the sauce a final stir then add in the noodles. Stir till combined. Plate and serve. 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Don’t go baking my heart

Written by: Jude Bokovoy

Valentine’s Day — a time for gatherings with friends or with one’s partner — is just around the corner. Either way, the heartfelt holiday calls for a delicious dessert that requires minimal ingredients, skill and time.

ABSTRACT HEART COOKIE SANDWICHES

Start to finish: 35 minutes

Yields: 12 servings

1 roll premade refrigerated sugar cookie dough

6 drops red food coloring

¼ cup all purpose flour

½ cup strawberry buttercream

Rolling pin

Parchment paper

Heart-shaped cookie cutters

Baking tray

Start by preheating the oven to 350℉. Unwrap the sugar cookie dough from the packaging onto a clean surface and knead in the flour. Cut the dough in half, then cut one of the halves into two quarter-sized pieces. Put the bigger portion off to the side and keep smaller pieces separate. Add two drops of red food coloring to one of the quarter-sized pieces to make it light pink, then set aside. Take the other smaller piece and add four drops of red food coloring to make a bright red. Roll out the light pink and red dough separately and cut out with heart-shaped cookie cutters. Then roll out the uncolored bigger portion of the cookie dough from earlier. Slice roll into desired cookie size, then layer all of the colored hearts on top of the uncolored dough. Place a sheet of parchment paper on top and softly roll out the dough to press the hearts down till the dough is ¼ inch thick. Take off the parchment paper and cut out hearts in a random pattern to create abstract colored hearts inside. Bake for 8-11 minutes. Let cool, then add a thin layer of strawberry buttercream to the backside of half of the cookies, then place an unfrosted cookie atop creating a sandwich. To watch a video tutorial, visit @thesqueakymixer on TikTok. 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Authentic Mexican-Style Horchata

Written by:  Mirella Barrera-Betancourt

Horchata is a popular Latin American drink consisting of milk, water, cinnamon and white rice. Sweet — but not too sweet — creamy and flavorful, horchata is the perfect partner to go along with traditional cultural cuisine. It is important to note that the ingredients of horchata vary by region. This recipe is inspired by Mexican-style horchata, which is traditionally served in the United States. 

HOMEMADE MEXICAN HORCHATA

Start to finish: 4 to 8 hours

Yields: 5-6 servings

1 cup of uncooked, long grain white rice

4 cups of water

¾ can of 12 fl. ounce evaporated milk

¾ can of 14 ounce condensed, sweetened milk

Sugar (optional for sweetness) 

1-2 cinnamon sticks

½ teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)

Ground cinnamon

Wash the rice. Combine the soaked white rice, 4 cups of cold water and cinnamon sticks in a bowl. Leave the white rice mixture to soak for a minimum of four hours to a maximum of eight hours; it may be best to leave it overnight. Refrigerate, then remove most of the cinnamon sticks. In a blender, blend the mixture until it forms a thin paste. Strain the mixture into a pitcher — ideally, using a cheesecloth or a very fine mesh sieve — to separate and remove the solid chunks of rice that may remain. In the pitcher, stir in the evaporated milk and condensed milk, vanilla extract, if used, and sugar, if used. Balance out the preferred level of sweetness by adding more water, vanilla or sugar. Garnish with 1 cinnamon stick, or ground cinnamon. Serve with ice and enjoy.

Contact the author at howlnews@wou.edu

Senior Stress

Written by: Jude Bokovoy

Senior year brings a whirlwind of emotions — including excitement to be finished with college; finding a place to move and starting one’s career. At the same time, each of those things can be equally as stressful. Applying a few of the tips below can help ease one’s mind and prevent some potential headaches as graduation grows closer.

Start thinking about the future now — Think about jobs, destinations, living situations, relationships or whatever else that could come into play when starting the post-college journey. Narrowing down one’s career field of choice can be the first step that will determine one’s next destination. What comes into play when picking a place to move to? Is it one’s job, being close to family or a spouse, weather or cost of living? Figuring that out now can help establish what’s important when searching for the perfect place.

While still here, take advantage of opportunities — The lull between now and graduation is prime. The diploma will soon be in hand, but for now, one can sit pretty focusing on coursework, figuring themselves out and exploring what they might want for their future. This is the optimal time to gain some experience and add to one’s resume. Whether that means working a full-time job, an internship or even volunteering in the field of work one is striving to enter, every bit of experience helps. 

Soak it all in — For most of us, this is the end of the long road of education. No more general education credits, math classes or filler courses to take. This last term and a half is it. Take this time to work hard in the final push, put oneself out there and most importantly, make memories that will define one’s college experience. Don’t sweat the small stuff and spend these last few months doing the things one will be pleased to look back on.

Looking for assistance to help one figure all this out? Go on Handshake to make an appointment with one of the Center for Professional Pathways staff members. They offer resume reviews, career counseling, career assessments, internship/practicum advising, job searching mock interviews, graduate school counseling and much more.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Valentine’s Day writing prompts

Written by:  Jude Bokovoy 

No matter what one has planned for Valentine’s Day, there is always a reason to write. If inspiration strikes, pick out one of these prompts and write one’s heart out. 

VALENTINES DAY WRITING PROMPTS

Personal prompts

  • What are a few ways I can show love to others?
  • If love was a color what would it be?
  • What does love mean to me?
  • What does love feel like?
  • Describe your best Valentine’s Day memory.
  • How do I show love to myself?
  • What/who do I love more than anything?
  • Who are two people that I love?
  • What do I bring to my relationship/friendships?
  • Do I prefer to receive love notes or gifts?
  • I deserve to be loved because…
  • What have I learned from love?
  • Write about the person you admire most.
  • Explain whether animals do or don’t feel love.
  • Do you think parents should give their children valentines?
  • Make a list of all the things you have put your heart into.



Fictional prompts

  • You are on the hunt for the person who left the peonies and heartwarming card at your front door.
  • You create the most successful dating app. What makes your app different from all the others?
  • What would the world be like without love?
  • You are the final girl left on The Bachelor, he gets down on one knee and proposes. You get a gut feeling that he isn’t the one for you. What do you do?
  • Write a valentine for your future spouse.
  • Create the ultimate Galentine’s girls day out.
  • Write up a class plan for a fourth grade class for Valentine’s Day. Will they make Valentine’s mailboxes, what will they learn about, will there be games?
  • You’re a wedding photographer but have yet to find your match.
  • In the attic of your new apartment, you find a small red box tied with a bow with a love letter attached to it.
  • Write out the most elaborate proposal you can think of.
  • Write a love story about a couple who’s been together for over 50 years.
  • Plan your future wedding without a budget. 
  • You’re cupid for the day, who do you set up?
  • You own the local flower shop in town. It’s Valentine’s Day, what customers will be popping in?
  • You travel to a place that doesn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. What will you do to explain and celebrate with them?
  • Write a movie that revolves around Valentine’s Day.
  • Who was the first person to associate the shape of the heart with love?

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

Students Watercolor Show

Written by: Gretchen Sims

Jan. 20 wrapped up the most recent student exhibit in the Instructional Technology Center. The works from the student watercolor show showed off the incredible talent of Western’s student artists. 

The exhibit was an exciting first for some students. Quinlan Wedge, an artist displayed in the show, said, “It felt rewarding to have my art displayed in the ITC gallery. I have had a couple pieces displayed in other places, such as a show in my hometown and a winery show, but it’s special to see my art made at WOU in an official WOU gallery space. I’m not graduating this year, but it feels full circle, you know?”

An interesting tidbit about this exhibit is that these pieces were curated from the same class assignment.

“My favorite aspect of the course was how much artistic freedom we were all given,” said Jude Bokovoy, a senior with a major in communication studies and a minor in art & design. “As you can see throughout the exhibit everyone’s artwork is drastically different from one another, can you believe we all had the same assignments?”

This exhibit was Bokovoy’s first show. 

Bokovoy added, “Honestly, it was a little intimidating having my artwork displayed at first. I originally took this course for fun, unlike the incredibly talented art majors that were the vast majority of the class. Therefore, I wasn’t too focused on the final product, instead, I was devoted to applying all of the techniques that were being taught. At the end of the day, I am very happy that I was able to have my work displayed in a gallery for the very first time.”

This exhibit was not only a vibrant display of the talent in the Western community, but it was also a chance for budding and experienced artists alike to convey heartfelt messages through their works.

“I’m regularly reforming my ideas about my art and what I want it to be, but something that has always remained true is that I want the viewer to find joy in it. Art can mean anything you want it to, and I’d rather look for things that make me feel happy and remind me of childhood than things that make me scared or uncomfortable. Of course, that type of art has value too, but I’m just not one of those artists!” said Wedge. 

Be sure to look out for future upcoming exhibits to check out the incredibly skilled artists that Western galleries are so incredibly honored to host. 

Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu

Sending Subjects

Written by:Jude Bokovoy 

Been waiting for a topic to be discussed in the lifestyle section of the Western Howl? Wait no longer. Shoot an email to howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu and see it in an upcoming edition. Whether seeking advice or information regarding a particular topic or trend, the staff over at the Howl appreciate any and all student suggestions. Send in ideas for next week’s issue. If one is feeling up to the task, every student is welcome to pitch an idea to write themselves as a freelance writer. 

Contact the author at howllifestyle@mail.wou.edu

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