Adding a crispy layer to already cooked food...sounds like a plan to me!

What better way to officially begin stepping into that aforementioned proverbial culinary pool than with the equivalent of sticking a hand into a baby pool while wearing a life preserver, goggles, and carrying a raft?

Hey, we don't want to rush into things, now do we?

Leftovers can oftentimes be made into variations of the meal that they had been left over from (or so I have heard). Let's give it a shot...

Time for Fried Macaroni!!! 

Last night, macaroni was made with meat sauce (mozzarella cheese on the side, added in for tonight). Tonight, the plan is to add a succulent crisped outer shell to the dish, thus reinventing it for another nights supper. Alternatively, the plan is to not cause the macaroni to catch on fire.

Drizzle some oil onto the pan...

So far so good...I'm being patient and letting the pan heat up before adding my ingredient. Oh, and yes, I am using a wok. I find it works better than a frying pan when heating up pasta so the noodles have less of an opportunity to fall out of the pan. 

Yummmm...brick-o-noodles

Perhaps we should break that up a bit and make it a tad easier to eat, shall we? 

Much better. Our meal doesn't look like it's made out of Legos now. 

Keeping my wandering around the house to a minimum, I waited patiently (kind of) for the macaroni to crisp and become beautifully brown and the cheese to melt. 

Look at that crisping/melting action. 

Upon attempting to stir the macaroni, I noticed a small calamity brewing. Remaining calm (again, kind of), I decided that this was the indicator that the cooking had come to a close for the evening, and whatever state the macaroni was in, that was how it was to be served. 

Who wants to see the outcome of my crisping/melting action?

Oops. Wrong surface for the melted crisp to be on. 

Luckily (surprisingly?), I actually did know how to help solve this problem (no, not go shopping for cookware). Here's a little hint for all you kitchenphobes (or others who have a tendency to burn things to pans): soaking the pot/pan/wok with a dryer sheet helps to break off whatever you got on there. 

Like I said, we're learning. It's okay. 

Oh, and dinner was quite good. Perhaps not crisped to the delightful state I had envisioned, but that will be easier to achieve next time, when there is no melty cheese in the pan. Yes, I am blaming the cheese for the wok incident (I'm lactose intolerant, remember? I blame cheese for a lot of things).