Concocting 'Ponyo' Noodles

My 1-year-old will eat almost anything, but my 3-year-old generally takes a bit more convincing. Recently, as I searched my pantry for lunchtime inspiration, I came across a lonely packet of ramen noodles and had an idea. 

"Ponyo," a Japanese animated take on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid,” is a favorite movie in our household. In the film, there is a scene where the mom makes the children, cold and wet from a storm, a steamy bowl of ramen noodles with eggs and ham.  

My recreation wasn’t perfect, but it did the trick. I skipped the seasoning packet and instead added some cheese. I topped the noodle bowl with an egg, a roll of lunch meat and green peas. Now known in our house as “Ponyo Noodles,” the meal was a huge hit. 

Based on my success, I wondered what else I could concoct. Here are a few ideas:

"Ratatouille" — the movie’s take on traditional ratatouille, officially coined “Confit Byaldi” and concocted by the famed chef Thomas Keller, is absolutely beautiful. There are plenty of simplified yet equally enticing versions.

"Tangled" — Rapunzel’s favorite dish is hazelnut soup, offering a great opportunity to try traditional Spanish hazelnut cream soup. 

"Moon Soup" — This whimsical book by Lisa Desimini is another favorite in our home. The actual recipe calls for the color purple, a scoop of sunset, teacups galore and some good dancing music—among other things. You can make your own delicious purple soup with a simple summer borscht (aka Svekolnik) recipe.

Other children’s stories with great food include Disney's "Lady and the Tramp," "Blueberries for Sal" by Robert McCloskey, Judi Barrett's book "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," "Stone Soup, Dr. Seuss’ "Green Eggs and Ham," Eric Carle’s "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months" by Maurice Sendak.

What are your favorite movie or book foods? Tell us in the comments.