My Fried Rice

This is one of my favorite go to in the freezer. It reheats well and goes with your favorite chicken, shrimp or pork dish. Great  as a side with bbq steaks. Mix and match from the freezer or refrigerator. Add more meat if you want or leave it out altogether. This is an easy comforting dish.This is the dish  when finished.

Rice: This is obvious, of course. You need to start with boiled or steamed white rice. Make the rice the day before to firm it up. Fresh rice will just give you a gummy mess.  If you can't do it the day before, at least let the rice cool in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Fried Rice
What You Need	Directions
2 cups enriched white rice 4 cups water 2/3 cup chopped green pepper 1/2 cup chopped onions 2/3 cup chopped  carrots 1/2 cup frozen green peas 3 or 4 strips of cooked bacon crumbled 1 cup of cubed ham or chicken or shrimp (your call, I usual put in a mixture)  2 T soy sauce 3 tablespoons vegetable (preferably peanut) oil 2 eggs sesame oil, to taste (optional)	In a saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Heat a wok till the surface is almost smoking. Then add 2T  oil and spread it around till it coats the surface. Crack eggs into small bowl and stir till mixed. Add to wok and scramble. Set aside while you cook the rest of the ingredients. Add remaining oil, the garlic and optional chillies stir for a few seconds. (If you prefer you can par boil the peppers and carrots for a few minutes before adding to the wok.) Add the carrots and stir for a few minutes then green peppers, onion, peas and stir for a few minutes. Add the rice to the pan, making sure to break up any clumps of rice. Stir till the rice is coated. Add your meats and then the bacon, stirring constantly.  Shake in soy sauce, and toss rice to coat. Drizzle with sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste and toss again.  Add scrambled eggs and gently fold in to meat, vegetables and rice. Serve. Leftover rice is delicious.

Popular garnishes include green onions cut on the bias and sprigs of parsley.

A Little of This A Little of That

New Rice Sides from Knorr -  Buffalo Chicken, Baby Back BBQ
and Steak Fajitas perfect for quick sides to go with your BBQ meats or as a side for pork.

Glassware on the cheap, buy it by the case and pick it up at the store.

Q&E Pantry Items

These items are great to stock up on and create magic with.  I want to share some of my slight of hand tricks. How many items are in your pantry?

Cream Soups		Noodles
Chicken & Beef Broth		Rice
Canned Meats Tuna Salmon		Canned Tomatoes & Tomato Paste
Beans, Baked and White		Canned  Vegetables
Bread  Crumbs, plain		Olives
Asst Instant Pudding		Various Pasta
Salad Dressing		Croutons
Hoisin Sauce		Mushrooms
Artichoke Hearts		Pesto
Roasted Peppers		Peanut Butter
Powder Sugar		Pie Filling
Ready Made Cookie Pie Crust		Chocolate Semi-sweet & itter-sweet
Sweetened Condensed Milk		Mixes ie: muffin, waffle
Chocolate Syrup

Cooked chicken from the freezer combined with canned cream soup of choice. Boil noodles, drain and serve over noodles.

Cookie Pie Crust filled with instant pudding and topped with whip topping from the freezer.

Cook pasta top with tomato sauce made from the canned tomatoes. Serve with meatballs or sausage from the freezer. Add a loaf of French bread from the freezer.

Antipasto serve black and green olives with artichoke hearts, mushrooms and roasted peppers drizzle lightly with olive oil. Add some provolone or cheddar cheese and serve with  bruschetta.

Take frozen chili and defrost, serve over rice.

Powder sugar sprinkle over many desserts make them look elegant.

Fried Rice

$ Money Saver

Ingredients

• 1 cup  white rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped baby carrots or leftover vegetables
• 1/4 cup frozen green peas
• 1/4 pound black forest ham, diced, or about 2 cups cooked, cubed or shredded chicken or pork
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced on the bias
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• soy sauce to taste
• sesame oil, to taste (optional)

In a saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Best done the night before so rice gets cold and slightly dry.
Instant rice may be used cook ahead and cool it.

Heat wok* over high heat. Pour in oil, crack in egg stirring quickly to scramble eggs set aside egg. Add garlic then stir in scallions and  vegetables. Cook until just defrosted but still crisp.  Stir in cooked rice. Add scrambled egg back into wok. Shake in soy sauce, and toss rice to coat. Drizzle with sesame oil, and toss again. I occasional add chopped cooked bacon to the mixture.

Serves 4
* If you don’t have a wok, use a large heavy frying pan.