Chicken Fried Rice - Homemade Chinese Dinner at Home

Chicken Stir Fried Rice 

Chicken fried rice has always been one of my favorite takeout meals, but after making it from scratch, I realized how easy—and delicious—it is to prepare at home. Using fresh vegetables, tender chicken, eggs, and leftover rice creates a flavorful meal that's perfect for busy weeknights. It's also a wonderful way to use up leftover rice and vegetables instead of letting them go to waste.

Dinner was a success! I have to share this recipe with you. The fried rice was better than good -- It was FABULOUS! No more buying premade from the stores. I plan to premake this in batches and freeze for instant meals.

Here's the steps I took:

Pan fry chicken first

Pan fry boneless chicken in a wok with peanut oil and garlic salt.

prepare the rice 

time to bake cookies in beween

Cook a pot of white rice. Make those cookies...

add the vegetables with eggs to cooked chicken

After chicken is cooked and diced, chop FRESH carrots and celery. Add frozen peas and two or three eggs. Allow veggies to heat and scramble eggs. I added green onions fresh from my garden. Salt and stir ingredients. It's important to cook this in the leftover peanut oil and chicken juice.

mix fried rice ingredients together

Mix in cooked rice, and add Soy Sauce.

enjoy delicious homemade chicken fried rice, and cookies

Serve with your favorite side dishes! WOW! I love Chinese food so much, I bought a set of dishes, just for the occasion.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED:

Boneless chicken

Peanut oil

Garlic salt

Soy Sauce

Rice

Frozen peas

Fresh Carrots

Fresh Celery

Fresh Green Onions

Eggs

Instructions

1. Pan-fry the chicken in peanut oil with garlic salt.
2. Cook the white rice separately.
3. Dice the cooked chicken.
4. Sauté the carrots, celery, peas, and green onions.
5. Push vegetables aside and scramble the eggs.
6. Stir everything together with the rice.
7. Add soy sauce to taste.
8. Serve hot.

Tips for Great Fried Rice

• Day-old rice works best because it's drier and fries more evenly.
• Fresh vegetables stay crisp and add better texture than canned vegetables.
• Don't be afraid to clean out the refrigerator—fried rice is a great way to use leftover vegetables and cooked meats.
• Add soy sauce gradually so you don't overpower the other flavors.

** I prefer using fresh vegetables rather than canned, as the texture stays firm. Frozen peas are preferable than canned as well.

This is so good, try it!

NO Chopsticks? I'll SUEY!

Did I ever tell you about the time when Alan took me out to the Tokyo Steakhouse?

We decided to drain our bank account to eat at this fancy restaurant -- you know, the one where you share a table with a bunch of strangers, watch your chef chop, cook, and swing his knife --- tossing chunks of food across the table into your mouths?

I'm one of those people who's BIG on atmosphere. I've been known to walk out of a restaurant because they sat me near the bathrooms. I hate facing walls, and I want my restaurant to be clean and comfy. I'm a real down-to-earth person and atmosphere is JUST as important to me (if not more) than the food itself.

Interpretation: I'd rather have a bologna sandwich on the beach, than a steak in a shack!

Well, I was already feeling guilty for spending so much money. The entertainment was fun, the strangers beside me were warming up and the food was looking really good.

So picture me, running off and buying a set of Asian plates, bowls, teapots, and chopsticks, just so I could capture that atmosphere at home...

And then finding out at this restaurant ---- they didn't have CHOPSTICKS! They ran out of chopsticks, so they handed me a fork. I felt cheated. And broke.

Nope, they'll never live it down.

BEFORE the STORM: Preparing for Hurricane Ike in Texas

Hurricane Ike

http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/?area=&lang=eng

In September 2008, Texans across the state were closely watching Hurricane Ike and wondering where it would make landfall. Like many families, we spent the days leading up to the storm securing outdoor furniture, checking emergency supplies, filling the gas tank, and preparing for possible power outages. Looking back, these photos capture an ordinary day that suddenly felt anything but ordinary as we waited to see what Mother Nature had in store.

prolific grower here in Texas - Trumpet Creeper

We've been watching the news all morning -- trying to figure out where IKE is going to STRIKE!

We are in SO desperate need of rain that we really REALLY need the rain! (I'm repeating myself!)

But I AM concerned about wind damage. As for flooding --- not concerned, as our house is on a hill.

Yesterday, the weather station was placing a Category II over the Austin area. Hhmmm...

Alan says his job is telling everyone to stay home on Saturday. Josh called and said his job asked him to resubmit his emergency contact information (he has to work Saturday.)

Regardless, we are dragging our potted garden plants and patio furniture to the back porch. Going to lay the basketball goal down on its side, pull down our umbrellas and maybe park our car on our lawn under the trees... Our garage? Don't ask!

As for provisions and water, we've been PREPARED for quite some time. As you've noticed in my earlier blog posts, my family is GUNG HO about emergency preparedness. We have food, medicine, water, candles, batteries---you name it, stashed away for these types of emergencies. I feel pretty good about not having to dash to the store. We even have emergency cash put away. The only thing we need to do is GET GAS! ((Alan, if we forgot to do this already, can you please fill up the tank?!))

Preparing ahead of time meant we didn't have to join the last-minute rush at grocery stores or gas stations. It was reassuring to know our pantry, water supply, and emergency kits were already stocked before the storm approached.

Trumpet Creeper

During our walks, we pass this lovely vine...

We ARe disappointed that we may miss out on CAVE DAY this Saturday. This was the second installment of Cedar Park's public opening of "free cave day"... Pamela and I were looking forward to spelunking again over the weekend. On top of that, this SUNDAY was FREE MUSEUM day too...

I guess it all depends on the weather what we'll do this weekend. Otherwise, we really need to stay home and clean house. The wedding's 2 weeks away and company'l be arriving!

Figuring we'll be getting rain over the weekend, Pamela and I walked to the creek today for some fresh water. Pamela has an aquarium now in my greenhouse and she's been feeding and raising the tadpoles and minnows that she had caught last week (Or was that the week before last?)

Alan came home for lunch and joined us at the creek. After he left, we splashed around and caught some minnows. We nearly caught a baby perch and I barely missed stepping on a snake.

Tunnel vision...

Can you see the clouds?

Texas drought 

The ground is scorched!

We're home now and I'm looking at the clock.

TONIGHT, I'm cooking CHINESE for the boys. They'll be here at 6pm for our weekly "family night" tradition. I'm planning to cook chicken stir fry from scratch, and serve it with deep fried chicken wings, beef chow mein, chicken egg rolls, and hot green tea.

Chicken Fried Rice - Homemade Chinese Dinner at Home

Pamela's baking chocolate chip cookies.

Well, time to roll up my sleeves.

TILL THEN!

GONE CAVING: Cedar Park Texas

Tuna Potato Casserole with Crispy Potato Chip Topping

Tuna Potato Chip Casserole 

If you're looking for a hearty, budget-friendly casserole, this family recipe is a great choice. Combining potatoes, tuna, creamy mushroom soup, cheese, and a crunchy potato chip topping creates an old-fashioned comfort food that's simple to prepare and filling enough for hungry families. It's also a wonderful pantry meal since most of the ingredients are easy to keep on hand.

This casserole got a 5 ***** star rating from my husband ~

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Grease favorite casserole bowl and layer bottom with thinly sliced potatoes. Mix together 1 large can of tuna (12 oz) and 1 family sized Cream of Mushroom soup (26 oz). Add some chopped celery. Pour mixture into casserole dish. Line the wall of casserole dish with sliced potatoes and layer top with remaining potatoes. Add a layer of grated cheese and pour potato chips on top for garnish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour (or until potatoes are tender.)

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Ingredients:

Cream of Mushroom soup 26 oz

Tuna 12 oz

Celery

6 thinly sliced potatoes

Grated cheese

Potato Chips

Tips for the Best Tuna Potato Casserole

A few simple tips can make this casserole even better:

• Slice the potatoes as evenly as possible so they cook at the same rate.
• Cover the casserole with foil for the first 40 minutes if the potato chips begin to brown too quickly, then uncover during the last few minutes for a crispy topping.
• Sharp cheddar cheese adds extra flavor, but Monterey Jack or Colby also work well.
• Leftovers reheat nicely the next day, making this a great make-ahead meal for busy families.

This recipe has remained a favorite because it's simple, economical, and easy to adapt using ingredients already in the pantry.

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**This recipe is a variation of the potato chip casserole my mother made. I decided to add potatoes to give this casserole extra substance for hungry bellies (it works!)

The lighter version (subtracting potatoes) is perfect for that quick meal you can microwave in a pinch!