Fried Rice

I've tried a lot of fried rice recipes over the years, trying to find one that is a copycat for the fried rice you get from a place like Panda Express or your local Chinese restaurant.  I never really found something that tasted right and was therefore worth making at home.  Until now.  This recipe, to me, is almost identical in flavor to restaurant fried rice!  My husband and daughter, who both always order fried rice, agreed and gave this two thumbs up.

Some key things to remember: you get a better result when you use day-old cooked rice (though you certainly don't HAVE to wait that long) and when you don't cook your rice too soft or sticky.  A good rule of thumb is to use one cup of water for every cup of rice.  So 2 cups of rice + 2 cups of water should yield the 4 cups of cooked rice needed for this recipe.

FRIED RICE
slightly adapted from Kittencal's Best Chinese Fried Rice With Egg

3 eggs
1 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
4 cups cooked rice
1/4 cup soy sauce (I use low-sodium) + more, to taste
1 tsp. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 green onions, chopped (optional)

In a small bowl, beat the eggs with water.  Melt the butter in a large skillet or wok over medium heat.  Pour in the eggs and leave flat for about 2 minutes or until cooked through; remove to a plate and chop. 

Heat the vegetable oil in the same skillet and add onion and peas and carrots; saute until onion is softened and peas and carrots are cooked through - about 4-5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Add rice.

Drizzle soy sauce and sesame oil evenly over rice mixture and stir or toss over heat for about 5 minutes; add more soy sauce, if needed, to taste.  Mix in pepper, chopped eggs, and green onions, if using.  Serve hot.

Chubby Hubby Bars

Hello, internet!  I'm back from a loooong hiatus.  We moved back in April and I have been overwhelmed leading up to and after that significant event.  So glad it's over and I don't have to do that again for a long time!  Moving really is the pits.  Luckily we are very happy in our new place and feel like we are going to stay put for a while.


Anyhoo, back to the neglected food blog.  I have so many recipes to share that I've been collecting over the last 9 months, however I wanted to re-share this recipe post originally from June 2011.  We just had a church potluck and I brought these puppies along.  They were gone in 5 minutes flat.  My husband was glad that he snuck a piece before we left even though I threatened his life.  

6/20/11:
I saw the link to this recipe on a friend's Facebook page and had to make them. They are the perfect PMS treat - salty and sweet. It's essentially chocolate chip cookie dough with the added salt and crunch of pretzels. Perfect, right? They could only be improved by adding chopped peanuts, so I've made that adaptation to the recipe.

CHUBBY HUBBY BARS
slightly adapted from Kristin Miller's recipe on JustAPinch.com

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped mini pretzels
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Topping:
1/2 cup mini pretzels
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter or butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 baking dish with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt. Using a mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy; add eggs and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold in 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, 1 1/2 cups chopped pretzels, and chopped peanuts. Spread batter in baking dish; sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup pretzels and softly press them into the batter:

Bake for 20-25 minutes (until golden brown), then remove from oven and sprinkle with 1/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 cup peanut butter (or butterscotch) chips and return to oven for 5 more minutes. Cool in baking dish for 15 minutes, then remove by lifting the foil and place on a wire rack to finish cooling. Cut into bars.  Store in an airtight container.