Double Pork Fried Rice

This is perfect if you're craving some extra tasty and indulgent Asian takeout but don't want to spend 10 dollars a plate. This rice is called "double pork" fried rice because there is both tender sliced Chinese roast pork and bacon in the rice. It makes enough for 4 people and since the frying pan used in the pictures is too small for 3 cups cooked rice + pork and vegetables this fool proof method of stir frying for serving 2+ people at once has been developed. Cooking the components of the dish separately, and then combining as it is done is a way to make sure each part of the rice cooks perfectly, and maintains it's distinct flavor. Sound good? Here's how to make it:

Ingredients

4 slices bacon, chopped into bite sized pieces

1 celery stalk chopped

1/2 onion chopped

1 cup broccoli florets

1 lb Chinese roasted pork sliced very thin

3 cups cooked rice, cold. day old is best.

3 tbsp soy sauce

You definitely want all your ingredients ready and prepped before you start cooking for this meal. 

Fry bacon in the olive oil until just cooked.

Add in broccoli, fry 2 minutes (less if using frozen) and then add in onion and celery. Stir fry for 2 minutes and then make a well in the center of the pan. Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil if necessary and place ginger and garlic in the oil. Fry until you can smell the lovely aroma of garlic and ginger, about a minute. Remove garlic and ginger from pan. Stir fry everything for another 20 seconds, then remove from pan.

Add a tablespoon of oil to pan and then add in soy sauce, then rice. Stir fry breaking up rice as it cooks until it is a slightly darker color, for as long as 5 minutes. Rice should not begin burning. Dump into a bowl with the already cooked vegetables and stir.

Drop chopped pork into frying pan to warm through, adding the liquid from the pan they roasted in adds great flavor.

When pork is hot combine with rice and stir until everything is well combined. Quickly fry eggs in the now empty pan, breaking up and scrambling as it cooks. Combine with rice. Serve and enjoy!

Serves 4

Beef and Broccoli

Try this simple and delicious Chinese style beef and broccoli recipe. Marinated beef sliced thinly and stir fried with crisp broccoli. Frozen broccoli can cut a few minutes off the cooking time as it cooks so much faster than fresh raw broccoli. 

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless beef, cut into small pieces.

4 tbsp oyster sauce

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/2 cup sherry (or water)

1/2 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp minced or grated ginger

2 cups broccoli cut into small florets

For the sauce:

2 tbsp oyster sauce

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon honey

Cut beef into small bite sized pieces. Mix oyster sauce, soy sauce,  and sherry (or water) into the meat. Make sure meat is well coated and allow to marinate for at least an hour.

After meat is well marinated have onion, garlic ready and chopped. 

It is best to put chopped broccoli in the freezer while the meat is marinated. The broccoli will cook much faster when stir frying.

 Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a frying pan or wok and carefully put in broccoli, stir constanstly until broccoli is a little tender, about 2 minutes if using raw broccoli, seconds if usinf frozen broccoli.

Quickly drop in onion and continue to stir to prevent the onions or broccoli from sticking to the pan and burning.

When broccoli is as soft as desired removed everything from pan and set aside.

Add another teaspoon of oil is needed and drop in marinated meat, shaking off excess liquid from each pieces to prevent the oil from splattering. Make sure beef remains in a single layer to keep the meat frying, not steaming or boiling.

 Since the pan used here is too small to keep the beef in a single layer (the recipe was doubled) the meat is moved to the side as it browns, and new meat is added to the center. Once all the meat is browned add the garlic and ginger to the center and quickly stir for a few seconds until aromatic, 30 to 60 seconds. Burning the garlic will result in a very bitter taste. Mix everything in the pan together and stir for a few seconds.

Mix the chicken stock, honey, and extra oyster sauce. Pour over meat and stir until sauce starts to thicken and form a glaze over meat.

 Return the onion and broccoli to the pan and stir to combine.

Serve and enjoy!  Feeds 3

Tender Asian Roast Pork

You can use these pork chunks marinated with chinese flavors in everything from salad to fried rice. An inexpensive pork shoulder will melt in your mouth beautifully with this marinade. This marinade works well when making Chinese Roast Chicken as well.

Ingredients

1 lb boneless pork shoulder cut into bite sized chunks

1 teaspoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 drop sesame oil

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Place pork in a sealed container and marinate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 250 F

Place marinated pork on a aluminum lined pan, or one with a rack. Place in oven.

Slow roast pork for 2 hour, after the first hour is up check to see if juices run clear.

Pork should be tender and delicious. If not browned to your liking turn the broiler on for 5 minutes at the end of the cooking time until pork is browned.

Serves about 3.

Try dicing the roasted pork and using in this easy pork fried rice recipe.

Healthy and Moist Baked Chicken

Ingredients

5 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon, lemon halves reserved
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp pepper
4 cloves garlic minced
3 sprigs thyme leaves
2 bay leafs
1 onion quartered

Preheat oven to 350 F
Mix oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme in a bowl, smashing in a mortar pestle would be even better.
Spread mixture under the skin of the chicken breast, thighs, legs, and back, being careful not to tear the skin, as it is protecting the garlic and herbs from becoming burnt and bitter.
Use your hands to generously rub the butter all over the outside skin of the chicken.
Put squeezed lemon halves, bay leafs and onion inside the cavity of the bird.
Place chicken breast side down in a roasting pan lined underneath with potato slices if you really wanna get tasty with it, or you can put the chicken straight in the pan.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes before turning chicken over breast side up.
Bake for 45 minutes more or until juices run clear.

Serve and enjoy this delicious meal.

Simple Foods For A Picnic

Beverages

Homemade Lemonade
Ahhhhh.... lemonade in a jar...so thirst quenching...so easy.
Bring a cup of sugar and a cup of water to a boil, take off heat and add a cup of lemon juice. Now just add enough water to dilute to your liking (3 to 4 cups is usually best), or half water half ice into a jar. Stir or shake it up well, and keep very very cold until picnic time.

Entrees

Classic Sandwich
Get a huge baguette or french loaf, cut down the middle horizontally. Now layer the inside with your favorite meats and cheeses, some good examples are ham, pork, turkey, chicken, or even lobster. Add some thinly sliced onion and tomato, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Now close everything up and cut into smaller sandwiches, for ease of eating during picnic time.

Fried Chicken
So delicious hot or cold. If you want to go real old school American then Fried Chicken is the way to go. We have a great recipe for delicious crispy juicy fried chicken here.

Favorite Fried Chicken

I personally prefer the shake method to the egg and flour dredge method when I'm breading chicken. It's easier and the chicken comes out perfectly coated every single time. Try it next time if you usually dip chicken in flour, then egg, then flour again. This is an award winning fried chicken recipe handed down through the generations of an otherwise very private family.

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken pieces

2 cups milk

2 tbsp vinegar

2 1/2 cups of flour

salt and pepper to taste

cayenne (optional) to taste

Stew is Short for Guisado

The easiest way to use up vegetables and possibly tough inexpensive cuts of meat is with a stew. Here is my staple all purpose Latin American Stew, or Guisado. You can use any kind of meat you want, and really any vegetables, I listed some vegetables I use as a starting point. Feel free to add peas, corn, squash, etc.