Hawaiian Fried Rice

Sorry about the crap picture....my camera died, so it is cell phone pic with NO natural light.

Hello friends!
I hope you had a GREAT Easter weekend filled with lots of yummy food and surrounded by lots of love! 
On Saturday, we had friends/family over for a little BBQ and between the laughs, good times, good food, and Hummingbird Juice (1/2 Hard Cider, 1/2 Raspberry Lambic...YUM!), it turned into a late night that translated into a completely lazy Sunday.  So lazy in fact, we decided to for-go the ham thing and just enjoy our lazy day and order pizza.  Monday, while the kiddos were at school, I worked on the ham dinner and I am sure like the rest of you, are still faced with lots-o-leftovers.
I saw this recipe on Mel's Kitchen Cafe on Tuesday and made it Wednesday with the leftover ham we had.  Oh.  My.  Stinkin'.   Heck.  It was fabulous!  I would, without a doubt, make this any day of the week just using a diced ham-steak in lieu of leftovers.  It is easy, fresh, and totally hit the spot!

Hawaiian Ham Steak
Recipe Source:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe

3 TBSP low-sodium soy sauce

1 TBSP toasted sesame oil

1 tsp Sriracha, more or less to taste

1 TBSP vegetable, canola or peanut oil

2 cups cooked, chopped ham

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped

6 green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 TBSP minced fresh ginger

5 cups cooked rice, white or brown, cold.  (This is actually important...hot rice will just get mushy.  Either use leftover rice that was in the fridge, or the handy dandy frozen rice you buy at the grocery store)

3 large eggs

1-2 cups pineapple pieces (fresh is better, and I liked using only 1 cup)

 

 

  Directions:

1. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil and hot sauce. Set aside. In a large nonstick skillet or electric frying pan (which is what I use), heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil until rippling and hot. Add the ham, red bell pepper, and the chopped white parts of the green onions. Cook, stirring often, until lightly browned and the red pepper is tender (but not mushy), about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook another minute. Scrape the mixture onto a plate and set aside.
2. Heat another teaspoon of oil in the skillet until hot. Add the cold rice and cook, breaking up large clumps, until the rice is heated through, 5-6 minutes.
3. Push the rice to one side of the skillet and heat the last teaspoon of oil on the empty side of the skillet. Crack the eggs into the hot oil and stir lightly with a spatula or wooden spoon, cooking until the eggs are lightly scrambled and set. Stir the eggs and the ham mixture into the rice. Pour the soy sauce mixture into the rice and cook, stirring, until thoroughly combined and hot.
4. Off the heat, stir in the pineapple and green parts of the onions. Serve immediately.

Rudy's Famous Creamed Corn

I am going to skip the whole "I know it has been forever" and "life has just been CRAZY, I mean ridonkulously busy" and just say:
HELLO and I HAVE MISSED YOU!  xoxo
Today, I have one of the most INSANELY scrumptious dishes I have had in a long, long time.
In Texas, there is a fabulous BBQ place called Rudy's.
 

 
In fact, my brother (who is now in Germany) told that whenever someone goes back to the Austin/San Antonio area for training, they have to bring gallons of the BBQ sauce back for the crew.
Since moving to Austin, we have become quite the BBQ connoisseurs.
My hubs has become the brisket MASTER and we can often be found on the weekend next to the smoker making this:

Yeah....my Hubs is the bomb-diggity

Truth be told, I still couldn't get Rudy's famous Creamed Corn out of my mind.  So what's a girl to do?  Recreate it of course!
While this recipe seems silly simple, it crack-a-lakin freaking FANTASTIC!  I beg of you to make it  and experience this lusciousness for yourself...and if you are feeling generous, let the fam has some too!

I know this isn't the best picture...my camera died, so it is all phone camera right now

Rudy's Famous Creamed Corn
Recipe adapted from:  Blue Bonnets and Brownies

2 lbs. frozen sweet corn
1 (8 oz) blocks cream cheese, diced into 1 inch squares
4 TBSP  salted butter
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
pinch of salt

Directions
Throw all the ingredients, in any order, into a crockpot and cook on low for at least 4 hours. First time I made this, I made it on the stove top, but  the longer you can let it sit in the dairy hot tub, the sweeter the end result will be.  Allow all the cream cheese to be completely melted and it will easily break down and combine with the cream and butter to make the sauce.
Wait until serving to taste the salt level.  I think it was perfect as written.  Over salting this sweet creamy lusciousness would be a sin.  Yes, a sin I say.

Hump Day Confessional

(((tap, tap, tap)))....is this thing on?


It has been a long time friends...a very long time. I took an unexpected, extended sabbatical this summer. After packing and moving cross country, staying in a hotel with 3 kids for a month, subsequent unpacking, birthday celebration month combined with back-to-school craziness....I just couldn't do anything more.

But, here I am...back with a confessional!


~ For my birthday last week, I went kayaking. I have never been before. I never thought that would be something I could/should do until I lost weight. I mean, would I look like...a big gal on a tiny kayak. Could I even get on and balance? What would people think when they saw me? What if I got out there and didn't have the strength to get back? Guess what? I DID IT! I threw all of my concerns to the wind and DID IT! I am tired of waiting for the "as soon as I...." excuse to start living my life. I LOVED IT! It is something I fully intend on doing again and again.

~ I have some serious carpool lane rage. Seeing that I am in carpool lane for about 2 hours a day, I get to observe MUCH jackass behavior. It is a carpool lane, not a parking lot people! It is NOT ok for you to race and cut in front of the whole lane just because someone isn't moving up as fast as you see fit. I see red...seriously...why do you think YOU are so much more important than the hundreds of other people trying to pick-up or drop off their kidlets?!?! AGHH!

~ For the first time in 11 years, I am alone during the day. This has been a MUCH harder transition than I ever thought. I know there are some Mom's who relish the day that they actually get some time to themselves. However, at this moment I find that I am the Mom wandering around Super Target, going oh so slowly, murmuring to myself with employees asking every 5 minutes if I need help finding something. My oldest baby started middle school and my youngest baby started full day kindergarten. (((sigh))) It has hit me HARD how quickly time goes.

~ I have taken up watching re-runs of Beverly Hills 90210 during the day.

~ I miss Trader Joes.  I mean, I MISSSS Trader Joes.  I even had a dream about it.  The one in San Antonio opens next month, so I guess I will be making the trek there until the one in Austin opens next year..  Until then, I will dream about Sea Salted Caramel, Mac and Cheese, Mandarin Chicken, Sara Bee Wine, Two Buck Chuck, Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup, and all the other scrumptiousness my boyfriend Joe gives me.

So, do you have anything to confess this week?

Chicken Bacon Broccoli Ranch Foil Packets

Howdy from Austin!
I have been gone FOR-EVER I know...packing, house hunting, moving, road tripping, hotel-ing.  Technically, I am still not even back...I am battling the mind numbingly slllooowww hotel Internet to write this post.  Our house will not be ready until the 18th, so we have been hotel dwellers.  Oh.  My.  Hell.  I am so sick of hotel breakfasts and restaurant food, BLERG!
I was looking through some recipes I had saved up and saw this, and like Pavlov's pooches, I drooled.  It was so stinkin' good and I could possibly sell my pooch to have some now.

My sweet Bella

Awww, never mind, she's too cute...I miss her....she has been staying with Auntie Jan since we are doing the Urban Camping thing.  Urban Camping...it is when you cram 2 adults and 3 kiddos into a hotel room.  It sounds much more glamorous than it is.  Trust me. 

Anyway, it was scrumptious...seriously, what is not to love about chicken, broccoli, bacon, cheese, ranch, and a handy dandy foil packet?!?!  I highly recommend that you make it immediately, if not sooner!

Chicken Bacon Broccoli Ranch Foil Packets
Recipe Source:  the brilliant Cassie from Cassie Craves

• 1 package chicken-flavored stuffing mix prepared to package directions
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 4 TBSP ranch dressing, yup the stuff out of the bottle

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray 4 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil with cooking spray.
Divide the stuffing mixture onto the center of each foil sheet.
Top stuffing in each packet with a chicken breast half, season with salt and pepper, then add 1 cup of broccoli. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cheese and one slice of bacon, then drizzle with 1 TBSP of ranch dressing. Repeat with all packets.
Bring up foil sides and fold to seal, leaving room for heat circulation inside.
Place packets on a cookie sheet and bake 25 to 30 minutes. Remove packets and let stand 5 minutes. Cut slits in foil for steam before opening.

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Dressing

I was looking through my food pictures lovingly this morning remembering when I used to make meals like this. Eating has been so completely uninspired and honestly, not the healthiest lately. One of the hardest parts of moving cross-country is not moving any food. So, we are eating up all the random bits from the pantry and freezer. I cannot WAIT to get moved and fill my fridge and pantry with the good stuff again!

I made this salad a while back and it was AMAZING! Like, forget the other things in the meal and just make-out with this salad...repeatably.

Spinach Salad
Recipe Source: Alton Brown, he is the bomb-diggity

• 8 ounces baby spinach
• 2 large hard boiled eggs
• 8 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
• 3 TBSP red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar (or your favorite sugar substitute)
• 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 large white mushrooms, sliced
• 3 ounces red onion (1 small), very thinly sliced

Wash and dry (by spinning or patting) the spinach and place into a large mixing bowl.
Slice or chop the hard boiled eggs, set aside.
Fry the bacon and remove to a paper towel to drain, reserving 3 TBSP of the rendered fat. Crumble bacon and set aside.
Transfer the bacon fat into a small saucepan set over low heat and whisk in the red wine vinegar, sugar, and Dijon Mustard. Season with a small pinch of salt and black pepper.
Add the mushrooms and the sliced onion to the spinach and toss. Add the warm dressing and bacon and toss to combine. Divide the spinach between 4 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them.
Season with pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.