Monday, May 23, 2011

Well...............

I was planning to write about my son's birthday.  He turned 13 last week.  However, I'm in more of a sober frame of mind today.  One of my kids' favorite children's pastors, "Pastor Ron" passed away yesterday, and it just either doesn't seem appropriate to post about a birthday party just yet.

My daughter, has been grieving as any normal person would, there have been several tearful bouts around here.  For my son, this is probably the first time someone that he's felt close to has passed and the idea of what that means, is going to be a slow realization for him (Autism serves as a bubble that keeps him from really understanding these things right away, at least in his case).  Right now, he isn't feeling like he needs to cry, but as he puts it, "I'm just sad in general". 

So, probably in a few days, I'll get back to how we ushered another child into the teen years. 


Ec

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Basic Rice & Veggie Stir Fry

A few years ago, my husband and I went to one of those Japanese restaurants, where everyone sits around a griddle and watches the waiter cook up a delicious stir fry.  I watched how and what they cooked and after eating the delicious food, decided that I wanted to try this at home, because I wanted this dish more often!  Kevin was more than willing to let me try to copy it and be the quality tester!





I realize this picture is sideways, however, we could just say that it's meant to keep the reader on their toes.   Are you willing to agree to that theory?
Anyway, the two ingredients missing from this photo is the onion and the soy sauce, but they will make an appearance later.




Before I start any chopping, I start cooking the rice.  We bought this rice cooker a few years ago, and I think that it's the most used appliance (other than my stove) in the kitchen.   I use Jasmine rice, as it cooks really clean (in that there is absolutely no residue on the lid of the cooker when all is said and done).  Once the rice is cooked, put it in an airtight container and let it chill in the refridgerator. 




While the rice cooks, I move to the cutting board and start chopping the onion (I chop it first to get the crying over with).  I generally use a medium white or yellow onion, and dice the whole thing.
Next on the chopping block is the zucchini!  A medium one seems to be enough for this recipe.  I cut it in to quarters and then slice away!




First, I sauté the fresh mushrooms, and then set them aside.....



Then, add a little more oil to the pan and sauté the onions and zucchini!



At this point, you can fry your diced chicken, or beef or pork or tofu.  For this recipe, I usually use the Morningstar Farms "chick'n" strips.
 In a larger pan (because you will need one, trust me), pour in about 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil



Add your chilled rice.....



Break it up, stir it around.............



Add your sautéed meat & veggies...........  Keep stirring so nothing sticks to the pan (or at least so that most of it won't stick)



Now if anything starts sticking to the pan, this stuff here, this soy sauce, will loosen things up a bit and will make your stir fry more manageable (and it's very tasty too).  The amount of sauce depends on your taste, so as the cook, you get to taste test alot.  If you have a "quality assurance" tester, such as a spouse........even better!



Ta-dah!  Now it's time to tell your kids to put the cat down, go wash their hands, and tell the one designated to get drinks that he's on in 5!  Dinner is served!

Elizabeth