Weeknight Pork Fried Rice

Now that my boys are back in school, I'm back in the kitchen — a little bit more. So I'm searching for tasty but quick-to-prepare meals that everyone will at least try.

I grilled some pork chops a couple of nights ago, but since my gas tank ran out of juice, I ended up having to finish them up in the oven. During the dinner delay my kids made themselves some microwaveable snacks because they "were starving!"

By the time my perfectly cooked chops were ready, the kids were full, so we had leftovers.

Fast forward two days and I had most of the ingredients for a stir fry on hand, so I looked around at some recipes. My husband and boys always get pork when we order Chinese take out, so fried rice sounded like a fun dish to me.

It cooked up fast and everyone liked it!

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Weeknight Pork Fried Rice
Adapted from this Cooking Light recipe

3 cups cooked Basmati rice
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 thick boneless pork chops, (fresh or leftover) diced
3/4 cup matchstick carrots
3/4 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
2 large eggs
4-6 tablespoons Mr. Wong's Oriental Wok Perfect Fried Rice Seasoning sauce OR
3 tablespoons mirin and 3 tablespoons soy sauce
1-2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 can bean sprouts, drained
Fresh ground pepper
Salt
1/4 cup sliced green onions for garnish

Cook rice according to package directions. Let cool 5 minutes, fluff with fork and transfer to bowl. Place in refrigerator to cool.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork. If pre-cooked, saute until browned, about 1 minute. If raw, cook until browned on all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove pork to plate.

Add carrot and celery to pan. Sauté until carrots begin to brown. Transfer vegetables to bowl with pork.

Add remaining oil to pan. Add garlic, ginger and green onions. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cold rice and stir well to coat rice in oil. Let cook for 2 minutes without stirring. Then stir and cook again without mixing for 2 more minutes.

Make a well in center of rice and crack two eggs into space. Stir until scrambled. Return pork, carrots and celery to pan. Add stir fry sauce or mirin and soy sauce. Mix until sauce is distributed and absorbed. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add bean sprouts. Stir to combine. Remove from heat and sprinkle with remaining green onions.

Bacon Cheeseburger Rice

I was in search of dinner inspiration last week, and I went old school. People, I busted out the church cookbook from 2001.

These are the recipes of my youth. The casseroles, the jello salads, the cakes eaten off Styrofoam plates in the church basement. Comfort food made by people who love you. The smile on my face grew wider as I flipped through each page. Yes, I was thinking about how good Bonnie's Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole is, but more than that, I was thinking about how good the people are.

The recipe I landed on was contributed by Amy, our fearless babysitter back in the 90's. She took us to the county fair and let us swim until we were pruney. We spent summers cruising in the backseat of her giant whale of a car, listening to Billy Joel's Greatest Hits. I could hear the opening strains of Piano Man whispering through my subconscious as I made Amy's Bacon Cheeseburger Rice.

This is fall-is-here comfort food at its finest. Quick, easy, and delicious, The husband and I couldn't stop eating it. I kept sneaking bites as I was cleaning up the dinner dishes. Truth. Bacon Cheeseburger Rice will be a regular on the menu rotation around here.

Thanks for a divine hot dinner, Amy. And thanks for being such a great babysitter.

Bacon Cheeseburger Rice
Serves: 4-6
Gently adapted from the Randall Memorial Baptist Church Cookbook

6 strips bacon
1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
Salt and pepper
1 3/4 cups water
2/3 cup barbecue sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 cups uncooked instant rice
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Once the bacon is cool enough to handle, crumble and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon bacon grease from the pan and return to medium heat.

Add ground beef or turkey to reserved bacon grease and cook, stirring, until cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add water, barbecue sauce, mustard, and onion powder. Bring to a boil and stir in rice. Sprinkle with cheese. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with reserved bacon before serving.