These are so neat: Solar ovens

I love anything environentally friendly. Hybid cars, solar electricity, houses made from hay and clay. But unfortuanately this sometimes is more expensive. Don't get me wrong, I would spend the money, if I had it. But this is something affordable.

I'm about to buy a new grill, in preparation for Independence Day. My budget is $100 or less. But I'm thinking about how much wood, charcoal, and gas are used in the process. So here is a useful alternative that is acually portable, just as useful as an over, and you can even use it in the winter.

The concept of the solar oven is pretty neat. There's nothing that compares to the taste of grilled food, but this is definitely a good alternative.

Eating healthy this summer? Try Gazpacho.

Gazpacho. The perfect summer treat, cool and refreshing, and extremely healthy. Gazpacho is Spanish and Portugese in origin. It started out being a combination of stale bread, olive oil, garlic, salt, and vinegar. In areas of Spain, almonds are a common ingredient in making white gazpacho.

Over time, as all recipes should, this dish evolved. It'm not sure when or why it changed, and how it retained its name. But now, we use tomatoes as the base, along with other veggies and the ingredients listed above. This would be a great thing to serve on the 4th, given it's red hue, the chill factor, and the refreshing taste. Plus, if you wanted to (and depending on how smooth you make it), you could even carry it around in a pitcher and pour more for your guests as you make your rounds. You could do so many variations on this, and you could serve it topped, or side-by-side with, so many things. Have fun with it. Here's your basic recipe:

Gazpacho

2 - 2 1/4 lbs of plum tomatoes
1/2 green pepper
1/2 cucumer, peeled
1/8 - 1/4 onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 c. "day old" bread
3-4 Tbsp vinegar, preferrably sherry vinegar, perhaps red wine vinegar would do, as well
salt
1 cup water

Roughly chop all veggies. Doesn't matter how good you are at this, because they'll be blended like crazy. Blend these with the cup of water.

Soak your bread in water, them squeeze it out. Blend or mix this with your garlic, oil, vinegar, and salt.

Put the 2 mixtures together and blend like crazy. Strain if you want to.

Chill for a couple hours (both you and the soup can chill next to a cocktail) and await your guests. Serve chilled. Garnish with basil leaves.

In preparation for the 4th: Potato Salad

Who in America can have an Independence day celebration, without potato salad? So here's some tips on customizing your own recipe:

1. The type of potato you chooes makes a big difference. If you choose russets, for example, thay will crumble when cooked and produce a grainier salad. This is because of the greater amout of starch, which expands during the cooking process. Red potatoes seem to will over all, depending on what you're looking for. They will hold their shape, have a great flavor, and look good in a salad especially with the skins still on.

2. For best results, boil your potatoes whole, in the skins. Not only will this hold in all your nutrients and flavor, but the skins should peel right off after the potatoes cool down. (That's assuming you want to peel them.)

3. When the potatoes are done cooking, mix a little of the cooking water with som ered wine vinegar. This restores flavor and moisture. I wouldn't use the vinegar if you're making a very mustardy salad, though.

4. Add whatever you like to the salad, but celery and onions are a must. If you're like me and don't like the stringy ridges of celery, take a veggie peeler to the back of it. Red bell pepper would add some excellent, Independence day color. Whatever you add, don't overdo the crunch factor.

5. Mix mayonnaise and sour cream for extra flavor, and better texture.

6. Dill would make a good addition, as a garnish over the top.

7. Egg, or no eggs? You decide.

And finally, a recipe that you can tweak:

2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon

1/8 cup red wine vinegar

4 drops hot pepper sauce (more or less to taste)

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

3/4 teaspoon powdered mustard

1/4 teaspoon celery seed, lightly crushed with mortar and pestle

1/2 teaspoon light brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning (use 1 teaspoon if adding hard-boiled eggs)

(Old Bay can be substituted with 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, increasing to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne and 1/3 teaspoon smoked paprika if using the eggs)

2 teaspoons minced lemon zest

1/2 cup chopped celery (about 2 stalks)

3 tablespoons chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup sweet pickle cubes (or diced bread and butter pickles)

1/4 cup coarsely chopped pickled green tomato (or chopped dill pickles)

1/2 teaspoon juice from pickled green tomatoes (or dill pickles)

4 hard-boiled eggs, cooled, peeled and diced (optional)

Place the potatoes in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and add enough cold water to cover them by 1 inch. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt and stir. Cover and turn the heat to medium-high. As soon as the water boils, remove the cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook five to seven minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.

While the potatoes cook, in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, mix together the vinegar, hot pepper sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt and black pepper. When the potatoes are finished cooking, ladle 1/8 cup of the cooking water into the vinegar mix. Set aside.

Drain the potatoes in a colander, then return to the pot. If desired, let the potatoes cool a few minutes, then slip off the skins and proceed with the recipe. Otherwise, immediately drizzle the potatoes with the vinegar mixture, then set aside, uncovered, to cool.

While the potatoes cool, make the dressing. In a medium bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and sour cream. Add the powdered mustard, celery seed, brown sugar, Old Bay Seasoning and lemon zest and stir until thoroughly combined.

Add the celery, red onion, red bell pepper, pickle cubes, pickled green tomato and green tomato juice to the dressing and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until the potatoes have cooled completely.

Once the potatoes have cooled, use a fork to mash the equivalent of two potatoes. Use kitchen shears to cut the remaining potato quarters into bite-size chunks. If using the egg, add it and mix in gently.

Add the dressing and use your hands or a rubber spatula to gently mix until combined. Cover and chill for one hour.

About me

Since I jumped into this blog on a whim, I've neglected to properly introduce myself. So here's a little about me and my life. Starting with the most basic stuff.

I'm 24 years old. August 17th is my birthday, so don't forget my present. I'm married to my high school sweetheart/love of my life. He's a musician, philosopher, mailman, paperboy, avid learner. We have 2 boys, ages 2 and 4 months, who give our life meaning and bring everything together.

I work full-time for an internet collectible toy company. We're one of the most successful online retailers in the business. I enjoy my job, as an escape and something to occupy my mind, as well as an excuse to see people other than my kids. But, this is not where I want to be my whole life.

I've often found myself, as many people have, lost as to what to do with life. Many times I'd try something and be good at it, but most things just don't hold my interest. So I decided that I want to cook. But there are no decent culinary schools around here, and moving away just isn't an option. So I'm forced to self-teach, which is what I've done since getting married anyway.

I'm not Julia Child, nor am I Chris Kimball or Rachel Ray. But I do have a small bit of expertise, albeit sometimes simple. So, I wanted to create this blog to vent some of my tips, food news that I find, and to help along even the most basic cooks. I don't use fancy, uncommon products. Many of my recipes come from Kraft. But Occasionally I'll become daring and try something never done before. For those, you will want to keep coming back. I rarely mess up my improvisations.

Hopefully to come this week:
Crock Pot Sauerkraut
Panna Cotta (an Italian dessert resembling smooth ice cream)
Spring Spinach Salad (this one's very simple, and perfect for a potluck social event)

Starbucks to introduce salads

Every time I go to Starbucks here in JoMo, I want to order a muffin. But, I must go at the wrong time or something because my muffins are always half frozen. And I keep wondering if I will ever be able to purchase anything healthy, other than a banana, at Starbucks.

Incidentally, there is a new one going in next to I-44, on my way to work. This is not good for my hips, or my wallet.

But, my hopes have come to fruition, as Starbucks will be introducing salads, yogurt, and fruit/veggie snack plates. Still not good for my wallet, but I'm going for fast food anyway, this may be a better choice than McDonalds.

On a side note, I really miss having Dioko Coffe Co., and I'm sure most of the people my age in JoMo would agree. That was stellar coffee, and great atmosphere. I have trouble admitting that I go to Starbucks, because I was spoiled by Dioko. But unless someone can point me to a coffeehouse close to my home, or anywhere in JoMo for that matter, then it'll be Starbucks for lnch.

coffee cake

This morning was a happy morning. As my husband left for work at the Post Office, Soren ran into my room as the baby and I lay sleeping. He said "wake up, mama" and gave me a hug and kissed me smack on the lips. So I figure, with such a sweet awakening, I should have something suitable for breakfast. So, coffee cake:

2 cups Bisquick
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup water or milk

a pinch of each: cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves (you really could omit these, but I like the memories of Christmas with my family that these flavors bring to mind. )

Mix all ingredients. Sprinkle this over the top:

Topping
1/3 cup Bisquick
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, firm

Mix until crumbly. I did this in my tiny food processor. Be sure not to blend too much, if you it my way, or you'll end up with more of a paste. Don't fret if this happens, though. Just add equal amounts of Bisquick and brown sugar (it won't tak much, 1/8 cup each at the most) and pulse the food processor again.

Bake in a greased 9-inch round pan at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes.

EDIT: Ok, so I'll definitely be doing some variations on this. It's pretty basic. It's a good start, but it need something swirled in the middle of the cake, and the top should have some goo about it. I'll update this on maybe next weekend, but in the meantime, go ahead and play with the base recipe if you want. Tell me if you come up with something good.

No Bake (except the crust) Key Lime Pie

What's better in the middle of summer than Key Lime Pie? Ok, maybe a few things, like fresh strawberry TALLcake. I'll get to that one another time. But something creamy and citrusy would be perfect too. This recipe is from America's Test Kitchen, my favorite program on PBS.

A quick plug for them before I start the makings of this delicious dessert: I LOVE the people at America's Test Kitchen. Chris Kimball is a culinary master who really knows his stuff, anything from basic homestyle dinners to grilling and gourmet delicacies. He and his staff combine their efforts to show America what the best brands are, the best procedures, and how to get the best equipment for a low investment cost. They even explain why. I would trust them with design and stocking of my entire kitchen if I could.

ANYWAY, here it is. The No Bake Key Lime Pie. If you really wated it to be totally no bake, you could opt for a pre-made crust. But I like to say that I did it all, with as little help as possible from Wal-Mart. Oh, and make sure you use the no-cook pudding.

Icebox Key Lime Pie

For the Crust:
8 whole graham crackers , broken into smaller pieces
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

Filling:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
8 ounces cream cheese , softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 cup fresh lime juice from 6 to 8 limes
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the crust: Pulse crackers and sugar in food processor until finely ground. Add melted butter in steady stream while pulsing until crumbs resemble damp sand. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press crumbs firmly into bottom and sides of 9-inch pie plate. Bake until fragrant and browned around edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool completely.

For the filling: Process sugar and zest in food processor until sugar turns bright green, about 30 seconds. Add cream cheese and process until combined, about 30 seconds. Add condensed milk and pudding mix and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl. Stir gelatin and 2 tablespoons lime juice in small bowl. Heat in microwave for 15 seconds; stir until dissolved. With machine running, pour gelatin mixture, remaining lime juice, and vanilla through feed tube and mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.

Pour filling into cooled crust, cover with plastic, and refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. To serve, let pie sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing

This just speaks for itself

I can't believe they sell this as food. Cuitlacoche or Huitlacoche. I call it corn rot in a can. Bleh.

This is all the rage

All my favorite food blogs are talking about it. Pizza flavored beer. It's been dubbed "Mama Mia." Will this mama Mia be trying it? Sure, when it makes its way to little JoMo. It's the perfect combo of tastes right? Every Thursday I go to the local pizza place, Pizza by Stout, to eat and enjoy their selection of over 100 beers. Now I won't even need to eat, right? It's all in one glass.

Really, though, I'm a little skeptical. But I'll try aynthing. What do you think?

Ice Cream Soda

Today is National Ice Cream Soda (Float) day. For best results make your own. But, Wendy's now has Root Beer-Frosty floats that aren't too bad. My question is, does a can of fruity soda poured over frozen margarita count?

Don't have a clue what I'm talking about? First, check to make sure you're real, because everyone that exists in America knows what a root beer float is. But, try this.

Time to pay homage

...to my new favorite food blog. I tried the recipe below last night, and it was flavor-FULL! The full recipe, along with demonstration images all over the place, is listed at thepioneerwomancooks.com. Ree serves it to her man on a bun, but I didn't have any, so I served it straight. I was about to fix some rice or potatoes to go with it, but my hubby smelled bacon and said "can I have eggs with that?" Good thing, too, because I was filled up by half a chicken breast, and those few pieces of bacon I ate while they cooked. I wish I had more readers at this point, so I could pass this one on to more people. Without further ado, here's the fixins:

Boneless, skinless chicken breats
Lemon-Pepper Seasoning
Peppered bacon
Sliced cheese
Sandwich buns (if desired)

Cut the package of peppered bacon in half and arrange enough pieces in your skillet to cover the bottom. Fry over low-medium heat until chewy, and place on paper towels to drain some grease off. At this point, you and your family have eaten half the bacon, so you might as well keep frying the rest of it. Pour off the grease into a container, and be sure to reserve a spoonful or two for your chicken. (See my post from last week about how to render bacon fat for later use.)

While the bacon is sizzling, rinse and dry your chickens, and put them (one at a time) between 2 sheets of wax paper or Saran wrap. Pound at will with your handy meat mallet, rolling pin, or heavy can (this is always the favorite part for a frustrated housewife), until the chicken is a uniform thickness all over.

Season your chicken well with the lemon-pepper. Don't be afraid to really pour it on. I used it as a rub, so it really absorbed that flavor on one side, and lightly seasoned the other side. But if you don't like the tiny bit of heat that the pepper causes, go easier on the seasoning and don't rub it in.

Place that spoonful of bacon fat that you reserved into the skillet and place your chicken in it. Fry for 4 minutes on one side and flip it.

Place as many bacon strips as you want on the chicken and top with cheese. Cover the skillet and cook until the cheese is melted.

Serve as desired, on a bun or with a twice-baked potato. Or with eggs. Or alone.

Frito's in recipes?

I was asking some family for recipes this weekend. I'm really going to try to Grandma Kaye's spaghetti sauce recipe. It's the most fabulous thing ever, and the whole family drools at the mere mention of it. Anyway, "GranJan" told me about 2 summer recipes involving Frito's. And my mind went back to episodes of King of the Hill for some reason. Now, I'm city folk, especially compared to GranJan, who hails from Arkansas. As far as I'm concerned, we city slickers eat Fritos from the bag with French Dip, not out of the oven, so I didn't really place her advice in my memory. But I feel bad for passing this off so easily, since, after all, Fritos are a valid food item.

So I ask you, my few and far between readers, how do you feel about Frito pie, or other Friro-related recipes? Do you have any that you can share? Feel free to send me an email using the contact link, or directly to miasimplycooks@gmail.com.

Sorry for the delay, kids

As if I had many viewers at this point. Anyway, my anniversary was over the weekend, thus the delay in more food news. I'll get right back on it tonight.

If any of you here in JoMo have a special occasion, I would recommend Mythos for a classy atmosphere. The food was good, and the service was exceptional. The server helped me pick out a wine to go with my lamb chops, and even brought me a sample to ensure that I liked it. The appetizer was the best part, though. If any of you have ever been to (and enjoyed) the Jerusalem Cafe in Kansas City, you will love the Tour of Mythos starter. Here's what was in it:

Stuffed grape leaves, stuffed with a mixture of rice, lamb, and beef (I'll be learning how to make these REAL soon)

Slices of beef and lamb, cooked to perfection

Puff Pastry filled with Spinach and Feta cheese, or just the cheese

Triangles of Pita bread

Dipping sauces/spreads included: cucumber yogurt, calamata olive, garlic, and caviar

Gary Dodson's iced tea

My best friend Jenni gave me this recipe from, created by her dad.

Gary Dodson's Iced Tea

Use 1 tea kettle of boiling water
Pour boiling water into a 1 gallon pitcher
Add 1 cup sugar (or sweetner of your choice. I like Splenda)
Use 2 teabags of orange Pekoe, 2 bags green tea, and 2 bags flavored tea (Jenni says her fave is blueberry)
Let steep for 1 hour
Toss teabags, and fill pitcher with cold water and ice
Enjoy!

I will attest to the flavor of this one. It's without a doubt some of the best home-made tea I've ever had.

Entertaining idea: Coffee tasting

Ok, so you want to have your friends come over for a semi-formal food and drink event, but you don't know where to begin. No need to fear, you're in Mia's hands. Host a party that centers around......drum roll........

COFFEE!


Last evening I was invited to new friend's house for a coffee tasting. This guy roasts his own beans and packages them for later use. I'll be doing a spotlight post on him once I get more readers.

Anyway, get out that french press that someone gave you, and you've never used. OR, just use your trusty coffeemaker on your counter. Clean it out real good, now, because you want to be able to taste ONLY the coffee you make, not what you made this morning in your sleep.

Ground your own beans. You don't have to be fancy and roast them like my friend did. But grinding it yourself will give it a freshly roasted taste. Serve as many kinds as you want, brewing one pot after another, serving it in espresso mugs. If you don't have any, use...um..I don't know. Shot glasses? Whatever you want.

Oh, by all means, do NOT use Folgers. Most cities nowadays have coffeeshops on every street corner where you can purchase specialty coffees. If you really must, head to Starbucks. But I never said that, right?

Have each person in your party bring something that goes well wih coffee. My favorite is shortbread cookies. Last night we had chocolate cupcakes with buttercream-espresso frosting, and Italian Cream Cake. Dee-lish!

I see trouble on the horizon

Since starting this blog less than a week ago, I've been seeing price hikes everywhere. Like, OMG, forget gas! Grocery prices are rising! Produce prices have gone up! But this is the last straw. Due to the cost of barley, we'll soon be paying more to lose our fine motor skills by way of alcohol.

Beer prices are going up. The article speaks of beer in Germany, but I imagine this will soon effect the US, even if you only drink domestic (yech!). Not just because of the cost of barley (or whatev.), but the cost of bringing it to you.

Regardless of the rising costs in Germany, I still want to live where they "expect it to be as inexpensive as other basic staples like eggs, bread and milk."

Bacon bits and rendering the fat

Since my previous post requires bacon pieces, I thought I'd give you advice on cooking the bacon and redering the fat for use in other recipes. Bacon fat will keep for as long as you keep it in your fridge. It's pretty much it's own preservative. So find yourself a glass jar to keep it in, and use it for any number of recipes for that extra bit of flavor. Me? A health nut? Where'd you hear that?

So here it goes:
Heat a large skillet to meduim-low temp. I like to use cast iron skillets, because they tend to soak up some of the grease and it serves as a "seasoning" for the skillet. Non-stick is not necessary, since you should generate enough fat to lubricate the skillet thoroughly.

Put on it as many bacon pieces as the skillet will comfortably hold. Fry for 10-15 minutes, depending on your desired crispiness. For making bacon bits, I'd suggest getting them crisp, but not burnt.

Or for bacon bits, you may want to cut them up before-hand. This will create more surface area for the fat to melt off of, and produce a leaner pile-o-bits. But, if you're using the resulting bacon fat in the recipe anyway, the lean-ity won't matter, but you may still want the quality of bits that you'd get by this method.

For a little extra flavor, see if your meat guy can supply you with prosciutto. It's like a big slab of bacon or ham.

Put the bacon on paper towels to absorb some of the excess grease.

Pour the resulting fat into a warmed jar (warmed so that the jar doesn't crack resulting from the temp change), and stick in the fridge. You may add to this jar at any time.

And remember, under NO circumstances should you pour the grease down the drain. If you don't want to keep the fat, use a paper towel to saok it up, and then throw in the trash. Or give it your pet if you want it to have a heart attack.

My own dee-lish dish - Green Beans

Ok this one's simple, easy, and quick, plus you should have all the ingredients on hand. It doesn't evven need a picture taken of it, because the ingredients along should make your mouth water. Have fun with this one and make it according to your tastes. Garlic salt has become one of my favorite ingredients, and I never use it sparingly.

Combine the following, cook for a "little while" and serve:
2 cans cut green beans(not french cut, unless you really want to, but they're better served in cassaroles)

A couple Tbsp butter, and an equal amount of olive oil. (You can just use one, of course, but I don't like having the stronger flavor that using just one creates) You could also substitute bacon fat, if your arteries need re-clogging.

Garlic salt

Bacon Bits (can't beat the flavor of the real thing)

Simple, Huh?

Yes, another food recall

Everyone check the dates on your beef. Again. What's going on here? Were there this much hysteria about the safety of food 20 years ago? Are we really getting that much sicker, or are we just more aware of what causes our malaise to the point of paranoia?

To be totally accurate, as long as you cook your food to the proper temp, 160 degrees for beef, you won't get sick, regardless of the amount of E coli. But, Tyson and Wal-mart are advising that everyone who recently purchased ground beef hasten to return it.

All of the recalled beef will have sell by dates of June 13th, and includes the following prepackaged trays:

1½-pound trays of Angus steak burger all natural, 85/15, 6¼-pound patties;

1.33-pound trays of Angus steak burger all natural, 85/15, extra thick, 4 1/3-pound patties;

2¼-pound trays of 73/27 all-natural ground beef; and

5½-pound trays of 73/27 all-natural ground beef.

My ground beef in the fridge has a sell by date of June 12th. I'm a little leery. Will I be returning it? No, because I refuse to join into the paranoia, and because I cook my meat thoroughly. Now I just need to figure out how to stick a meat thermometer in a small piece of cooked crumbled ground beef.

Deal of the day

I've been thinking about these since I created this blog last night. I can't wait any longer, I've got to share them with you.

This is basically a bucket of plastic cookie cutters. It includes everything you'd need for Christmas, birthdays (for boys or girls), all letters of the alphabet, and your lucky number, no matter what it is. I got a bucket for my Aunt-in-Law 2 years ago, and almost kept them for myself. Last year I just bought my own set after using hers for holiday sugar cookies with the nieces.

I must say, my 2 year old son loves these things. At one point in time, they were spread all over my house because he just loved playing with them and identifying what the shape was. His favorite is the dinosaur (a stegosaurus, to be exact).

I highly recommend these if you make cookies at all for the holidays, or any occasion, Only $9.99 for 100 pieces of plastic. Totally worth it, in my book.

Link here.

For more on buckets, walruses, and other lol-things, click here.

What would you put on a burger for $25k?

Can you design a burger better than mine? There's $25,000 at stake, so you might as well give it a shot. But I'm telling you, nothing will beat the Jack-a-Mole Burger. Ima try it out this week sometime.


Link to Wendy's design a burger contest here.

Remember to start with the always fresh, never frozen, square patty like the one to the left.

The first entree - not my best

For my first entry I was hoping to have something a little fancier, perhaps my special Chicken Dianne. That will come soon enough, though. This was a quick fix, with what I could scrounge from my fridge.

Dim Sum Chicken Stir Fry



Here's what you need:

About 3 chicken breasts

2-3 Tbsp butter

bag of frozen stir fry veggies (or use a fresh variety if you have if enough on hand)

Dim Sum sauce (or any Asian sauce you life. A simple stir fry sauce is fine, but it's a little heavy and I wanted something light. If you're daring, make your own sauce. I'll give you an example someday.)

1 cup Long-Grain rice

Cook the rice according to directions. Be sure to cover the saucepan properly. Since rice tends to need a steaming effect, you don't want all that hot air and evaporated waterto escape.

Cut up the chicken into bite size pieces, using a sharp knife, like a good Chef's knife. Alternatively, use a pair of kitchen shears. While doing this, make sure to cut off all the visible fat.

In a medium to large skillet (nonstick) brown the chicken in the butter, seasoning with anything you life - I used both salt and garlic salt, and pepper. Add the frozen veggies, and about 1/2-3/4 cup of the sauce - enough to cover the bottom of the skillet well, and to ensure that your veggies have enough liquid to soak up some flavor. Add more later if the skillet gets too dry.

Stir-Fry this sufficiently, as long as it takes for your veggies to heat thoroughly - usually about 7-10 minutes. If you use fresh veggies, you'll want to adjust cooking time according to how crispy or wilted you want them to be.

When the rice is done, add a little of the stir-fry sauce to it, giving it some flavor. Or, just add extra to the chicken mixture and mix the rice in.

I served this with come spring rolls, and the leftover stir-fry sauce that I didn't use.