One of our favorite recipes

Thai Fried Rice

1.      Steam rice at least two hours ahead of time, chill it

2.      Mix the sauce

Now, make the fried rice. And it’s gonna be great. Here’s the order:

Step                                                                                                                            

1.      heat the oil                                                       

2.      stir-fry the aromatics (garlic, or ginger, or chili paste, or green onions)

3.      stir-fry the meat (if you’re using meat, make sure you cook the meat before you cook the eggs)

4.      stir-fry the beaten eggs

5.      add the rice, mix to coat the rice with the oil and flavors of goodnees you’ve already added

6.      add the sauce, which makes everything magic

7.      stir-fry the vegetables (snow peas, carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms)

The key is to get the wok (or skillet) hot hot and cook everything quick quick.

Really, you can add whatever you want to this dish. Experiment! This is a humble, easy, get some good stuff in your belly meal. As long as you make the sauce, you’ll have the base Thai taste. Here’s the recipe that we’ve improvised from:

 

2 cups of cooked, chilled rice

(we prefer jasmine)

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Sauce:

1 scant tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp lime juice

mix

Aromatics:

1 tbsp diced garlic (2 good cloves)

1 scant tsp of chili paste

Protein:

2 eggs, beaten

8 oz pork, thinly sliced

Vegetables:

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/3 cup julianne carrots

1/3 cup sliced mushrooms

Serve with Sriracha sauce to taste

Happy Mother's Day!

Evan's parents visited this weekend, which is always wonderful. But it was extra special to be able to spend Mother's Day with them.

Of course we can never say everything that needs to be said to thank our mothers. Both Heidi and Evan have beautiful, amazing, lovely moms. We can't wait until we get to see them be beautiful, amazing, lovely grandmoms.

Happy Mother's Day to you and to the people you love!

May Day Snow, and New Members at Church

In North Dakota it might snow any month of the year, except, maybe July. Even then, July can get mighty cold. We woke up this morning for the first of May -- May Day, the day where you make baskets and frolic in the sunshine and green green grass -- and saw a few inches of crackly, icy snow on the ground.

OK. So we move on. But, well ... blargh.

In much better news, this morning we became members of United Lutheran Church. It's an historic church in downtown Grand Forks, with a wonderful and welcoming congregation. At Sunday Services, we meet with young young children and friendly elderly members, and we very much enjoy the wide range of people. The pastors are a married couple, and have been at the church for about a decade.

After the service, we sat in the Fellowship Lounge for a coffee-and-bar hour. It was a nice morning, and we're very happy to be a part of the church.

So, snow in May isn't so bad, when you're a part of warm community!