Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Well, this had to be a hit. I don't think the Reeses people were idiots when they came out with the peanut butter cups, after all, do you?

I was bored one night, and decided to alter a small chocolate cake recipe. This was the result, everyone liked it, and I'm sure you will, too!

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CAKE

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup milk
1 egg

Stir together the dry ingredients. Add the remaining ingredients, and beat for 2 minutes until well combined. (Note: Spray your peanut butter measuring cup with oil or Pam so it will slide right out, or use the same cup you melt the butter in, after swirling the butter around to coat the sides well.) Pour into an 8"x8" or 7"x10" baking pan, and bake at 350F for 25 to 30 minutes. Let it cool, and ice with...

Peanut Butter Frosting

2 cups confectioners sugar
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp cream
milk to thin as needed

Beat the peanut butter with the confectioner's sugar, then add the vanilla and cream. Beat until smooth. Add milk by the teaspoon to thin. Enough for one small cake

After his first bite, Patrick involuntarily exclaimed, "This is great!" From a 25 year old fussbudget? Need I say more? No? Then how about a demonstration of how much snow we had by the time the plow got stuck? Yes, that's Patrick's Dodge Ram pickup...you remember, the one Thor was driving at Christmastime!

Snow Ice Cream

Well, the snow is about over, although grey skies remain.

Do you officially have a lot of snow when it's up to the knees of a guy who's over 6 feet tall?
How about when you can barely recognize your giant Dodge Ram pickup truck?
How about when you can't distinguish between the cars outside?
Or, maybe you know you officially have a buttload of snow when your plow guy gets stuck, and after an hour, abandons his truck, saying he'll be back tomorrow with his tractor to get it out.

Then you follow George's idea, and make snow ice cream!

SNOW ICE CREAM

8 to 10 cups fresh snow
2/3 cup cold milk
2/3 cup cream
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract

Either plan ahead, and put a bowl out to catch the snow, or send your kid out to a clean area to scoop up some snow from a deep area, being careful to skim the top only.

In a measuring cup, whisk the sugar into the milk until it's well combined. Stir in the extracts and cream, pour over the snow, and stir this mixture into the bowl of snow. Stir until it's about the consistency of ice cream. This will be much lighter than ice cream, so a giant bowl of snow ice cream will be equivalent to about 1 or 2 scoops of normal ice cream.

While it doesn't have as strong a flavor as churned ice cream, it's lots of fun for the kiddies. So, next time a nor'easter wallops you, make snow ice cream! Thanks for the idea, George!

Cool Rise Brioche

At about a million calories, these little brioches are not for the dieters of the world. They are, however, surprisingly light. Not surprisingly, they are really delicious; even my picky eaters made it a point to say so - both of them! This is proof that my heart is in excellent shape, because to get unsolicited compliments from both of them is surely cause for heart attack, or at least, severe shock!

COOL RISE BRIOCHE

1 cup warm water (110 to 120F)
6 tsp yeast (or 2 packages)
4 to 5 cups flour (start with 4)
3/8 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs, at room temperature

Sprinkle the yeast over the water in a bowl or bread machine container. Add 4 cups flour, sugar, salt, eggs and the butter, cut into pieces. Mix together, using the directions I gave in the Cool Rise White Bread recipe. Note that this dough is really soft and sticky, and you will probably need to add more flour as it mixes. Add in 1/4 cup increments, until the dough forms a nice ball; I used a total of about 4-3/4 cups.

Let the dough sit for 10 minutes, then divide into 2 unequal parts: 1/4 of the dough and 3/4 of the dough. Divide the larger section into 18 pieces, form balls from each, and place in greased muffin or cupcake tins. Poke dents in the top of each piece. Divide the smaller part of the dough into 18 pieces, and form into 18 small balls (about 3/4" diameter each). Place each small ball in the dent of one of the larger balls. Brush the tops of the brioches with oil, brush waxed paper with oil, and cover the brioches. Place them in the refrigerator for 2 to 24 hours.

When you're ready to bake the brioches, remove them from the refrigerator, and place on top of the stove to warm up as you preheat the oven to 350F. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until they're nicely browned. Brush the tops with melted butter, if desired, and serve hot. (I didn't do this; I thought they had enough butter in them.)

They look wonderful in the muffin pans after baking, although, frankly, mine look like they were made by the Special Ed Mom. The cookbook suggests preparing these at night, and having them hot for breakfast in the morning. I didn't do this, of course.

Stupid looking or not, they got to be a whole lot prettier in the basket, and no one told me that my rolls were lopsided. Bonus!
And, in case anyone wondered, this is how much snow we had at noon. Those are Ryan's feet, and he's over 6 foot now. Good thing Thor's a big dog, or he'd get lost trying to relieve himself! And it must be worse beyond my little corner of the world, because UPS called me this morning, and told me they would not be making my regular pickup this afternoon, because they are closed today. How often does that happen?

Snowy Thorsday

So, it's been snowing since about 4AM, and the boys next door had a snow day. A couple of engineering classes, in snow fort construction and sliding track management, were in order.

Thor is always around.
Sometimes he surveys his domain from his porch door.

And sometimes he braves the snow to be certain that the boys (in the background) are completing their projects well, and having fun, too.
Happy Snowy Thorsday!

Cool Rise Honey Lemon Wheat Bread

This is the second of the cool rise recipes I've tried. This is a wonderful bread, with great flavors!

2-1/2 cups flour
1-3/4 cups whole wheat flour
6 tsp or 2 pkgs yeast
2 tsp salt
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
grated peel of 1 whole lemon
1-3/4 cups very warm water

Following the same procedure detailed in my Cool Rise White bread, pouring the water into either a bowl or the bread machine pan and sprinkling the yeast over it. Add the other ingredients and mix following the directions I've provided previously. Form into two loaves, and put them into two 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 loaf pans. Brush the top of the bread with salad oil, and brush two pieces of waxed paper with oil. Cover the loaves with the waxed paper, wrap loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. When you're ready to bake the bread, remove it from the oven and place it on the stove, preheat the bread to 350F for glass pans or 375F for metal ones. When the oven is preheated, put the loaves in and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until done. Let it cool a few minutes for easier slicing, and serve.
The lemon flavor in this is very subtle, but when toasted it becomes much more pronounced. Look at the beautiful bits of lemon peel in this slice!

It started snowing here last night; it was really pretty around midnight.

We only got 1" of snow, but it was very wet and heavy. This is the same tree this morning.

Sadly, the next storm is scheduled for tomorrow night. They haven't decided if we're going to get a little snow, or 8 to 10 inches. As soon as they tell me where to call to express my preferences, you know I'll be voting for the dusting!

Edited to add: Melanie was right, I mistyped the amount of salt in this recipe, and have corrected it. This should be 2 teaspoons of salt, not 2 tablespoons!

Garden Tuesday: Snow

This is how I like my snowfalls.

Scarce, and decorating my boxwood.

Our white lab, Max, used to sit ON this bush - did so for 2 years after we moved into this house. It gets copious amounts of sun in the morning, and it was a good place for an old dog to warm his tired bones. Today, with flurries, not so good. But Pretty.

Cool Rise Bread

I stumbled on this when I was reading the Farmers' Wives' cookbook I got at one of the used book sales last year. The book was not very big, the type was small, but I figured midwestern farm wives probably knew something about making bread, and maybe I'd learn something, and for $1, how could I therefore not buy it? (Of course, I also had to buy the pastry book to the left of it, which is why I've stumbled into the world of pie crust)

Anyway, my friend Gaylen has been trying to make her own bread, with mixed results. Pam in Oregon and The Blond Duck have also asked me about making bread, but remain yeast-phobic. Suffering a couple of phobias that rational people don't share myself, when I found this, I thought of these three lovely people. And once I'd tried it, I concluded that others of you out there might like this nearly effortless bread making method, too.

The premise of this bread is that it can be mixed up quickly, whenever time permits, put in the pans, and left in the refrigerator to rise for 2 to 24 hours. Once you see how easy this is, you'll be eager to try this or one of the other recipes I'll be reviewing this week!

COOL RISE WHITE BREAD

4 cups flour
2 tbsp (or 2 packets) yeast
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
1/4 cup soft margarine
1-1/2 cups very warm water (110-120F)
salad oil

Pour the water into either a bowl or your bread machine container; sprinkle the yeast over it. Add the flour, sugar and salt, followed by the margarine, cut into small chunks. Turn the bread machine on to knead for 10 minutes, or mix the ingredients together with either a Kitchenaid or hand mixer at low speed. With the stand mixer, let it knead the bread at low speed for 10 minutes; if using a hand mixer, after it starts to protest, dump the dough on a floured surface, and knead by hand, pushing the dough backward with the heel of your hand, folding the back over to the front with your fingertips, and turning it 90 degrees, then repeating the process, until the dough is smooth, 5 minutes or so. Regardless of the mixing process, let the dough sit for 10 minutes after the kneading is complete.

Divide the dough in half, form into loaves, and place in a well greased 8-/12"x4-1/2" loaf pan. Brush the surface of the bread dough with salad oil, and brush 2 pieces of waxed paper with salad oil. Put the waxed paper loosely over the dough, cover the entire pan loosely with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator.

When you're ready to bake the bread, remove the loaf pans from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap and waxed paper, and place the loaves on top of the stove while the oven heats to 375F for glass pans or 400F for metal pans. After 10 minutes, puncture any large, visible surface bubbles, then put the loaves in the oven for about 25 to 28 minutes.

When the bread is done, run a flat bladed spatula or knife around the inside of the pans to loosen the bread, if necessary, and remove from the pan at once. Cool somewhat on a rack, or in a bread basket lined with a napkin, for a few minutes, until the bread is firm enough to slice neatly.

These directions look cumbersome, but, honestly, you'll have the bread in the refrigerator to rise in about 20 minutes. It really can be done the night before, or in the morning (by you morning people out there), and ready to bake for dinner. There's no mystery to this bread!

There was barely enough of this bread left for the boys to have sandwiches for lunch the next day. Need I say more about its flavor?

Chiffon Spice Cake

Ever longed for a spice cake that wasn't quite as heavy as the traditional ones? No, neither have I. But I had a problem Monday: 30 of those 56 eggs left. Plus, some idiot had run out of white sugar (I wonder who that could have been) and needed to use brown sugar plus a lot of eggs. Fannie Farmer to the rescue!

I'd never made a chiffon cake before, but that kind of thing never stops me from much. I wasn't sure how to top it, so I asked my dearly beloved, who thought a while, and said, "I think my mother used that thin frosting type stuff you put on top of King Cake." Translation: Glaze. So off I went, into the wilds of yet another kind of cake!

CHIFFON SPICE CAKE

1 cup egg whites (I needed 9)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
2-1/4 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1-1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 egg yolks
3/4 cup cold water
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325F. Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar till very stiff and set aside.

Sift together all the dry ingredients in a bowl, and make a well in the center. Into the well, pour the egg yolks, oil, water and vanilla extract. Beat very well, 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is quite smooth. With a rubber scraper, stir the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites bit by bit, until it's all combined. Pour into a very well greased 10" tube pan. Bake at 325F for 50 minutes, then, without opening the oven door, raise the heat to 350F and bake approximately 15 minutes more, until the cake springs back when lightly touched in the center. Cool with the pan upside down, then run a spatula around the pan to release. Top with a glaze made from powdered sugar, vanilla and milk.
This was a light cake. Of course, Patrick the fussy eater didn't terribly like it. But that's OK, because he shared with Thor.

Next week, I'll be telling you about a new method of bread making I found called "Cool Rise". You're going to love it!

Happy Thorsday!

With the snow all over the place, our friend is doing a lot of this.

He does follow the boys outside to romp, but not many snow pictures are being taken these days.

Thor looks forward to resuming his sunbathing duties soon.

Happy Thorsday, everyone!

What to do with 56 Eggs?

Yeah, I'm sure this is a problem everybody has: You only have 56 eggs left, which is not enough for the next 3 to 4 weeks, so another 15 dozen are coming in 2 days. What to do? (Please, don't send the people with the net to drag me in for therapy. I promise I made it through!) The answer was obvious with just a little thought: Quiche, and chiffon cake (a promise dangled in front of you for another day...).

QUICHE FOR 6 STARVING PEOPLE

Crust:
2 cups flour
3/4 cup oil
3 tbsp milk
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp sugar

Filling:
20 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 to 3/4 pound shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 pound frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 pound bacon
14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
20 turns pepper

First, the crust. In a 13x9x2 baking pan (ungreased), stir together the flour, salt and sugar. Pour the oil and milk in a 2 cup measuring cup, and stir vigorously with a fork until the milk is suspended in the oil. Yes, this really happens, and it looks really cool. Pour most of the oil/milk combo into the pan, and stir around with the flour mixture. Add as much as needed of the balance of the oil/milk until all of the dry ingredients are moistened (I used all of it). Press this crust into the bottom and up the sides of the pan - no rolling! No dirty bowl! And, because it uses oil, it doesn't stick to your pan - a real bonus in my book. Theoretically, you should chill the crust. As for me, well, when I start cooking, I want to do the whole job, so I didn't bother.

Thaw the spinach by placing it in a colander and running it under warm water. Shake it well to drain, but don't squeeze it out. Put half the shredded cheese in the crust. Spread the spinach over that. Cook the bacon mostly in the microwave and drain well; cut into bite sized pieces. Spread the bacon over the spinach, and the tomatoes over that. Top with the balance of the cheese. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs (yes, 20 eggs) with the cup of milk until well combined. Grind in the pepper. Pour over the mixture in the pan (no, it won't overflow), and bake at 375F for 45 to 55 minutes, until a knife in the center comes out clean. Serve with hollandaise, if desired (I didn't).

This was a very filling, cold night meal. The crust was flaky and delicious, and, as I said, it didn't even think of sticking to the pan. Easy cooking, easy cleanup; what more could you ask?

Garden Tuesday: Planning

This was my yard yesterday, before the clouds moved in with a threat of snow.

The snow stayed east of us, but the clouds are still with us. This sad fact makes me even more jealous of Michelle's garden in New Zealand, carefully guarded by her beloved Zebbycat, and Katie's garden in Australia, where she's complaining of having too many tomatoes! Hah! As if that's possible! I'd want tomato soup! And those dried tomatoes my friend Paula made this summer, and anything else I could think of.

I found this garden planning website, which gives information on starting a raised bed garden like mine, and suggestions for food and herbs to plant. You can bet I'm spending plenty of time thinking about spring, and planting, and this site will make you drool and long for warm weather all the more.

And Sarah from Saskatchewan wanted to know if I have a Texas Chili recipe. Well, I haven't made chili since about 1977, since my dearly beloved is not a fan. Can someone help her?

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Valentine's Day Cake

As I said, I made the one bowl White Cake for Valentine's Day. With the strawberry filling and frosting to dress it up, it was just wonderful!

When I took it out of the fridge for dessert, my dearly beloved exclaimed, "Oh, that's so cute!"

Mark took a picture of me cutting the cake. He cut off most of my head.

VALENTINE'S DAY CAKE

One Bowl White Cake
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
10 to 12 frozen strawberries, partially thawed and sliced
1/4 tsp Wild Strawberry Flavoring (thanks, Spice Barn)
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 pound confectioner's sugar
2 tsp Wild Strawberry Flavoring
dribbles of cream if necessary

Make the cake in two layers, baking about 25 minutes, and cool. For the filling, whip 1/3 cup cream; when it's soft whipped, add the confectioner's sugar and 1/4 tsp strawberry flavoring. Whip until firm, then stir in the strawberries. Spread to within 1/2" of the outer edge of the lower layer, and place the top layer over it. To make the frosting, beat the 1/4 cup whipping cream until soft, then beat in the confectioner's sugar and flavoring. Add dribbles of cream, if necessary, to bring the frosting to spreading consistency. Frost the top and sides of the cake. Store in refrigerator so the filling doesn't ooze out all over the place.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I didn't have enough white sugar, so I baked the cake with confectioner's sugar instead. It worked out fine.)

This cake serves really nicely.
And even my littlest fussbudget, from whom "It's decent" is a compliment, said this was a good cake.
Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day!

Heart Attack Potatoes

I made a nice, fresh ham, coated the outside with the honey-mustard sauce used in my chicken recipe the other night. Heart attack potatoes seemed like just the right thing to go with the ham. I know you're all wondering now if I've gone completely off my rocker. Feel free to cut this amount down to your family's size, but this is the basic recipe.

HEART ATTACK POTATOES

5 pounds (1 bag) red skinned potatoes, scrubbed
salt and water to boil
1 to 2 tsp salt
30 turns fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup dried parsley flakes
1 stick margarine
1 stick butter

Scrub the potatoes clean and slice them thin. Cook in a large pot of salted boiling water until fork tender. Pour into a colander to drain, and put the pot lid on top of the colander to keep the heat in the potatoes. Return the pot to the stove, and melt the butter and margarine over medium heat. Add the salt, pepper and parsley flakes. Turn off the heat, stir the potatoes back in, and serve at once. The potatoes will break into nice bite sized pieces. The origin of this terrifying name? As my second daughter said, "Heart Attack Goodness on a plate!"

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Thor and the Tanks

For Christmas, the little boys got a pair of remote controlled tanks which shoot light beams at each other, make great noises and are, in the words of the older brothers, "awesome!" Naturally, the big boys played with them before the little boys were allowed to try them out (for training purposes, of course!). So when the boys finally got their hands on the tanks, Thor was very interested in what was going on.
After a while, it interested him less.
Even the prospect of being rammed by a tank fazed Thor not in the least.

So, it comes as no surprise that when the boys were field testing their tanks in the 2" of snow at the front of the house last weekend,

Thor was doing this.

Happy Thorsday, everyone!

Honey Mustard Chicken

First, I'm sure you all want to know that we have not entirely escaped the wrath of this storm. Last weekend, Philly, am ere 120 miles south of us, got 29" and we got nary a flake. This time, Philly's approaching 2 feet, and we stand at 7". Needless to say, the three little boys (Thor included) have gone out to romp earlier today. They're all napping now, led by Thor.
Now, on to what you really want: dinner. And what's better than Honey Mustard chicken? I need flavorful meals which require little participation on my part, and this one fills the bill.

HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp fresh or dried minced chives
1 tbsp thyme
1/4 cup cold water
1 tbsp cornstarch

Spread the chicken in a single layer in a baking dish; lightly salt and generously pepper. Cook at 375F for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, spray a 2 cup measuring cup with pan spray. Add the mustard and honey to the cup, and stir. Add the chives and thyme, and mix well. After 15 minutes, spread over the chicken and return it to the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is done. Pour the pan drippings (which will include some of the honey-mustard sauce) into a saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Whisk the cornstarch into the cold water, and whisk that into the pan drippings. Cook for a minute or 2, until it thickens, then pour over the chicken and serve with rice or pasta. I chose tri-colored (or, as Ryan calls it, "multi-cultural) rotini, and there was none left for Thor. That's the sign of a good dinner.

Garden Tuesday: What We Got for Christmas

Yes, that's a mailbox.

Big deal, you say.

Well, there has never been mail delivery in our little town. As of the end of the year, the next town over has opted to deliver our mail, so, for the first time in 20 years, I don't have to trudge my weary butt off to the post office to pick up my bills. That is a drag at any time, but just how fired up can you get over having to go out in the snow to get your electric bill?

And the snow you see there is all we have. Of course, we're being promised a "winter wallop" of up to 6" of snow tonight; let's see what it looks like tomorrow, OK?

White Cake for Valentine's Day

Being unable to do a lot, I'm instead thinking ahead to next weekend. You all have Marti5515 to thank for this. She found a white cake recipe I posted and asked a question, which caused me to decide that this would make a lovely Valentine's Day cake.

First, the cake recipe:

ONE BOWL WHITE CAKE

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup milk
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup milk
4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract

Sift together the flour, salt and sugar, and mix with the oil and 2/3 cup milk for one minute. Add the remaining ingredients and beat at high speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is well combined and somewhat fluffy. Pour into a Bundt pan and bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes, a sheet cake pan and bake 35 to 38 minutes, or two layer pans and bake (I think) 28 to 32 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Yes, Marti, this cake does call for two additions of milk, the second being with the egg whites, for a total of 1-1/6 cup milk. And given the rarity of a white cake made in one bowl, it's a wonderful recipe.
If you didn't try this when I first posted it, I'd recommend you try it now! It really is good.

My plan is to bake this in layers, which I rarely do, whip some cream and stir in sliced strawberries for between the layer, then make strawberry flavored icing tinted pink (using the lovely strawberry extract I recently found at Spice Barn com). My dearly beloved will adore it, as will Ryan. My baby will say it's OK, and Patrick will likely hate it. That's OK, he hates everything. I'll be sure to post a picture or two of the finished product, presuming I have the energy to keep up with my ambitious plans!

Can I Make You Think?

Another question from the friendly folks at Omaha Steaks. Actually, in the spirit of this weekend, I've paired it with one of my own.

When did you get your first color television?

(Note to those of you under 45 or so: sorry to confuse you. Color TV didn't become widespread until the late 1960s.)

And, speaking of television, tell us about a fond Super Bowl memory.

Me first: My parents bought a color TV for Christmas 1965. No, they weren't rich; they were just barely getting by. But they always had to have the newest "thing", whatever that may have been. I called them "consumer innovators": first to have everything, regardless of whether they could afford it.

My favorite Super Bowl memories: Either asking my boys when someone was going to get a home run, or voting for the winner based on the guys who were wearing the cutest outfits. Hubby tells them of watching Joe Namath winning the Super Bowl in the snow in San Diego. Of course, they don't understand life with black and white TVs and no cable.

Happy Super Bowl weekend, everyone!

Chicken Fried Rice

Well, after a week of takeout food, I decided it was time to try my hand at cooking again. The meat was easy enough: I'd prepared a couple of boneless turkey breasts, wrapped them in foil, and frozen them. Plop one in a pan, add a little water around it, order someone to put it in the oven, and there's the basis for dinner. What about the starch, though? Having a quart of leftover rice from a Chinese restaurant, and knowing where to find a recipe for guidance, I knew I had a 10 minute answer!

CHICKEN FRIED RICE

3 tbsp oil
1 minced onion
2 minced garlic cloves
1 grated carrot
6 scallions, sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup cooked, chopped chicken
2 cups cold, dry rice
1 raw egg, lightly beaten

Heat the oil in a pan, then cook the onion and garlic for a minute. Add the carrot, and cook 2 minutes more, stirring so they don't burn. Stir in the scallions and chicken, cook for about a minute, then stir in the rice and soy sauce. Cook a couple of minutes, until the rice is hot, then make a hole in the middle of the rice mixture. Pour the egg in, let it partially cook, then stir the pan vigorously, scrambling the egg and mixing it in with the rice, veggies and chicken. Serve at once.

The original recipe called for rendering pork fat in which to cook this. That wasn't happening here, although I could see it with a little bacon. The chicken was my addition; pork or beef would also be tasty. The original recipe didn't call for the carrot, either, but it did call for bean sprouts; since I had the carrot and no bean sprouts, I changed it to suit. It was a great side dish; there was none left for poor Thor.
And you don't see any veggies on my plate because I served canned pears with this. My standing abilities are not all that stellar yet, so I have to choose my plan of action wisely. I'm sure none of my guys objected!