Recipe of the Week: Ham Fried Rice

Now that I plan on posting daily, I really should have the motivation needed to write recipe of the week posts. The problem is, I'm horrible at photographing food.

First, once that warm meal is ready to serve the last thing on my mind is "take a picture!" By that point my kitchen is a mess and my kids are eager to sit down and eat, and so am I!

Second, even when I do take pictures they are pretty horrible. I'm not a good photographer to begin with (I'm hoping to fix that by taking a photography class at my local tech college this spring).

Third, I don't edit my pictures, nor do I know how to take the time to write up printable recipes, like on food blogs. 

BUT, I really shouldn't let any of this stop me. My goal isn't to have pin-able posts, my goal is simply to share food I love with both current readers and possibly my children as they get older. I mean, who really knows what kind of value this blog will have to them in the future? 

So ... all that said, here is my horribly photographed, almost all eaten, ham fried rice ... the day after I made it! 

Nell probably makes it look more appetizing. My kids love it, and Ben loves it even more. It couldn't be easier to make. I found the recipe at Life in the Lofthouse, but adapted it for our tastes. After all, a recipe is only a guideline. So here are my fried rice guidelines.

Fried Rice
about 5 cups day old rice
2 T sesame oil
1/2 a yellow onion
1 cup frozen, diced carrots, thawed
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 eggs, beaten
about 1 cup leftover ham, diced
1/4 soy sauce (more for taste, if needed)
*we have also added 1/2 cup pineapple chunks*

Cook the rice the night (or two) before and refrigerate in air tight container until ready to use. On medium high heat, heat sesame oil in large frying pan or wok. Add onion, peas, and carrots to oil and cook until tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one more minute.

Push veggies to one side of the pan and add eggs. Cook them until scrambled. Then mix all ingredients together. Stir in ham and pineapple if using (note: the pineapple chunks will add liquid moisture to the recipe, it adds a nice sweetness but I probably prefer the dish without the pineapple chunks).

Finally, add rice (note: your rice may have clumped together as it dried in the fridge, I find it easiest to break the dried rice clumps apart with my hands, as I put it in the frying pan). Pour soy sauce over rice and thoroughly mix all ingredients together. Keep mix on medium high heat for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve!

This recipe always feeds our family dinner and leftover lunch. We will occasionally make it (ham-less) as a side for some of our favorite take-out chicken dishes, but we mostly just eat it as a main (and only) dish. Great for the budget!

Messy little toddler! Sometimes independence is worth it.