Farm Stands

One of the great things about living in New England is the abundance of farm stands. We get to drive by farms, barns and orchards along Rt. 17 and have our choice of stopping at several different farm stands. I always look forward to buying, and cooking with, native produce straight from our local farms. Going out to shop at the farm stands always feels like being on a mini-vacation. Now many of the stands have bakeries and offer coffee so I buy myself a cup of joe and an apple cider doughnut to share with the dog and just load up on the fresh veggies!

Easy Beef Fried Rice

When I'm at the store I often find those packages of beef strips and chopped peppers and onions marked down and I stock my freezer with them. Everything is already prepped so it doesn't get any easier! So here is one thing I do with them...

I saute the beef and veggies in either sesame oil or olive oil (or butter in a pinch). I season it all with some ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, a little soy sauce and a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and of course, salt and pepper. I cook it until the veggies are tender and the bottom of the pan is nice and brown. I throw in a dash of parsley and deglaze the pan with a cup of water. Stir it up until the water turns into a nice brown broth and then add in a cup of instant rice. Bring to a brief boil and then simmer until the rice is done. Sometimes I add in some mushrooms and corn. Broccoli is good too. If you have orange juice in the fridge you can deglaze the pan with with a 50/50 OJ and water mix. Add in whatever you have around that you like. It serves 2 to 3 people so if you need more use 2 cups of rice and water and some extra veggies.

It's quick and easy and won't turn your kitchen into an inferno...enjoy!!