Week 87: Chicken Fried Rice*
*Except with cauliflower instead of rice…
Each Sunday, my wife and I cook and eat a meal together — intentionally. Every Friday, I’ll be sharing our experience here in this space. I want to see the growth that will come in our marriage because of this. I hope you enjoy our story. You can find last week’s post here.
Sarah and I like to try new things. Inherently, if you’re trying something new, you don’t know whether or not you’re going to like it. So, one way to ease into curiosity is to try something you know that you like but to put a new twist on it. That’s what we did this week with Chicken Fried Rice.
Sarah found a recipe that substituted chopped-up cauliflower for the rice. I said as long as it had chicken and soy sauce, I was game. So we went about setting up the kitchen and readying our meal.
I had chicken duty, and I went to cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Uncooked chicken has to be the epitome of times when you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Raw chicken just looks and feels gross. But cook it up with a few spices added in and…voila. You’ve got a classic on your hands!
While I was cutting up the chicken, Sarah was chopping the cauliflower. We have a little chopper that slices and dices food into little slivers. Once Sarah was done with it, I kid you not, I would have believed it was rice if I didn’t know any better. Now, it was time to cook!
A Little Messy
We tossed in the chopped cauliflower and the chicken along with some frozen peas and the all-important soy sauce. That all simmered for a little bit while we looked at the recipe for what would come next. What we found surpised me.
It asked for us to push the mixture to the side of the pan and crack a few eggs right into the pan with it. Once the eggs had cooked a bit, then we’d mix it all together.
I thought the idea didn’t make sense. Why not scramble the eggs in a separate pan then combine it with the rest. Something about doing it all together seemed odd to me. Messy.
But sometimes you have to get a little messy, huh?
The Joy of Good Leftovers
We followed the recipe, and I must say that it all worked out in the end. The eggs were fantastic, and the whole mixture really came together (especially since I convinced Sarah to put in a little extra soy sauce).
One of the added benefits of cooking together is that we usually make enough so that there is some left over for the week ahead. Not only does this make me light up at work the next day when I realize I get Cooking With Sarah round two for lunch, but it also helps with the monthly grocery budget. Wins all around!
The next day, we had the meal again for dinner. We took a bite, and Sarah exclaimed, “I think this is better today than it was yesterday.” I let out an “Mmmmmm!” letting Sarah know that I completely agreed.
You’re Worth It
So be curious. Try new things, even if it’s just a new spin on an old classic. Practice togetherness and rejoice in successes just like we did at the taste of really good leftovers. Make the most of the moment you’re in, and stop to appreciate those who share it with you.
You’re worth it, and we’re rooting for you 100 percent.
