I recently updated this post from April 2014 with a new video!

I love making fried rice at home. Growing up, my mom and my sister would make fried rice for us. I wanted to come up with a version that rivals take out and I did! It's an easy fried rice recipe that uses leftover ham and I know you'll love it! Check out the video!

Last Friday, I started getting a series of texts from Curtis while he was at work. I want ham for Easter dinner. I responded with no, we should have turkey breast like we do every year. Because before Italy last year, I hadn't eaten pork in over 15 years.

I resisted getting a ham because I hadn't had ham in a long time and because there's only the two of us. A little bit later, I looked at the calendar and saw that Sunday was going to be April 20th and then counted the years. April 20, 1999 is the day Curtis and I started dating…it's been 15 years!! That's when I texted back, okay go ahead and pick up that ham.

He responded by saying, why are you agreeing to ham? And why are you being so nice? Haha I wasn't going to tell him because then he would think he would have to get me a gift but I told him why.

Later that night, he came home with a nine pound ham for the two of us. He insisted that's the smallest one they had. Oh boy. On Sunday, we cut it up before we even baked the portion we would eat for dinner and froze it. We are going to have ham for a very longggg time.

This ham or pork fried rice we had was the second of three meals we have had with the leftovers from Sunday's dinner…we haven't even touched what we froze yet. I have to give credit to Curtis, this was fried rice using the leftover ham was Curtis' idea. I say he made me do it!

I have been trying to perfect my own fried rice recipe for a while now and I have to say this is the best fried rice I have ever made…you'll have to keep reading to see what the secret ingredient is!

I didn't make the rice the day before like you should so in the morning, I made the rice in my rice cooker. As soon as it was finished, I poured the rice onto a baking dish and spread it out. I flipped over and mixed the rice a couple of times, let it cool and let it sit out for a while– maybe 30 minutes. Then covered it and stuck it in the fridge until I was ready to make fried rice!

You have to make the eggs first for fried rice. I always feel like I'm making an omelet. (I love using OXO's omelet turner when I'm making eggs.)

Cut it up.

Then, make the rice. After adding the rice, mix in the soy sauce and the sesame oil really good. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes on medium high.

Add the ham, peas and corn. You can add carrots, broccoli, whatever you want.

There's the secret ingredient…butter. 2 Tablespoons of butter heaven. There's a Japanese hibachi grill place I used to go to a lot when I worked across the street from them and I would watch them put butter in the fried rice…near the end. I had to try it and it makes this fried rice so good. Curtis would argue it's the ham that makes it so good.

Now, add the eggs and sliced green onions.

And you're done. Seriously…amazing. The ham still has the sugary cinnamony glaze which adds a nice sweetness sometimes. The soy sauce is a must have for fried rice and the butter…yes please. Makes great leftovers too!

As long as you have the rice made ahead of time, it doesn't take that long to put this dish together!

PS Curtis absolutely loved this fried rice recipe…we will be making this again and again! Hope you enjoy it with your family if you try it!

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Secret Ingredient Ham Fried Rice Recipe

Day old rice, rice that's cooked the day before and refrigerated overnight makes the best fried rice. If it's freshly made, you may get mushy results. There are ways around it if you want to make fried rice the same day you make the rice. Omit ham or sub with crispy fried tofu to make this dish vegetarian or feel free to sub with shrimp or chicken!

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 3 cups uncooked Jasmine rice cooked (preferably the day before)
• 3 Tablespoons grape seed oil
• 3 eggs beaten
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 cup diced cooked ham
• 3/4 cup frozen corn
• 1/3 cup frozen peas
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 green onions sliced thin

Instructions

• Cook rice. If you didn't make it the day before. As soon as it's done, lay it out on a 9x13 baking dish or a baking sheet. Allow to cool. Mix and spread out several times. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 to 60 minutes.
• Add 1 tablespoon of grape seed oil into a wok or a large skillet, heat on medium for at least 3 minutes. Swirl the oil to cover the pan. Pour in beaten eggs and allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes and flip and cook for another minute. Remove from skillet and allow to cool. Cut into strips and then into smaller pieces, set aside.
• Add 2 Tablespoons of grape seed oil to the wok and add the rice and cook for 2 minutes. Add soy sauce and sesame oil and mix the rice thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium high and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until rice is completely heated through, be sure to mix occasionally so the rice does not burn.
• Add ham, corn and peas and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, mixing occasionally. Lower heat and add butter, allow to melt, and mix thoroughly. Add eggs and green onions and stir gently. Season with salt & pepper. Serve immediately.

Disclosure: There's an affiliate link in this post.

The post Ham Fried Rice Recipe appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

This post is sponsored by Roth Cheese.

You guys know how much I love mac & cheese. And given any excuse to bring it to another level or just plain enjoy mac and cheese…I jump at that chance!

The folks at Roth Cheese have put together an ultimate mac and cheese blend…all ready to go, it has their signature Grand Cru (their Alpine-style cheese), Havarti and Sharp Cheddar. Isn't that a great combination?

I decided to go another way and instead of using pasta, I used gnocchi. I browned the butter and added kale and corn to it…it's different, more grown up AND it's amazing!

You'll totally impress your friends when you make this for them…and it's so easy to make. Don't you just love that?

First, set a pot of water to boil for the gnocchi.

Then, prep the kale. I remove the leaves from the stems.

Then, I cut them into bite-sized pieces.

Get all of the ingredients together…including your Roth Cheese Mac and Cheese blend.

Melt the butter on medium heat.

Allow the butter to cook a little longer, about 3 to 4 minutes to brown it. Can you see the brown specks?

Add flour to make your roux.

Add the milk and whisk.

Add salt, pepper and the other spices. Then, add the cheese and mix until it's melted.

Then, add the kale and corn. This brightens the mac & cheese and balances it out.

It's a wonderful dish to have on its own or as side dish with an entree. It seriously will impress your friends…my friends loved it!

You definitely want to check out their site as they usually have a great coupon. And check out the giveaway below!

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Brown Butter Gnocchi Mac & Cheese with Kale and Corn Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 16 ounce package gnocchi
• 5 kale stems
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 Tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 6- ounce bag Roth Ultimate Mac n Cheese Blend about 1 1/2 cups cheese
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water to boil. Follow instructions on package to cook the gnocchi.
• Remove kale leaves from the stems and chop into bite-sized pieces.
• Add butter to a small pot and allow the butter to melt and brown. Browning the butter should take 3 to 5 minutes after it melts. Be careful to not let it burn.
• Add flour to the butter and mix well with a spatula, cooking for about 2 minutes. Gradually pour in the milk and whisk. Cook the sauce for 2 minutes until it thickens, whisking occasionally. Add salt, pepper, ground mustard and ground nutmeg and whisk. Add the Roth Ultimate Mac & Cheese blend, turn the heat down to low and stir until melted.
• Add the kale and corn to the cheese sauce and mix. Once the kale has cooked down, about 2 to 3 minutes, add the gnocchi and mix. Serve immediately.

Roth Ultimate Mac & Cheese Giveaway

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Roth Cheese . The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Brown Butter Gnocchi Mac & Cheese with Kale and Corn appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

You guys, it's spring!! Time for picnics and just plain enjoying the outdoors! For spring, I love love pasta salads.

So when Hidden Valley® Ranch and Walmart reached out to work together, I knew I wanted to make a pasta salad with Hidden Valley's new Sriracha Ranch dressing…so perfect, right?

I bought all of my ingredients at Walmart, it's a great place to get ingredients to make delicious meals.

First, grill two ears of corn. I love grilled corn in pasta salad!

Cut up your red pepper.

Dice it up for the salad.

Love love, grape tomatoes…quarter these up for the salad.

Dice up half of a cucumber.

After the corn is grilled, cut off the kernels for the salad.

Set up all of your ingredients.

Including the Hidden Valley Ranch Sriracha dressing, one of their new dressings they just launched. It tastes like the ranch dressing you know and love and at the end, you get a kick with the sriracha!

Check out their other new Ranch dressings: Buffalo, Honey BBQ and Cilantro Lime, all available at Walmart!

Combine the corn, red pepper, onion and cucumber in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the pasta too.

Then, add the Hidden Valley Ranch Sriracha dressing.

Mix it together, add the tomatoes and mix again. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. After refrigerating, remove the pasta and mix it again. You might need to add more dressing at this point.

Serve the pasta salad with sliced green onions, sesame seeds and lime wedges. This is the perfect salad for a picnic, a potluck or a great side for a weekend meal. You will LOVE it, I just know it!

To try this sriracha dressing and Hidden Valley Ranch's other new dressings: buffalo, honey BBQ and cilantro lime…be sure to check out this coupon (psst! it's a coupon for $0.75 off any 12 oz or 16 oz bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch)!

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Sriracha Ranch Pasta Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 12- ounce package tri-color rotini pasta cooked according to package instructions
• 2 ears of fresh corn uncooked
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 1/4 red onion diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cucumber chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup Hidden Valley Ranch Sriracha dressing plus additional for serving
• 1 lime cut into wedges
• 8 ounces grape tomatoes quartered
• 3 green onions sliced
• 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds

Instructions

• Bring a pot of water to boil. Follow instructions on package to cook the pasta. After the pasta cooks, set it aside and allow it to cool.
• While the water is boiling, heat a grill pan on medium hight for 5 to 7 minutes. Cook corn for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, about 10 to 12 minutes. (Being careful not to burn the corn.) Allow to cool on a plate and then cut the kernels off.
• Prep your other vegetables.
• In a large mixing bowl, add corn, red pepper, onion and cucumber. Mix together well with a rubber spatula. Add pasta and mix together. Add Hidden Valley Ranch Sriracha dressing and mix together. Squeeze a couple of lime wedges into the bowl with the pasta salad.
• Add to the bowl with the pasta salad, grape tomatoes and mix well. Refrigerate the pasta salad covered for at least 30 minutes.
• Before serving, mix the pasta salad and add more Hidden Valley Ranch Sriracha dressing if necessary. Serve the pasta salad with green onions, sesame seeds and lime wedges.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hidden Valley Ranch. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Sriracha Ranch Pasta Salad appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

A little over a week ago, Charley's (our 10 year old Shepherd mix canine) MRI showed a pinched nerve in his lower back where he has a bulging disc. The recommendation by the surgeons is to do surgery to relieve the pressure and compression on the nerves. The scary part is if we do nothing, it can lead to paralysis of his hind legs and other not so fun stuff. We know that rest and meds won't work because he's been on so many meds for months now for other pain problems associated with hip dysplasia. The operation to fix his bulging disc is scheduled for tomorrow and since I have not been thinking about it too much, I haven't been too worried. But it's TOMORROW MORNING…it's getting closer and I'm getting more and more nervous. We're anxious to know if this is the right decision (who doesn't second guess themselves?) and at the same time are ready for him to be done with it and get to rehab and to healing. Please cross your fingers for us. I'm going to be a big ball of tense tomorrow.

In comes this soup, I'm going to be making another pot of this chicken tortilla soup this week. It's a big pot of comfort. I love soup because it's warm and comforting. I made this the week of my birthday and had it for leftovers for 4 or 5 days afterwards. It's really nice and easy and I love the addition of zucchini. I add the zucchini at the end so it doesn't overcook. Top this soup with tortilla chips, sour cream and sharp cheddar…all a must!

Chop the veggies.

Then chop the canned tomatoes. I love canned whole plum tomatoes so I use a 28 ounce can of those and chop up the tomatoes. Don't get rid of the tomato juice. That will add flavor to the soup!

Butter…everything with butter is better, right? I use butter and olive oil to start with in this soup and add the vegetables (but not the zucchini) and garlic along with my homemade taco seasoning all into my French oven. I have used other chicken tortilla soup recipes that are quick and easy but they didn't have the depth of flavor I was looking for. This one does…the taco seasoning has so many levels of flavor from the paprika to the chili powder and cumin that adds so much flavor along with the chicken and the vegetables.

This is after I add the drained and rinsed black beans, tomatoes and chicken broth.

After you bring it to a boil and allow to simmer, add the cooked chicken and zucchini and cook for another 5 minutes.

It's done and ready to serve.

The toppings are a must. And the next time I make this soup, I'm going to freeze some so if the craving hits me…even if it's in the middle of hot hot Florida summer, I can have a bowl. Make this…you'll thank me for it! Soup under 40 minutes, yay!

Check out the video I made for this recipe too!

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Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6 to 8

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon salted butter
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon homemade taco seasoning
• 1 jalapeño ribs and seeds removed, diced
• 1/2 medium onion diced
• 1 large garlic clove chopped
• 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped (keep tomato juice)
• 1 14.5-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 14.5-ounce cans low sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups diced zucchini about one
• 1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh corn
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups cooked chicken cubed (see Note)
• crushed tortilla chips cheddar cheese and sour cream for serving (optional)

Instructions

• In a French oven or a large heavy bottom pot, melt butter and heat olive oil on medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add taco seasoning, jalapeño, onion and garlic. Sauté for about 3 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, black beans and chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow soup to simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add zucchini, corn and chicken and heat for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
• Serve in bowls topped with crushed tortilla chips, cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Note:

• You can use leftover cooked chicken or if you don't have any. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a boneless skinless chicken breast. Boil for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from pot and place on a clean cutting board. Cut into cubes.

Here are some other recipes for you to try:

Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup from Aggie's Kitchen
Chicken Tortilla Soup from The Lemon Bowl
Chicken Tortilla Soup from PW

The post Chicken Tortilla Soup with Black Beans and Zucchini appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

Happy Tuesday! I'm all excited because I feel really good about making my own homemade pie crust/dough whatever you call it. And then I made these curried beef hand pies for the KitchenAid blog.

I used my KitchenAid 12 Cup Food Processor and it only takes minutes to make.

There are wonderful flavors in these pies, with beef, potatoes, peas and corn…and curry and cayenne spices, I know you'll love them. These pies are best served warm but they store nicely in the fridge and reheat nicely in the microwave. Be sure to hop on over to get the recipe for these curried beef hand pies and my tips for the perfect pie crust!

Disclosure: I was compensated for my guest post on the KitchenAid blog. I only work with brands that I love! There's an affiliate link in this post.

The post Curried Beef Hand Pies appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I love simple recipes. And even more I love simple recipes that are comforting that are not too heavy. This past weekend, we ate sooooo much good food. I hung with a dear friend, Sandy who just happened to be in town, and we celebrated my sister's birthday which was actually last month. Sunday night rolled around and we just wanted something light for dinner. I said what about soup and salad? Curtis answered back, I like Progresso soup so can you make something similar to one of their soups?

I love vegetables soups with potatoes so I answered back with this…turned out great and I proceeded to eat soup and salad for lunch for the next two days. I wish I still had some left!

By the way, I'm making a stir fry recipe live on a Google+ hangout tomorrow, you can catch it even if you're not on Google+. The video will appear here at 5PM EST tomorrow (Thursday). But if you can't catch it, I will be sharing the healthy stir fry recipe here on the blog as well at the video. Eeeeekkk I'm so serious when I say I'm really nervous!

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Zucchini and Potato Tomato Soup Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 white onion diced (about 1/4 cup)
• 3 medium sized potatoes I used Russets, diced (about 2 1/2 to 3 cups)
• 2 zucchinis quartered and then chopped (about 2 cups)
• 14- ounce can of diced tomatoes undrained
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
• 2 15 oz cans of low sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup frozen or fresh corn
• salt & pepper

Instructions

• In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium high heat. Add onions and zucchini, cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Then add potatoes and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes (lower heat if needed), be sure to stir constantly so the potatoes don't stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Add tomatoes (undrained) and a dash of parsley and the thyme. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes stirring constantly. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Add corn and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper to taste and allow to simmer for 15 to 25 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked to your liking.
• Serve garnished with parsley.

Notes

Note: Make it vegetarian by using vegetable instead of chicken broth.

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