Chicken Fried Rice - Diggin' It

So as we close the door on Day Nine or Day Ten (who knows anymore?) of Shari's sojurn to Phoenix...I've become fixated on making different versions of fried rice. Now that may not sound particularly healthy, but here's the thing...No MSG, first of all. Secondly, using very little oil, using brown rice, loading it with freshly chopped vegetables. A few nights ago, I made it with lean flank steak and tonight I did chicken. Marinated the bird in yakitori sauce (purchased from our neighborhood Korean market, the Super H Mart, and also did some B-B-Q pork bao on the side. I plated it all on big leaves of romaine lettuce, and much to my delight, there was no weeping and/or wailing from the girls. Parker loves this stuff so it was all good to him.




At this point in their mother's absence, I think the girls' have adopted the "Stockholm Syndrome" approach to my Asian cooking. I mean there's no use fighting it and so they are digging in - they are like the Patty Hearst's of my Chinese food fixation now. I suspect they'll be glad when Shari returns, but until then, fasten your seatbelts, ladies!

Today was a whole lot of running around...two basketball games - Parker's Deacon's team won the Stake Championship, which was awesome. Parker is a tough player and also a graduate of the FIFA School of Dramatic Reaction to Bad Calls and Fouls. He could grab his knee and flail on the ground with the best of the European footballers - just watch a World Cup game and you'll know EXACTLY what I mean!

There was still one baseball practice, two runs to the Saab dealership (enjoy my money, Swedes!), plus touching up the last of tonight's Ward activity to be done today. In spite of being the Ward Activity Chairperson (or ChairFascist, I suppose), I am not going to the event. That's because we've got about six couples hosting dinner for about 10-12 people each at their respective homes, with games afterward. No progressive dinner, just hanging at one home with different folks. Since Shari is gone, there was no way I was hosting and I really didn't feel like going out as the lone man in the Garden of Eden. So Parker is watching a friend's two-year old so they could go the activity, Courtney is babysitting for another family in the ward, Sarah is going through the heinous hair-straightening ritual (why she won't let the curly hair of hers be curly is beyond me?!), and I am done.

Can I just say that I am really ready for my wife to come home! Missing her terribly!