Fridge Fare (or using what you have)...

We had a lot of vegetables in the fridge.  I didn't want them to go to waste, and stir fry sounded really good to me last night.  And, most importantly, it's easy and quick.  I even had sugar snap peas.  I didn't have carrots, which is so out of the norm, and while I really wanted some, I did without.

It was exactly what I wanted.  I had looked up an easy stir fry sauce, and added that at the end, and let it thicken a little before removing from the heat.

The easy stir fry sauce is from Simply Whisked.  I threw it together using what I had, and leaving out what I didn't, and it still turned out great.

Recipe as it was published:

1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

1 to 2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon minced ginger

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

I had the reduced sodium soy sauce, and used about 1/4 cup.

I used a teaspoon of chicken bouillion powder with about 1/4 cup water.

I had the cornstarch so added it.  (I would consider this essential for thickening, but not at all needed for flavor.)

Did not have time or energy to peel and mince fresh garlic, so I just threw in some dried minced garlic.

Didn't have fresh ginger, so I used about 1/4 teaspoon of really old powdered ginger.

I left out the brown sugar.

I had olive oil so added it.

I had rice wine vinegar so added it.  

I was out of sesame oil, so left it out.  (Though it would have been great!)

I am saying all this because I rarely follow a recipe to the letter, and at least 95% of the time no one but me would ever know.  Don't fret about it unless it's something essential like a leavening agent in a baked good.  In a pinch, I've even used another flavor of extract when I was out of vanilla.

Oh!  Here's a little confession.  For the past 49½ years, I have cooked rice and had it boil over...every...single...time.  I even bought a rice cooker for the microwave, and IT boiled over in the microwave!  Counting yesterday, I have twice prepared rice without a mess.  I've started rinsing the rice before adding it to the water in the saucepan.  It didn't boil over either time, and it didn't stick and clump together.

I'm sure I am the last person on earth to learn this.