If you’d like to try Hinode’s products, grab a $0.55/1 Hinode Dry Rice printable coupon or a $1/2 Hinode Microwaveable Rice printable coupon. I’ll be around here and there as we launch Hinode Rice products at Kroger, Safeway and Walmart stores. To find the nearest retailer near you, visit Hinode’s Store Locator.

This rice bake is a great meal on its own, and it reheats into enviable lunches. With preserved foods like artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes, it transitions us from winter to the beginning of spring, just as the first asparagus start to appear.

Disclaimer: I have been hired by Hinode and SunFoods as a spokesperson. Part of that role was telling you all that I’m doing it, but I also get to fly around and promote them beyond the internet, too.

I’ve shared fried rice before, only that time there was chicken involved, and this time I turned to whatever the farmer’s market would supply me with. I came home with a mesh bag full of sugar snap peas, baby bok choy and beautifully twisted garlic scapes. I’ve always been fascinated by the garlic scapes, shooting up in the spring from what will be garlic bulbs in the fall. I did little jumping jacks in my head when I saw them, and now I have to figure out what to do with the 10 I have left, waiting for their calling.

My kids were particularly hungry before dinner this day, possibly because I’d worked an hour or two later than usual and it was already past when we’d be cleaning up for dinner, but nonetheless, they were underfoot. Rather than kick them out of the kitchen or send them out in the backyard, I opted for putting them to work. At our house, if you’re in the kitchen, you’ve volunteered yourself. You will automatically be given a job to do, no matter your age. Even our youngest can get involved, and at 22 months, we tend to give him stirring and tasting responsibilities.

Snapping the tops off the peas was the perfect job for a three-year-old as long as someone was helping her. Alone, she wandered and got bored.

She also found that she could snap them open, which became much more fun than removing stem pieces, but she got the job done eventually while I worked on giving the baby bok choy a good and thorough rinse.

Kjell was really excited to use the knife to (roughly) chop up the garlic scapes. He was very proud when he got done with them and showed me his pile of pieces and hung around to watch the rest of the steps and help with adding the ingredients to the wok at the right time.

While my kids are getting some of the vegetables ready, I have time to mince the garlic and the ginger.

Into the wok first goes the oil (canola in this case) and the ginger and garlic. Once the ginger and garlic hit, have the vegetables ready. They need to follow immediately afterward. You could also, you know, stick the garlic and ginger up on the side there so they don’t hit the oil just yet.

Add in your vegetables. All of these need about the same amount of cooking time, so there’s no need to stagger them going into the pan unless, you know, you like soggy peas or something. I’m sure you don’t like soggy peas.

Continuously stir them while they’re in there so that everything cooks evenly.

After about five minutes, add in the rice that you cooked earlier in a handy little steamer that you’re borrowing from your neighbors until you decide which one you’re going to purchase to replace the one that finally died after 8 years of constant use at your hands.

Turn the heat to high and add in a bit of sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine. Stir and toss in the wok to combine and continue frying until the rice is heated through.

Season with a bit of white pepper and sprinkle with sesame seeds and you’re ready to eat.

While the kids and I handled the rice duties, Ole just happened to be marinating some beef and grilling it right alongside us. (Recipe coming soon.)

Things have been a little crazy around here. I’ve been juggling one thing after another, starting up this and working on that. It’s exciting, encouraging and hectic. And because of this added component as I try to fit a slice of life into my already jampackedfullwithnoroomtospare schedule, I’ve been cutting some corners on dinner lately and – gasp – planning ahead.

A funny thing this planning ahead on how it gets you prepared for the unexpected. I wish I could say I plan ahead all the time, but I tend to wait until the last minute when it comes to dinner, which has left us dinnerless because I realize oh too late that I was supposed to take the meat out of the freezer a day earlier or get a pizza dough proofing at 3:30, at which time I was scrambling to get as much work crammed in before the kids woke up from their naps and my precious silence gone. Turns out that with a bit of planning you can juggle basketball practice drop-offs, impromptu shopping trips followed by preschool conferences and basketball practice pick-ups and your husband leaving you right at the end of the meal for his curling match, all the while managing to stay sane. Well, at least sane enough for everyone around you to not be painfully aware of the insanity.

Start with quality rice. I have jasmine rice from the Asian market in a sack. It makes me happy. There are lots of rice varietals that make me happy, but long grain white is not one of them. Get something fragrant. You can make it ahead of time. In fact, it’s better if you do because for this, your rice should be cold. Not warm, not sweaty from steam; cold and dry. I made extra when we were having rice with a different meal and stashed it in the fridge for this.

Same with the chicken. While you’re welcome to cook them just before or even in the wok as you make the rest of the dish, do yourself a favor and make this easier by tossing an extra breast or thigh or two or three on the grill as you are making something else. We made our chicken during a chicken fajita grilling session by just adding a few extra with salt and pepper only to the grill.

In a large wok add a bit of oil over a medium heat. Then toss in a bunch of minced garlic and fresh ginger. Only cook it for 30 seconds.

Next come the vegetables. Turn the heat to high and add the longest-cooking vegetables first. Mine happen to be mushrooms. Then I added scallions, bottoms and then green tops, and finally, I tossed in the bean sprouts just long enough to get them warm.

While your vegetables are sautéing, mix up a bit of sauce. A good sauce to me is crucial. It is what will make or break a fried rice. To mine I added soy sauce (of course), sesame oil and rice wine.

Both the rice and the sauce get added.

Mix and stir and let fry until all the rice is heated through. Check for taste and adjust as necessary, adding more soy sauce as needed to control salt and black pepper if you’re a fan.

A few sides and you have a full meal, a bowl of rice perfect for nights when you don’t have a lot of time but aren’t willing to sacrifice it in flavor. Besides, it’s heavenly to eat, and it will keep you sane on those nights when you aren’t sure you can make it through.