Passport for Your Palate-“Garbage” Fried Rice

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Fried rice has to be one of my favorite go-to recipes. It is perfect to use leftovers, especially after large holiday meals. I always whip up a batch around then, but it works so well anytime you have foods to use up from your refrigerator, thus the name “Garbage” Fried Rice.  

While my standard fried rice always has bacon, egg, green onion, and typically peas and carrots, you will find almost any protein or combination of vegetables in it at any given sitting. I do a lot of meal planning, so I throw this recipe in near the end of the week to use up any remaining items in the fridge. 

“Garbage” Fried Rice

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups rice
  • 4 cups water
  • 4 slices bacon, chopped
  • 3 eggs
  • vegetable oil, if needed
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger. You can substitute powdered ginger. Only use about a 1/4 tsp if using powdered. 
  • 8 green onion or about 1/2 regular onion
  • Veggies, chopped into small bite-size pieces. The photo has carrots, celery, cauliflower, and peppers. 
  • 8-16 ounces protein, again whatever your leftover meat is. In the image, I used chicken.
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce. I eyeball this based on the color the rice turns. 

Instructions:

  1. Cook rice in the steamer. Typically the rice will be one cup dry to two cups of water placed in the steamer. 
  2. Cook the bacon in a wok or large skillet. Stirring often and until crisp. Remove bacon and reserve drippings from wok.
  3. Whisk the eggs and pepper in a small pyrex measuring cup. 
  4. Add a bit of the reserved drippings to the wok. Pour 1/3 of the egg mixture into the wok. Tilt pan, so it covers the bottom. Do this over medium-high heat until the egg is set. Remove egg “pancake” to cutting board. Repeat process twice more. If you don’t have enough reserved bacon fat to add about 1/2 tablespoon for each egg, substitute vegetable oil. Chop up the cooked eggs on the cutting board and reserve for later. 
  5. Heat another 2 tablespoons of bacon grease or vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add rice, cook, and stir for 5 minutes. Stir in your veggies, protein, eggs, bacon, onion. I add one at a time, adding the one that needs the most cooking or heating back up first. When all items are mixed in, finish with adding the soy sauce. Cook and stir until heated through.
  6. Serve.

Makes roughly 8 servings.


Lisa Rossmeissl is the owner of Boomerang Escapes, a home-based agency located in Old Bridge, New Jersey with agents in TN, MS, and WI. 

She has been a professional travel consultant since 2008 and specializes in Australia and the South Pacific. Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, and Cook Islands are among the specialist certificates she holds.  Her agency’s focus is on creating custom itineraries with their client’s wants, desires, and budgets in mind.  She and her planners believe in getting to know the traveler to ensure they have a vacation to remember.  With each planner specializing in a different market area, Boomerang Escapes can offer a wide variety of leisure vacation planning.

Lisa RossmeisslPassport for Your Palate-“Garbage” Fried Rice
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My Favorite Holiday Traditions

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As the year winds down, I feel somewhat nostalgic this year. I believe it comes from being so thankful to be here writing and booking travel after what seems like an eternity of trials. However, that is precisely it; we can always keep our spirit no matter the challenges. December for me is always a rollercoaster month of emotions, but when I think and prepare for the holiday, it brings me joy. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite holiday traditions. While not all of them happen every year now, especially with the kids all grown up and the family spread across the states, they still bring joy to me. You may practice some of them yourself. I hope thinking of them brings a smile to your face.

My Favorite Holiday Traditions

  • Cutting a Christmas Tree.  I haven’t done this one in years, but oh, the memories of bundling up and going to go pick out what I always felt was the grandest tree. Over the years, I lived in many homes with Cathedral ceilings allowing us to get a huge and very tall tree. But what I love most, its the smell. 
  • Watching the Sound of Music.  My favorite movie. Every December, it has become a tradition for mom and daughter to watch. And of course, you can not watch it without singing along. I was fortunate to see a theater version with a good friend one year. And probably one of the best family trips ever was a trip to Germany and Austria that included the Sound of Music tour. 
  • Hanging Christmas Stockings. To this day, my kids still find the stockings to be the best part of Christmas. We open them last. I fill them each year with the same treats. I fill them with such things as toothbrushes, floss, gum, nuts, chocolate, hard candy, chapstick, and more. 
  • Opening One Gift on Christmas Eve. After returning from Midnight Mass, it has always been a tradition to open one gift before heading to bed. Oddly enough, this one gift always managed to be pajamas. Insert winky face. Today, my adult kids still look to open that one gift. 
  • Attending Midnight Mass. While it can be a struggle to stay up, I believe this is the most beautiful and heartfelt of the Christmas masses. It just seems a bit more magical when you leave and see the stars in the sky. After all, it is the reason for the season. 

I am sure there are more I could share, but as the song says, “these are a few of my favorite things.” I would love to know if your family shares any of our traditions or what others you might have to share. The greatest gift about working in travel and living all over is discovering other cultures. Learning what is the same and trying something new. 



Lisa Rossmeissl is the owner of Boomerang Escapes, a home-based agency located in Old Bridge, New Jersey with agents in TN, MS, and WI. 

She has been a professional travel consultant since 2008 and specializes in Australia and the South Pacific. Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, and Cook Islands are among the specialist certificates she holds.  Her agency’s focus is on creating custom itineraries with their client’s wants, desires, and budgets in mind.  She and her planners believe in getting to know the traveler to ensure they have a vacation to remember.  With each planner specializing in a different market area, Boomerang Escapes can offer a wide variety of leisure vacation planning.

Lisa RossmeisslMy Favorite Holiday Traditions
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