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April 2022

What to do with that leftover Easter ham - make ham fried rice

Leftover ham
Chop up some leftover holiday ham to make an easy and delicious fried rice

By Mike Thayer

If' you're running out of ideas on how to use up that leftover ham, here's something super easy to try using ingredients you probably already have on hand.

Ham Fried Rice

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup cubed ham
  • 1 cup leftover rice (cold rice gives you that crispy edge you're looking for in a good fried rice)
  • 1/4 cup onion - diced
  • 1/4 cup carrot - rough chopped, if you want to make it look 'purdy', cut julliane
  • 1/4 cup peas or whatever veggie you have on hand really, that's the beauty of fried rice
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/2Tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • Pinch of red pepper flake (optional)
  • Black pepper to taste

Directions:

Put a large skillet over medium high heat.  Assemble all your ingredients for easy dump in to the hot pan.  That and cold rice is the key to a good fried rice, having everything right there, ready to go.  Once the pan is hot, add the oils and once that gets hot and easily coats the bottom of the pan, dump in the veggies (mushrooms are really good in this too, but like I said, pretty much whatever leftover veggie you have on hand works).  Once the veggies start to caramelize, toss in the rice and ham.  Stir to incorporate.  Add the soy and hoisin sauces, stir to incorporate.  For the egg, you can either scramble and add it to the fried rice at this point stirring to incorporate, or you can push the fried rice to the side of the pan and fry your egg over easy so you have an egg yolk that oozes over the plated fried rice.  The latter is my preferred method, which also allows that rice to crisp up on the bottom.

Fried rice is the easiest way to kill a bunch of leftovers in the fridge - talk about being Bachelor on the Cheap wallet friendly!  And the best part, it's another dose of YUM!   Don't get take out or delivery - do your own fried rice!

$pend Wisely My Friends...


Bacon-Wrapped Corn on the Cob - Bachelor on the Cheap

Bacon-Wrapped Corn on the Cob
Easy Peasy Preparation

By Mike Thayer

Try making this great appetizer at your next party.  It combines the great summertime flavor of corn on the cob, the subtle bite of jalapeno pepper and it's all brought together in a blanket of smoky bacon.  It's another dose of YUM! 

Ingredients:

  • One pound of regular cut bacon
  • One package of Green Giant Nibblers corn on the cob (You'll need 8 mini ears)
  • Two jalapenos, finely diced
  • Black pepper to taste

Directions:

Bacon-wrapped corn on the cob
A perfect summer time appetizer for a party on the patio

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line a sheet tray with parchment paper.  Take two slices of bacon and place on parchment paper with one slice just slightly overlapping the other.  Hit it with some black pepper.  Sprinkle on some diced jalapeno, then wrap the corn.  Repeat until all corn is wrapped and arrange on parchment paper seam side down.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and the corn is tender. 

These can easily be done on the grill as well.  Make sure you have a hot zone and an indirect heat zone on your grill, we are doing bacon after all.  Grill the bacon wrapped corn, seam side down over direct heat moving as necessary to avoid flare ups.  Rotate every 5 minutes or so until the bacon is crispy and the corn is tender.  Serve immediately.

bacon, corn, jalapeno
Bacon, corn, jalapeno, what's not to like?

You can also do full ears of corn, but you'll need about 3 pounds of bacon for that, pretty much turning an appetizer, into a meal.

This flavor combination is tremendous, it's a perfect marriage that is a little bit sweet, a little bit spicey, a little bit smoky.  You're going to want more than one of these!

Costing me about $11 for the bag Green Giant Nibblers, a pound of Oscar Mayer bacon and a couple jalapenos, this appetizer serves 8 and took me maybe 5 minutes to prepare.  People will ask you for the recipe!

$pend Wisely My Friends...

For other great recipes, food & drink reviews and grilling ideas, go to BachelorontheCheap.com

Bacon-wrapped corn on the cob done the Bachelor on the Cheap way
It's another dose of YUM!