The Frugal Kitchen: Oyakodon (Japanese Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)

Oyakodon is a Japanese comfort food.  Just like we think of home when we eat chicken noodle soup or macaroni and cheese, the Japanese turn to Oyakodon to return them to their grandmother's home.  It is a very easy dish to make and well worth buying a couple of special ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

4 chicken thighs, skinned and boned
1 onion
2 cups dash stock or vegetable stock
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. mirin (Japanese rice wine)
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 eggs
1 Tbsp. flavorless cooking oil

Start by cooking enough rice for four people.  I used a long grain white rice.

Cut the chicken into one inch pieces (bite sized).  Add the oil to a large skillet (one with a cover), heated to medium.  Add the chicken and cook until all the pink is gone and it is starting to brown.

Cut the onion in half, then slice thinly.  Add to the chicken and stir until onion is soft.

Add the stock, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.  Stir well, bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer and cook, uncovered, for about ten minutes.  You want the stock to reduce to concentrate the flavors.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl until well beaten and pour over the ingredients in the pan.  Do not stir.  Cover and cook until the eggs are done, about five minutes.

After cooking it will look like this:

Place the cooked rice in the bowls, then spoon up the egg and chicken mixture.  Make sure to include about a 1/2 cup of the liquid.

This is so good; it's hard to describe the flavor.  Slightly salty, slightly sweet chicken goodness,  Enjoy!

God bless,
Pam

Good Reads: With Vics You Get Eggroll

With Vics You Get Eggroll by Diane Vallere
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

With Vics You Get Eggroll is the third book in the Mad for Mod series. It is a well written and professionally edited mystery/romance novel.

The mystery element was nicely done with possible and plausible suspects popping up here and there. As soon as I thought I had the murderer figured out I was proven wrong.

Unfortunately, for me, the romance and romantic leads left me unimpressed. The two love interests are washy washy and not passionate about the heroine at all. Instead of committing to her they move in and out of her life without much regard to her well being or needs.

Overall, I enjoyed WVYGE and I look forward to reading future books by this author.

ARC provided by Henery Press via Netgalley.

A Plague of Flies

Last week was a real doozy.  Something must have died somewhere in the attic (we never smelled anything) because on Monday we were overwhelmed by flies in the house.  They were located in the living room and kitchen; attracted to the large windows in those rooms.

We tried spraying with a less toxic flying insect spray, but that didn't keep up with them.  So then we tried a sticky trap which worked, but not real well.

Finally after much online research I went out to buy what ended up being a wonderful product.

It costs $3.98 for two decals which you place on your windows.  They can't be used where pets or children might touch them.  Once they are applied they last 7 months inside or 3 months outside.

They are a contact poison with an attractant.  They work so well that within a day the number of flies were drastically reduced and the ones I see now are dead.  Once the insect touches the decal they die within 1 minute.

This is what they look like:

Basically, a semi transparent square.

I thought I would share this with you, even if it is a disgusting subject.  Someone out there may find it helpful.

God bless,
Pam

Good Reads: Bridges Burned

Bridges Burned by Annette Dashofy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bridges Burned is the third book in the Zoe Chambers mystery/romance series. It is a well written, professionally edited, full length novel.

Zoe finds herself embroiled in a series of murders and mysterious fires while working as an EMT. Her relationship with the chief of police, Pete, was moving forward until they disagree about likely suspects in the murder cases.

The plot is fast paced and the mystery interesting, but I thought that Pete's handling of the investigation and dealing with Zoe was unprofessional. It did add needed conflict to the plot.

Secondary characters were well developed and added diversity to the story.

Overall, I enjoyed Bridges Burned and I recommend it to mystery lovers. It ends with a satisfying HFN.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

Good Reads: Lowcountry Boneyard

Lowcountry Boneyard by Susan M. Boyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lowcountry Boneyard is the third book in the Liz Talbot paranormal/mystery series. It is a very well written and professionally edited full length novel. There are a few misspellings in this ARC, but I am assuming they will be corrected prior to publication.

Liz, her boyfriend/partner Nate, and her spirit guardian Colleen are hired by an influential family to investigate a missing persons case. Soon it becomes apparent that evil and disfunction run rampant in the family of the missing girl. I enjoyed this complex plot, both for the interesting investigation and the growing relationship between Liz and Nate.

LB can be read as a standalone, but I suggest that the series be read in order to fully understand the characters and the plot nuances. The ending is a satisfying HFN. I look forward to reading more of this author's books.

ARC provided by Henery Press via Netgalley.