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Make it Yourself!

Cooking from scratch saves lots of $$$. I always make extra and wrap it up to store in the fridge or freezer for a convenient meal later. Having something premade and readily available just might save you from forking over too much money on fast food or take out. Before I started doing this we would easily spend $30 on Chinese food once a week and $20-$30 on fast food. At the least that’s $50 a week and $200 a month! It’s pretty hard to resist the urge not to buy Chinese food because let’s face it, it’s addicting, But once your culinary skills have developed more and more you can make your own at home. Check out http://www.allrecipes.com/ or http://www.foodnetwork.com/ for recipes that are rated by users.

Here are some of my favorite Chinese food recipes:

Easy Boneless spareribs
INGREDIENTS:
Boneless pork ribs or pork loin
Ahso Sauce (This is offered in most supermarkets where you would find the soy sauce, sesame oil, etc.)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Set your oven to 350 and grease a cookie sheet that is big enough to hold the pork in a single layer
2. Cut your pork into bite sized pieces or strips and mix in a bowl the pork and aso sauce, enough to coat
3. Spread the pork in a single layer over the cookie sheet and bake on the middle oven rack for about 20 minutes per pound. Use a meat thermometer to confirm that it’s fully cooked.


Egg Rolls
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Easy-Egg-Roll-154029
This by far my favorate egg roll recipe, the only change that I made was to fry the egg rolls in peanut oil and to add a tiny amount of Ahso sauce to the pork.

I’ll typically serve these items with a side of white rice, unless you are feeling really ambitious and wanted to add fried rice. My fried rice is always different. I add whatever I have usually. Here is my starter recipe though:

Chicken Fried Rice
INGREDIENTS:
2-3 cups of cold rice
Half cup of full cooked diced chicken
Half on an onion, chopped
Garlic powder to taste
Onion Powder to taste
Garlic Salt to taste
2-3 eggs
1-2 tablespoons Canola Oil or Olive Oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
½ cup frozen peas
¼ cup Soy sauce or to taste
1 tablespoon coriander

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large skillet or frying pan pour 1-2 tablespoons of oil and let heat up on Medium. Put onion in and let simmer until tender. Add rice and stir.
2. Add cooked chicken, peas, approximately 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, onion powder, and coriander and approximately a ½ tablespoon of garlic salt. (You can add more later if it’s not enough) Mix thoroughly. Add sesame oil and ¼ cup of soy sauce.
3. Crack 2-3 eggs on top, stir rice mixture and cook another 10 minutes, turning occasionally so it doesn’t burn.

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