Weekend fried rice

Fried rice is kind of like Asian comfort food, much like casseroles in America. At the end of the week the leftover chicken, pork or beef or combination of all are shredded or diced up and thrown into a skillet with whatever vegetables that are handy, minimal spices and a heaping of freshly cooked rice. Easy no trip to the store type of meals and it's good too.  

I remember being 12 years old and making this one night when my mother was working late and was surprised when she took a bite and told me she thought mine was better then hers! Talk about a warm fuzzy. . .I don't know if she was just being kind or meant it, but it made me happy!

I'm going to give you my basic recipe but as with all of my recipes, substitute meat and vegetable ingredients with what you prefer or have in the ol' refrigerator. Remember cooking is creative. 

Ingredients (makes 6 servings): 
5 cups cooked white rice, cooked with chicken stock or chicken bouillon. If using chicken stock, replace 1/2 the water with the stock. If using chicken bouillon add 2 cubes to the water. 
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
5 eggs, lightly whisked
2 cups chicken, shredded or diced
3 links of chinese sausage, sliced
1 - 2 cups of pork, shredded or diced
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, minced
2 stalks green onion, chopped into 1/4" long pieces
1 tablespoon thick dark soy (If avoiding gluten read the label. Thick soy by itself doesn't contain gluten but beware of cross contamination in the factory.)
1/2 teaspoon ginger, grated (optional)
1/2 teaspoon white sugar
4 tablespoon olive oil (or corn/vegetable oil)
1 teaspoon red chili flakes (optional)

Optional: This is where personal preference counts. After it's cooked and dished up, have regular or light soy sauce available for those who want a few splashes.

Directions:

1. In a large non-stick skillet add 2 tablespoons of the oil on medium high heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, salt and pepper and let "sweat" or "saute" for about 6 minutes. 
2. Add the meats including the Chinese sausage. Saute until sausage is brown around the edges. If you are not using left over meats and using raw, cook until almost done before proceeding to the next step. 
3. Push the mixture to one side of the pan and pour in the whisked eggs on the now empty side of pan. Cook the eggs much like you would scrambles eggs but leaving large chunks (the chunks will break into smaller pieces later). 
4. Once eggs are cooked, incorporate them into the meat and vegetable mixture by gently folding them into the mix. See figure 1. 
5. Add the ginger, sugar, dark and regular soy sauces and green onions. Mix.
6. Add the rest of the oil into the skillet (2 tablespoons). Begin adding the cooked rice 2 cups at a time and blend. Do a taste test and add more regular soy/salt/pepper/ as needed. Once all the rice is mixed in it's ready to plate up and serve. Sprinkle red chili flakes on top if desired. You can eat this as a meal or as a side dish.