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Delicious steak, chicken, pork, shrimp, and scallops are stir fried with vegetables in an Asian style sauce. All these flavors combine to make this Take Out at Home Happy Family which makes your family happy.

 

Daylight savings time. I’m still trying to figure this one out. It’s dark when I go to work and it’s dark when I get home. Where’s the daylight being saved?

 

Also, where has the year gone?  Honestly, the last time I looked a the calendar it was October.  Now it’s December and how many days until Christmas?  I haven’t even begun to shop.  And in all honestly, I can’t get inspired until after Thanksgiving anyway.

 

So, what does Christmas and happy family have to do with each other, you ask?  Well, for two reasons.  Usually, on Christmas Eve we order in.  And it’s usually food of the Asian inspiration.

 

You see, one year it was just me and Dad for Christmas.  And we had this hair brained idea to go out dinner on Christmas Eve.  The only place that was open at the time (this is a couple of decades ago) was a Chinese restaurant.  Ever since then, it sort of stuck with me.

 

Then there’s the Mom reason.  She’s married a man who celebrates Hanukkah. While it may seem cliche, sometimes they do go to a Chinese restaurant for dinner on Christmas.  I don’t want to say it’s sort of a tradition because they don’t always do that for Christmas dinner, but when they don’t have plans that’s where they usually wind up.  Granted, they wouldn’t order this, but you see where I’m going.

 

And that, my dear readers, is why the holidays remind me of happy family.  And then there’s the name!  Happy family?  Being with your family should make you happy.  Okay.  I heard a few snorts out there.  But honestly, where else do you want to be for the holidays but home?

 

 

This recipe can actually be on the table, start to finish, in 20 minutes. Twenty minutes. And, it doesn’t even have convenience type foods in it at all. And it’s full of vegetables and low fat proteins and FLAVOR! SO much flavor!!

 

Now, a word about rice.

 

I have a WONDERFUL rice cooker that has a timer setting. I can make white or brown rice AND steel cut oats! Yup! I have scheduled it to have delicious and healthy oatmeal ready right when I get up. Yes, I know there’s the slow cooker method, but the rice cooker cooks the oats so they’re nice and chewy. LOVE THAT! But this is about rice. Sorry, got distracted. I tend to eat more oatmeal in the winter months, too.

 

If you don’t have a fancy rice cooker, you can purchase par-boiled rice, heat and serve rice, or just add in the time it takes to cook rice. Granted it doesn’t take all that long – about 20 minutes – but I’m just offering up some options to make this dish faster and easier.  If you start the water while you chop then drop the rice and let it simmer while you stir fry you should be good!

 

 

This recipe actually came about because I had bits and pieces of seafood in the freezer. I had a few shrimp and a few bay scallops hanging out. I had small pork chop, too. Hmm….in the days of freezer cooking what can I make? Add some beef and chicken and voila! Happy Family!

 

Happy family is one of about 5 dishes we order from the Chinese takeout. It’s full of vegetables, beef, chicken, some pork, a few shrimp, and some slices of scallops. I wanted to make sure there was a good amount of all protein in my happy family. I get tired of digging for the shrimp and scallops in ours. This also allowed me to use up the bits and pieces I had the freezer.

 

 

And, as you can see, there’s plenty of shrimp in this dish. With a few little props you can easily have a take out at home experience with this dish. A few small bowls for rice, some nice chopsticks like these I got from Mom’s trip to Japan, and you’re all set!

 

This week is full of deliciously quick meals from the #SundaySupper team! Make sure you visit their blogs this week and read all about their speedy suppers!