July 24, 2026
A cooler, cloudy Friday happy hour at #Vanaprastha. Egg roll with rice in a bowl - “pretty tasty” - and of course, garden fresh-picked cucumber with vinegar, salt and pepper. Stories and the recipe tomorrow on my Substack.
So grateful for the cooler temperatures and rain. Our geothermal problem has been fixed temporarily; we’ve got a call into the company that probably drilled the two wells fifteen years ago. The receptionist said they are getting 4-5 calls daily from folks whose wells have gone dry. No call back yet, but I’ll check in again next week. A “remember me?” squeaking wheel rather than, “my problem is more important than others’.” I mean, we have plenty of water and air conditioning. They’ll get back to us, or we’ll contact someone else.
Yesterday, at the beginning of my Zoom writing group, we did our monthly check-in. What we’re doing, what we’re reading, what we’re writing—or not. I’m pulling weeds, checking on neighbors—especially the elderly man who lives alone and whose beloved dog died last Monday—cleaning dog shed off our floors, practicing, editing Agent of Blue Star, the sequel to Keith’s science fiction novel, and reading everything from memoir to historical fiction to a nonfiction book about fungi. Food for thought and sometimes just plain food.
I don’t remember where I found last night’s happy hour recipe, but I’ve been wanting to explore bowl possibilities as light meals. The result was quite good and relatively easy. Mostly because of the rice cooker I’ve used for years and because most chopping was pre-done in the purchased slaw mix. Not that you couldn’t make your own mix, of course. But with just the two of us, I’m careful about quantity: we can only eat so much, and I don’t want us to tire from eating the same thing over and over so it doesn’t go to waste. The egg roll filling over rice took about 30 minutes from ingredients assemblage to serving and made about 4 servings. And I’m planning on turkey unstuffed pepper bowls next week, maybe shrimp curry, too, to use up the rice.
Egg Roll in a Bowl
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground pork – I used 1.5 pounds, as that’s how it came; Keith loves meat!
3 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger – Next time, a bigger piece of ginger root. Yum!
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth – from a bouillon cube in a cup of hot water
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 limes, juiced
1 (10-ounce) bag tri-color slaw mix – 12-ounce rainbow slaw mix
2 cups cooked white or brown rice (optional) – rice makes this recipe a meal
Sesame seeds or/and fried wonton strips, for serving
Sriracha, for serving (optional) – Keith said, not necessary
Directions:
If serving with rice, fire up the rice cooker first.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until mostly cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and the green onions; continue to cook until the pork is completely cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more.
Make the stir-fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, chicken broth, honey, sesame oil, cornstarch, and lime juice in a small bowl. Add it to the skillet, along with the slaw mix, and stir to incorporate. Cook until the slaw is beginning to wilt and the sauce is thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve over rice or on its own. Garnish with sesame seeds and/or wonton strips, and sriracha for added heat.
That’s it for today. See you next week! -C.D.
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It sounds like you’re using your time well, Carole. Enjoy!