When You Do Not Know What to Do

What is up, my Eaters!

I hope you are all well.

I am good. I really am.

Lately, I have been diligently working toward growing my businesses, and some things have been really encouraging. I am finding myself in rooms that were difficult to get into before. The caliber of people in my personal and professional sphere is changing for the better. Opportunities are being presented that feel aligned with the direction I have wanted to go for a long time.

For the first time in a long time, I can feel the business moving more clearly in the direction I want it to go.

And honestly, that is exciting.

However, with all the good that is happening, we are still not without our share of difficulties. Sometimes those difficulties become overwhelming. They can breed frustration, exhaustion, analysis paralysis, and, if we are being honest, they can leave you looking around at everything in front of you, simply not knowing what to do.

That is where this week’s article is coming from.

That place when, for whatever reason, you just do not know what to do.

Now, I know that may sound a little dramatic, but we have all been there. You are standing in the middle of life, business, parenting, marriage, work, or even your own kitchen, and the next move is not obvious.

You are not lazy. You are not careless. You are not unwilling.

You just do not know what to do next.

I have felt that lately in business. Good things are happening, but good things still require decisions. They still require capacity. They still require wisdom. Sometimes you can see where you want to go, but you are not exactly sure how to get there from where you are standing.

And when I was thinking about that, I realized the kitchen has taught me something helpful.

When you do not know what to do, take inventory.

Before you panic, before you quit, before you overthink yourself into doing nothing, stop and look honestly at what is in front of you. What do you have? What can still be used? What is enough to begin?

That is true in life, and it is definitely true in the kitchen.

As I was preparing for this article, I wanted to share an easy recipe with you that came from that exact place. My hope is that it encourages you to take control the next time you are standing in your kitchen, unsure of exactly what to do, but knowing that you or your family still need to eat.

Sometimes dinner does not come from a perfect meal plan. Sometimes it comes from hunger, leftovers, a little creativity, and the decision not to order takeout again.

As a chef, I have learned over the years the importance of being able to make an appetizing and profitable dish out of short cases, leftovers, and usable scraps. In professional kitchens, that kind of creativity is not optional. It is part of the craft. You learn to look at what is available, respect what you have, and turn it into something worth serving.

That is exactly how this week’s recipe came to be.

I was hungry.

That was the whole motivation.

There was no grand culinary inspiration. No perfect grocery run. No beautifully organized mise en place waiting for me. I started looking around the kitchen. First, I saw the rice. Then I saw some produce. Finally, I went into the cooler and found some Pink’s Barbecue pulled brisket.

And just like that, we had something to work with.

The rice would be the base. The produce would bring freshness and texture. The pulled brisket would bring smoke, depth, and the kind of flavor that makes a simple bowl feel like you meant to do it all along. And if you want to put a fried egg on top, I am certainly not going to be the one to stop you.

I also wanted this recipe to be something you could recreate easily at home with your own ingredients. You may not have brisket sitting in the cooler. Maybe you have leftover chicken, pulled pork, steak, sausage, mushrooms, beans, or whatever protein is already waiting on you. The point is not to copy my refrigerator.

The point is to take inventory, make a plan, and make something delicious.

So, my Eaters, this week’s recipe is a brisket rice bowl. It is not fried rice, although it absolutely could be if that is where your kitchen takes you. For me, this was about taking what was already in front of me and turning it into something that made sense, tasted good, and did not require me to overthink it.

Pink’s Brisket Rice Bowl

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice
1 cup pulled brisket
1 cup chopped produce
1 tablespoon beef tallow, or oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste
A splash of whatever sauce makes sense in your kitchen

For my bowl, I used shiitake mushrooms, onions, Thai chile, shishito pepper, garlic, and fresh ginger.

Directions:

Heat the rice while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Warm a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef tallow or oil. You want it hot enough that it smokes lightly.

Add your vegetables, except for the onions and mushrooms, and sauté until they are cooked but still have some life to them. Once cooked, remove them from the pan and hold them to the side.

Add your onions and mushrooms to the same pan, along with a little more tallow or oil if needed. Cook until the mushrooms are browned and caramelized.

Remove the mushrooms from the pan and hold them to the side. Leave the onions in the pan.

Add the brisket, or your protein of choice, to the caramelized onions. Mix everything together and heat until hot.

Turn off the heat.

Place your warm rice in a bowl. Compose the meat and vegetables on top however you like. Finish with your sauce or condiment of choice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

That is it.

You have a brisket rice bowl.

Simple. Filling. Flexible. Delicious.

Eaters, again, I encourage you to let this recipe serve as a framework. Every part of it is adaptable to your individual situation. The rice can be hot, cold, or room temperature. It can also be quinoa or noodles. Greens can be added to make it more like a salad. The protein can be eliminated or changed completely.

This meal is customizable, convenient, and an excellent way to get creative in the kitchen in an approachable way.

More than anything, it is a reminder that sometimes you do not need to know everything. Sometimes you just need to know what you have, make a plan, and start cooking.

Until next time, my Eaters, take care of one another, look around at what is already in front of you, and make something delicious.