Sometimes, you need to remember when you’re on the same team.

This past week, when winter weather swept through the Golden Triangle, my sanity hinged on that statement.

My husband and I were both stuck at home together. And while he was enjoying a few days off of work, I was working remotely. And extremely jealous.

While he spent most of the day Tuesday playing games, enjoying his hobbies and calling friends, I spent the day sitting next to him making work calls and writing for the paper. News stops for no storm, after all.

Eventually, he started joking and laughing louder and louder next to me, and I knew there was no way I could finish what I was doing if I could hear him. Eventually, I asked him if he could go downstairs and talk there instead, just until I could finish what I was doing.

He left a while and then came back. I was still working. He left for another few hours and then came back. I was still working.

“Hey, honey?” he asked. “Have you eaten lunch yet?”

“No,” I said, more sharply than I intended to.

My stomach was growling, but I was locked into whatever I was working on. I didn’t have time to make lunch for the two of us. I needed to focus. I told him as much. He left the room again.

The next time he came back about 30 minutes later, he had a bowl of Kraft macaroni and cheese in his hand. He set it on my desk, kissed me on the forehead and then left the room. That’s real love, folks.

I ate the mac and cheese, finished up the article I was working on, and then went to thank my husband for his help. He said it was no problem, and that it was “just” a box of mac and cheese. Then, he swept me off my feet by saying he had since found a dinner recipe for us to try this week, since I’d seemed stressed while working. It only used ingredients we already had in our house, too, which is helpful when you’re in the middle of an ice storm and the grocery stores have had their shelves cleared off for days.

So, this week, my husband found this Korean ground beef and rice bowl recipe for me on therecipecritic.com. We cooked it together. I doctored it up a bit as we went, since I typically enjoy stronger flavoring than most recipes call for. And before the snow had melted, we were eating a new meal we had never tried before.

Now, a note on my adaptations — I added the sriracha to this recipe, and I increased the amount of red pepper flakes, because the beef was a bit sweet for my liking. It didn’t make the recipe overly spicy, but if you’re very sensitive to it, you can add those ingredients gradually.

I also added the egg on top, since I’d seen similar recipes that included a fried egg as a garnish. It added a lot to the flavor and texture of the bowl, but I know it might not be everyone’s favorite. Feel free to add it or not to add it as you see fit.

Otherwise, I have no disclaimers. I really enjoyed getting to try a new recipe this week, thanks to my husband. And I hope you do, too.

KOREAN GROUND BEEF AND RICE BOWLS

Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons sriracha, plus extra for serving
2 cups hot cooked jasmine rice
Sliced green onions or sesame seeds for garnish
Eggs (one per bowl served)
Salt (to taste)

Directions
■ In a large skillet cook the ground beef and garlic until beef is no longer pink. Drain the grease.
■ In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, red pepper flakes and pepper. Pour over the ground beef and let simmer for another minute or two. Add sriracha and salt to taste.
■ In another pan, fry eggs sunny side up, one per person served. Add rice and beef to each bowl, then top with egg. Yolk should be mostly cooked, though can be slightly runny for additional flavor. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds, if desired.

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