Sweet Rice Drink

If you're lucky enough to live near a Public grocery store then you'll understand me when I say, their Apron's meals are amazing.  They make some for you to sample, then have all of the ingredients that you need right there next to the display so you don't have to run around the grocery store searching for it all, and they give you the free recipe card to keep.  I love it.  

This recipe was paired with a yummy Baja Shrimp Taco recipe that was delicious and I do plan to make it eventually, however, this drink had my attention quickly. It's so dreamy.  The cinnamon really sets it apart. It reminds me of a drink for the holidays probably because of the cinnamon but I had to run home and whip it up.  

It's easy to make and comes together quickly (30 minutes) and all you need is a blender and a fine mesh strainer. I loved it.
Sweet Rice Drink

Recipe from Publix Aprons

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked white rice
• 5 cups water
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Cooking Directions

1. In a blender, combine the rice and water and blend for 1 minute.
2. Chill for 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together with a spoon until combined.
4. Refrigerate leftovers.

Creamy Rice Pudding

You're looking at my husbands favorite dessert.  Well, one of many.  His great grandmother used to make it all the time.  Apparently this recipe was very close to hers.  She said that sometimes she added raisins to hers.  Needless to say, he was a happy camper when I made this.

I myself haven't had much rice pudding in my life.  I don't remember my grandmother making it.  I don't think I even tried it until I was an adult.  But I have to say, this rice pudding recipe is WAY better than the kind you buy in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.  I've never been a big fan of that one, but I loved this one.

Creamy, sweet with a little bit of cinnamon in the background.  You could certainly add raisins like my husbands grandmother did.  I don't think there is much you could add that wouldn't be delicious.  The thing about rice pudding is it's sort of just a creamy vanilla concoction.  There's LOTS of room to add the things you like best.  I however loved it just like this.  Yum!

Creamy Rice Pudding

Recipe from Sprinkle Some Sugar

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup uncooked white rice (I used minute rice)
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 cup milk
• 4 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp light brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Cooking Directions

1. Boil the rice, water (using the directions on the box), granulated sugar and salt in a medium sauce pan until tender.
2. Pour in the half and half and 1/2 cup of milk and simmer for about 20 minutes. It will look like there is a lot of milk but it will get absorbed, I promise. Stir frequently until creamy and thick.
3. Mix in the brown sugar.
4. In a small bowl whisk the egg yolks and slowly add 3 Tbsp of the rice mixture into the eggs to temper them.
5. Add the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the rice mixture.
6. Add in the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and cook for 3-5 minutes more. Remove from the heat and add the butter, vanilla extract and cinnamon and mix.
7. Serve hot or cold. Refrigerate leftovers.

Mushroom Risotto

You're looking at one of my favorite side dishes.  There is something so comforting to me about Risotto in general but mushroom is a favorite.

Typically Risotto is made with Arborio rice but I've been trying to be good and that means no white rice in my house.  This short grain brown rice was just as good even though it did take slightly more liquid and a little longer cook time. The taste was creamy and flavorful and just as comforting as the Arborio that I usually use.  I also used less mushrooms than the original recipe called for but still found it to be plenty.  Click on the link below for the original recipe.

I wouldn't go so far as to say that this is a healthy side dish because of all the butter and cheese but it's certainly "healthier" when you use the brown rice.  That is the excuse that I used while piling my plate high and not sharing any. :)

Mushroom Risotto

Recipe modified from AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 7 to 8 cups chicken broth, divided 
• 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 pound mushrooms (I used cremini)
• 2 whole shallots, diced
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked short grain brown rice (Arborio is typically used)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 Tbsp chives, finely chopped
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking Directions

1. In a large pot, warm the broth over low heat.
2. In a large skillet add 2 Tbsp olive oil and cook the mushrooms until they soften. About 3 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and their liquid to a bowl and set aside.
3. Use the same skillet to add 1 Tbsp olive oil and add the shallots. Cook for 1 minute and then add the rice. Stir around to coat with oil and cook for a couple of minutes or until the rice changes color slightly. Since I was using brown rice there wasn't much of a color change.
4. Add the wine and cook until it has fully absorbed into the rice.
5. Add the chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, waiting for each addition to be absorbed into the rice before adding more. Stir frequently. This process took me about 30 minutes.
6. Toward the end of the broth, test the rice for doneness. You're looking for the rice to be cooked through but with a slight bite, you definitely don't want mushy rice. Add more broth if needed. When the rice is al dente remove from the heat.
7. Add the mushrooms, butter, Parmesan cheese and stir until the butter and cheese have melted. Season with salt and pepper and top with chives.

Gramma's Pepper Steak

I remember growing up with this meal, it brings back warm memories of my dinners at my gramma's house.  I'm happy to say that when I made it it turned out just like my gramma's.  This recipe is one she had published in the "Brisban Community Cookbook" so I feel like it's OK to put it here on my blog.

This little cookbook is a treasure, if you've never seen one of these little community cookbooks you've got to find one.  Talk about great recipes!  I can't wait to post more of them soon.

This recipe is quick once you get all the slicing done.  Much easier to have it all waiting for you.  I speak from experience. I think from start to finish this was done in about 30 minutes or so.  My husband says I can make it anytime I want.  Translation: Please please please make this again and don't change anything at all like you usually do that drives me so crazy.  See how I can read him so well? I have a bad habit of changing things around but this being one of my gramma's recipes, I wouldn't change it. I like to remember it just as she made it.

Just so you know, my gramma is alive and well at 93.  Though she doesn't cook anymore I'm sure she'd eat this up if it were made for her.  Hi gramma!

Pepper Steak

From my gramma Marge F.

Ingredients

• 1 pound round steak, thinly sliced into strips
• 1 can (12 oz) beef broth
• 1 1/2 cups sliced celery
• 1 medium bell pepper, cut into strips
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup green onions, sliced (optional)
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water

Directions

1. It's best to have all the ingredients sliced before you begin….
2. Heat about 2 Tbsp of oil in a large deep skillet and add the beef.  Brown over medium high heat. 
3. Add the broth, vegetables and soy sauce and reduce the heat to simmer, cover and let cook for 10 minutes. 
4. In a small dish, combine the water and cornstarch and then pour over the meat and vegetables. 
5. Cook until the vegetables are tender. 
6. Serve over rice if desired. 

Chicken and Wild Rice

How is your summer going? Getting nice and tan and loving all these bathing suit pictures that keep surfacing? Me either.

Well Father's Day is this Sunday, have you figured out how you're going to celebrate it? Here's a suggestion, one of my husbands favorites is chicken and rice.  The nice thing about this version is it's done in your crock pot so there's no pressure immediately before you sit down to eat.

And don't you think it's too hot to hang out over your stove? I do.

After my husband tasted this he immediately wanted it on record as one of his favorites and made me promise to make it again.

Like I have some sort of habit about making things once and then never making them the same way again....OK that part is true but jeez, that's why I HAVE a blog!  So I can remember what the heck I did.

Anyway, You can certainly omit the mushrooms if you're not a fan of them but we LOVE them and leaving them in nice big slices is the way to go here. The rice was nice and creamy and perfectly cooked and the flavors blended perfectly.  I'm going to have to look around for the chicken broth that has roasted garlic because I do think that would be lovely in this recipe.

Definitely a keeper.

Chicken and Wild Rice

Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (about 4) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 5 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 (6 ounce) packages long grain and wild rice
• 2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth with roasted garlic (I just used regular chicken broth)
• 2 (10 1/4 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts (optional)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)
• 2 Tbsp butter

Cooking Directions

1. Brown the chicken in a large pan with some oil, then remove and cut into 1 inch pieces.
2. in the same pan used for the chicken, add the onion, celery and garlic and cook until tender.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a 5 quart slow cooker and then stir in the chicken and veggies.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

Homemade Rice and Roni

I've been on a crafty binge lately (to be posted later) and even though I'm not great at it, I still love it.  I'm also desperately trying to lose all the weight I gained over the holiday's.  I'm down 2.5 pounds in one day doing Dr. Oz's three day body cleanse. Two more days to go and the weight loss is really encouraging me to keep it up.  I know a body cleanse isn't really for weight loss but if it's an added bonus I'm all for it.  So far it's pretty painless, although I'm not a fan of the lunch time smoothie but I'm still chugging it down.

I can't wait to eat this rice and roni again.  It was so super good and much better than the kind you buy in the box.  Great side dish!

Just break some spaghetti noodles into small pieces and brown up in a pan. 

Add the other ingredients and let simmer until the moisture is absorbed. 

Perfect for a busy weeknight meal because it's less than 30 minutes!  You could even squeeze in some veggies like peas or carrots (or both)!  Don't forget you can also cut up some chicken and mix it all together for a super quick meal on the go!

Homemade Rice and Roni
Recipe from Paula Deen

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 pound spaghetti, broken into small pieces
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 2 cups chicken or beef broth

Directions

1. Break the noodles into small pieces (about 1/2 to 1 inch) and place in a large fry pan with the oil.
2. Cook the noodles over medium heat until they begin to brown slightly. 
3. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for about 20 minutes until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Fluff with a fork.
4. Salt and pepper as desired. 

Savory Pilaf

I often find myself searching for a side dish, don't you?  It seems like it takes all my brain power to come up with the main dish and then I forget there should be a side until I'm almost done with the main dish.

Rice is a great go-to on a busy night.  Most people like it and most kids like it (not mine of course, but most). This is a great easy, straight forward recipe that can go with most any meat dish. It's not short on flavor because the rice is cooked in broth but it also leaves room for you to add your own favorites.  I think carrots or peas would be great.  Mushrooms are yummy.  Heck, even if you added the meat right on in it would be a hit!

This could be completely vegetarian if you switched the broth to veggie broth or vegan if you switched out the butter. 

Options are great to have aren't they?
Savory Pilaf
From Betty Crocker's Cookbook

2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, chopped (1/4 Cup)
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the onion.  Cook on medium heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion is tender.

Stir in the rice.  cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the broth and the salt.

Heat to boiling and then cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer for 16 minutes. Do not lift the lid.  Remove from the heat.  Leave the cover on and let steam for about 5 minutes.

Mushroom Risotto

I think mushroom risotto is one of my favorite side dishes ever.  I just love how creamy the risotto gets and that mushroom flavor.  Yum!

Risotto can be a little time consuming but it's totally worth it.  It's not difficult by any means and it's easy to do while having a conversation with your friends before dinner.  Everyone gathers in the kitchen anyway right? Might as well make risotto. 

Slice up your mushrooms of choice, I used Cremini.

Cook until soft and then move to another plate until needed again.

Sorry for the lack of pictures from here on out.  I promise it isn't difficult.  Cook the shallots, add the rice and brown.  Add the wine and cook until absorbed.  Now you just keep adding broth until it's all gone and the rice is tender.  Add the mushrooms back in and your almost done.  Mix in some cheese, butter, chives, salt and pepper and eat.  See? Not difficult.

Mushroom Risotto
Recipe modified slightly and found at "AllRecipes" here

• 6 cups chicken broth, divided
• 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 pound Crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (I used short grain brown rice)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• sea salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a sauce pan over medium heat, bring the broth to a simmer.

In a large frying pan add the olive oil and cook the mushrooms until soft over medium high heat.  When  done, remove the mushrooms to a plate along with their juices.

In the same frying pan, add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and the shallots and cook for 1 minute. Add the rice and stir to coat with the oil.  Cook for about 2 minutes until slightly golden. Stir in the wine and cook until it is absorbed.  Add 1/2 cup of broth at a time until it is absorbed before adding more.

When all the broth has been added and the rice is tender, turn off the heat and add the mushrooms back in.  Add the chives, butter, cheese, salt and pepper to taste.