Coriander Rice

I never knew rice could be this good.  I never knew rice could be so beautiful, put a song on your lips and a zip in your do-da!  I mean I'm from New Orleans and I know all about rice and this is the deal plus a bag of doughnuts!

1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup minced shallots (about 4 shallots)
1-1/2 tablespoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2-1/4 cups extra long grain white rice
4-1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley

Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium heat.  Add shallots ans saute until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Add in coriander and turmeric   Stir to combine and cook for 1 more minute.  Add in rice and toss to coat.  Add broth and salt and bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and garnish with parsley and serve.

So simple.  Enjoy everyone!



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Dead Camera Batteries and Tijuana Kitchen Rice

I saw Guy Fieri make this and it was a huge hit on our dinner table.  My only complaint, dead camera battery.  This was the only picture I got.

Anything that starts off looking this gorgeous, you have to figure it is going to be amazing!

So while my camera battery is taking it's time charging, let's get this rice going!

3 tablespoons Canola oil
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red onion rough chopped
3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cups white rice
1/2 cup white wine ( I used Pinot Grigio)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika (Spanish paprika, if you have it)
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 green onions thinly sliced
1/2 cup crumbles Queso Fresco

Place the Canola oil in a large skillet with a tight fitting cover and heat over medium-high heat.  Add the jalapenos, onion and tomatoes and saute until the onions are translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the rice and stir to coat with the veggies and oil and saute for about 3 minutes.  Deglaze the skillet with the white wine, about 1 minutes then add the oregano, cumin, paprika and black pepper.  Stir to thoroughly combine, then add the chicken broth , water and tomato sauce, bring to a boil and allow to boil for 1 minute.  Lower heat to simmer, cover and do not lift the lid for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, remove the cover, fluff the rice, season with salt and garnish with the green onions and Queso Fresco.



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Bluff Mountain Rice

Lately, I have seen a lot of TV cooks browning small pieces of vermicelli in olive oil prior to cooking the rice.  The browned pasta gives the cooked rice a nutty flavor.  I wanted to try this so bad, but if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know I have a rice handicap.  I can't cook rice in a pot or pan to save my like.  I have to use a rice cooker.  Sadly, rice is my unicorn.

I formulated what ingredients I would use if I cook cook rice like most people.  I plotted and plunder of how this could possibly work using the rice cooker.  After a glass or two of some really good pinot noir, I did it!  Yes, I did and oh my!!!  My rice came out perfect! Light, fluffy, separate grains, oh happy day!

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup vermicelli, broken into one-inch lengths

2 cups rice

3 slices prosciutto, chopped

1 cup rough chopped yellow onion

1/2 red bell pepper, rough chopped

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

1/2 cup vermouth or white wine

3 1/2 cups chicken broth

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large high-sided skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add in the vermicelli and rice and saute until lightly browned.

Add in the prosciutto and saute for about 2 to 3  minutes.

Add in the onion and bell pepper and saute for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute, then deglaze the skillet with the vermouth or  white wine.

Pour in the chicken stock, bring mixture to a boil.  Lower heat to low, cover and cook for 18 to 20 minutes or until liquid has evaporated and the rice is cooked.

 Adjust seasonings if needed.

The toasted pasta really livens up the rice!

Cooking Handicaps and Green Bean and Rice Casserole

Do you want to know something about me that is really strange?  Maybe not really strange, but it boggles my mind and my husband's too.  I can't cook rice to save my life.  Yes, it's true.  Whether it's regular rice cooked in a pot, instant rice or boil in the bag rice, if I'm involved, it's a disaster.  Either it comes out gummy or it's cooked on the outside and hard in the middle.  The only way I can cook rice is in a rice cooker.

A.J. has told me, "Katherine, you could take an old shoe, make taste good.  I don't understand why you can't cook rice!".  ~Me either, sheesh~.  My mother stood over me one time to see what I was doing wrong.  She said I did everything exactly how she did and even she couldn't understand why I had a gummy mess.

As most mothers do, she figured out a way for her child to overcome this handicap and gave me a rice cooker for Christmas.  Seriously, she really did.  For about 20 years that little rice cooker turned out many perfect pots of  rice.  It drowned like a lot of my small kitchen applicances from Katrina flooding.  A rice cooker was not on the top of the list of necessities that had to be replaced.  Besides, the brand I had was no long made and I was afraid of buying a rice cooker that made suckier rice than I did.

Finally, after two years of  either eating my poor attempt at rice or buying plain white rice from Chinese restaurants, I researched and made "the" purchase.  So now my rice loving family has one less worry on their minds and I have one less stressor in my life.

If you have picky eaters that love rice, here's an evil plot!  Lace their rice with bacon, cheese and vegetables.  The won't be able to resist.

Cook 2 cups of white rice.  Brown four strips of bacon, the real stuff.  Drain, cool, crumble and set aside.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease in the skillet and melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat.

Brown 1/2 cup of chopped onions, 1 can of drained cut green beans and 1/2 cup of mushrooms.  I used some baby bellas I had in the fridge.  A note about the green beans.  I used the cut beans because you want them to be approximately bite size.  They are also sturdier in the skillet than the French-style green beans.  Season with salt and pepper, remove from heat once the onions start to wilt.

Place the cooked rice in a prepared casserole dish and pour the green beans over the rice.  Gently fold in the green beans into the rice.

Add 1 cup of sour cream, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire.

1 tablespoon of hot sauce (optional).

1 tablespoon lemon juice.  Fold and evenly combine all ingredients.

Sprinkle the crumbled bacon over the top.

Complete the garnishing with Panko crumbs and Asiago cheese for a salty crunchy top!

Bake at the universal oven temperature of 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

So tell me, what is your cooking handicap?

Have a fantastic weekend!  Happy Father's Day!

Smoky Mountain Spanish Rice Stir Fry

I've told you all in the past that my family is a serious group of rice eaters.  Me, I'm a pasta person but this rice is now one of the most requested side dishes in my house.  It's quick, fresh tasting and gone in an instant.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 chopped medium Vidalia or yellow onion and 1 chopped poblano pepper and cook just until they "begin" to soften. Note - you can also use Anaheim peppers if you want more heat.

Add 2 cups of cooked and slightly cooled white rice and toss evenly blend.

Now add the 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and 1 heaping teaspoon of minced garlic.  Toss to thoroughly blend and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes.  Rice may brown slightly and this is good..

Slowly add 1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce in 2 ounce increments to cook off the liquid just a little.  You want the rice to have a nice red coating but not mushy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste and garnish  with green onions.

Now this is a seriously delicious rice dish!

Cheesy Herb Rice Casserole

Rice, *sigh*

Have I told you I live with a family of rice lovers? Have I told you grumblings have been heard around my house, such as, "Oh, pasta again?". "Why don't you EVER make rice?"

It was either this or a total revolt.

This was easier! To be honest, I was surprised how wonderful this rice dish turned out. The flavors were so fresh, it was way more than I ever expected from rice.







This was adapted from a rice casserole dish I saw the Neely's prepare using spinach. I'm the only one that likes spinach, so I had to adapt this to make the troops happy.



2 tablespoons butter, plus more for dish
1 small onion, minced
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar, plus extra for top
2 cups cooked rice
1 teaspoon freshly chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1 teaspoon chopped basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter a large casserole dish.

In a large pan over medium-high heat, saute onions with 2 tablespoons of butter and cayenne until translucent.

While the onions are sauteing, whisk together milk and eggs.

Add the cheese, rice, parsley, thyme, basil and chives and combine well. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour into prepared casserole dish and top with extra shredded cheese. Bake for 30 minutes and serve piping hot.



This is mine, get your own!

Savory Rice Casserole

My husband is a rice man. He loves rice and can eat it three times a day. The homegirlz are rice girls. If they know there's left over rice in the fridge, they will ask for rice and eggs, yes I know, it's gross but not lethal. Rice is ok, but I'm a pasta girl. I just like it for lunch or dinner, I wouldn't eat with eggs for breakfast - ever! So you see, I'm the odd person out.


To keep a somewhat even balance in our home I have to cook rice as a side dish occasionally. I came up with this easy and VERY tasty side dish. Spinach or broccoli can easily be added to adapt this dish to your taste.


Cook 3 cups of white white and allow to cool slightly.


Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.


Melt 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once butter is melted, saute 1 onion chopped and 1/2 green bell pepper chopped. Season the onions and peppers with cayenne pepper. Add in 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1/2 cup of sun-dried tomato pesto. Stir to combine and remove from heat.

In a large bowl, whisk 2 eggs and 1 cup of milk. Add cooked rice and 2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Stir to combine. Fold in the onion mixture and turn into prepared casserole dish.

Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Real Cajun Dirty Rice

Here's one holiday side dish you can scratch off your "To do" list, it's Real Cajun Dirty Rice. Let's start cooking this savory dish that is family and friend pleasing no matter where you celebrate the holidays!

Heat a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat and pour in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 2 tablespoons of butter.

Drop 1/4 lb. of finely chopped chicken gizzards and 1/4 lb. of finely chopped chicken livers into the pot and cook them, turning occasionally until they are evenly brown, about 5 minutes. You will wind up with extra liquid in the pot from the gizzards and liver.

As soon as the livers aren't red or pink anymore, add 1/2 lb. lean ground beef and 1/4 lb. ground pork sausage (recommend regular breakfast sausage) and cook them into the mix for about 4 minutes or so until no more pink is evident. Then add 1 whole onion finely chopped to the pan and sauté them, stirring occasionally for a few more minutes until they just start to wilt.

Fold 2 ribs of celery finely chopped, 1 green bell pepper finely chopped 4 cloves of minced garlic. Cook everything together for another 5 minutes, stirring, this time continuously.

Now pour in 2 cups of white rice to the pot of ingredients and stir the entire mixture well to combine.

Once the rice is in, pour in 4 cups of chicken stock. Season the pot with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Now bring the stock to a full boil. Once a full boil is achieved, immediately cover the pot tightly and reduce the heat to low, just enough to keep the mixture simmering. It will take about 20 minutes or so for the rice to fully cook.

When the rice is cooked (and you can test a few grains before you take the pot off the stove), move your the pot from the heat to a cool burner. Fluff the rice, give it a quick, gentle stir to uniformly combine everything for the last time, and then cover it again for 10 more minutes to give all the flavors time to combine a little more.

Where else can you find a full-bodied and flavored rice like this?

If you can still move after eating all of that rice, Margie from Modern Day Ozzie and Harriet tagged me to say something about the last 10 people who commented on my blog. I can't express how grateful and blessed I am to have all of you visit and leave comments. I started this blog almost a year ago because cooking is about the only thing that I'm good at and I'm learning how to use my camera. If you're not one of the 10, please know I take every comment to heart and am honored you stop by and visit.

The 10 of you are:

Tavolini has a unique blog sharing adventures exploring Atlanta with his wife and some truly wonderful recipes.

Maria shares some fabulous recipes that blow me away since not too many newlyweds are that adventurous in the kitchen. She's so generous with her time in taking care of her niece to help her sister.

Debbie and I could be kindred souls since we are both coffee addicts. I can picture Debbie and I hanging, picking apart apple recipes out sipping our way through a pot of really good coffee.

Gigi I have not met Gigi, but I feel like she's a dear friend. She's shares her life with her readers. We've met her sweetheart, Harry and witnessed his triumphs and watched her adorable grand children grow up before our eyes. I'm secretly keeping my fingers crossed that one day I'll win a bag of Georgia pecans!

April has the sweetest blog, no really and literally, she does. She may just find me on her front door step with a big glass of milk looking for dessert! I may have to trade a casserole or something and that would be cool!


Aggie has some wonderful and easy recipes (I've tried a few) and they are good. She hails from Florida and has two cute children. I am jealous that they eat so well and mine want potato chips for dinner.

Bridgett prepares some of the most amazing dishes and they all look picture perfect. She calms the old Italian woman in me screaming to get out. I drool over her pictures have had to replace 3 keyboards...thanks Bridgett!

Bon apetit to all of you and thanks for coming back! I've learned so much from every single one of you.