Shortcut Spanish Rice

This is a really simple recipe that adds flavor to Tex-Mex style dishes. I used it in enchiladas and as the base for burrito bowls. Feel free to double, triple, or cut the recipe in half.

For burrito bowls I serve with a can of refried beans and any other toppings I have on hand. We like cheese, salsa, sour cream, tomatoes, and avocados but anything goes.


2 cup dry white rice
3 1/2 cups water
4 chicken bouillons or enough for  4 cups of water
1 c. bottled salsa

Place all in a medium sized pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cover. Let cook until the rice is tender throughout. 

Check to make sure the bottom isn't sticking and burning towards the end of cooking.

Fruit Cup aka Sploosh

It's fun this time of year to look back and remember holidays past. I think that is part of the excitement of the season, remembering not only the new things planned but also the family and friends you have enjoyed previous holidays with.

In my case one particularly fond memory is of my grandmother. She always welcomed us in to her kitchen. She taught me how to microwave eggs with velveeta in her little pyrex dishes. I now see those same dishes in antique stores and they make me smile.  She also had us kids devein and peel the shrimp for the shrimp cocktail she served on holidays.  A few of the things I remember most though besides the shrimp cocktail were glazed carrots, key lime pie, and fruit cup.

Fruit cup sounds like it should be a simple thing and it some ways it is. And yet it's wonderful alongside all the rich treats we typically indulge in on Christmas. One thing that makes it special is the way it is prepared. The oranges and grapefruit are peels are sliced off around the fruit to separate the segments and then the fruit peeled out from between them.

Using a serrated knife, slice around the peel. Don't make the swatches too large. It's faster but you lose more of the fruit that way.

Slide the knife down the side of the segment all the way to the center trying not to cut through the center.

Once you have the knife in the center use it to pry the fruit out of the segment.

Like most of my recipes, specifics aren't important. Which is good, because I don't have them. The strawberries in this are the frozen kind that come in sugar syrup. You can buy two size, small or large. Whichever one you get depends on if you are making a lot or a little.

5 lb bag of oranges, more or less
1 - 2 grapefruit
1 small tub of frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed

Segment the oranges and grapefruit according to the description above. Add the strawberries. Let sit for 30 minutes for the flavors to meld a little bit and enjoy. Or let sit overnight, because advanced prep is something I love this time of year.

Tomato Zucchini Bisque

I hated tomato soup growing up. The idea of tomato soup with grilled cheese just ruined the grilled cheese for me. I was in college and just starting out really cooking new things when my older sister mentioned homemade tomato soup is actually pretty good.  I ignored her for years until last winter I moved and had a really limited kitchen and decided to try it. I made a tomato soup with fresh basil and a scoop of rice on top. Turns out it was actually pretty good. Since then I have tried a few different versions, this being my latest concoction.

4 Tbsp butter
1 large onion
2 Tbsp flour
2 cans tomatoes
4 c. chicken stock
black pepper
4 oz. Parmesan cheese
3/4 c. heavy cream
2 zucchini, grated

Melt the butter in a large pot and add the chopped onion. Saute until the onion is tender.

Stir in the flour and cook for about 2 minutes so the flour doesn't taste raw. Once it's been cooked a little add the tomatoes. If you have crushed tomatoes great. If not, crush them one by one in your hands as you add them. It's actually one of my favorite parts.  Cook and stir for about 3 minutes before moving on.

Add the chicken stock. Simmer the soup over low for about 45 minutes. Stir the bottom frequently as it tends to stick.

Add the cheese, cream, and zucchini. Simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring often. Taste for salt and add as needed.

Lemon Cucumber Salad

I was at the end of the week, one where I kept neglecting to go grocery shopping so I had to some up with a vegetable to serve with dinner based on an almost empty fridge. Cucumbers and a few pantry staples and I present to you cucumbers with lemon and dill.

1 large English cucumber
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 - 2 Tbsp lemon juice
several large pinches of salt
Dash of white pepper
1 frozen cube of dill or 1 tsp fresh minced

Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and dill. Drizzle over the cucumbers and toss to coat. Taste for salt and adjust as needed. 

Serve immediately.

Greek Pasta Salad

Dressing
As always, these proportions should be customized to taste

1/4 c. olive oil

3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
Red wine vinegar might be nice here too

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

2 - 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
2 sliced green onions
1 - 2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped 

Dash black pepper
Salt to taste
1 scant tsp. sugar

Salad

1/2 lb penna pasta, cooked and chilled

3 chicken breasts, fillet, season cook, chill

1 bag mixed field greens

Whisk together all of the salad dressing ingredients and let sit at least 30 minutes. I made mine the night before for an easy and quick dinner the next day. I also cooked the chicken and pasta then as well for the sake of ease. 

Toss it all together and eat.

Sour Cream and Chive Potato Salad

I had a baked potato bar one night and had quite a few leftover potatoes. So I chopped them up and tossed them together with a few of the leftover toppings and came up with this. We happened to like it quite a bit.

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8 c. cooked cold potatoes

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. mayo

3 - 4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 green onions

1/4 c. sliced chives

Stir everything together except the potatoes until smooth. 
Then add in the potatoes, folding gently so as not to break them up. 

Chill for several hours.

Grandma's Stuffed Pork Chops

Recently I've been thinking and reflecting on family. I loved getting together for large family gatherings, extended family, and always good food. A friend suggested recently I record these memories here by posting family recipes. This one comes from my grandma on my fathers side. My dad talks about how he and my uncle used to fight over the bigger chop.

Start with pork chops on the thicker side. Cut them through the middle, 

not all the way, just a pocket.

 

Heat the oil in a skillet and heat the oven to 425.
Stuff the pork chops with the prepared stuffing and season on both sides with season salt.
Add the chops to the pan and cook until golden brown on one side. Flip all of the chops and add the onion to cook at the same time. The onions are my addition, not Grandmas.

Once the chops are browned on both sides, but not cooked all the way through, top with the can of tomato sauce. Bake at 425 until the chops are cooked all the way through.

Cucumber feta salad

Hmmmm, what can I throw together from my fridge for lunch? This would be really good in a wrap with some chicken or tossed with some cold pasta for pasta salad.

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. kalamata olive, chopped

2 - 4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

1 green onion, chopped

1/3 or a large English cucumber, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

Stir it all together, taste of salt and enjoy!

Cauliflower Soup

Cauliflower soup is sort of simple and complex at the same time. It's pretty straight forward. Cauliflower, broth, cream, and usually cheese. In mine anyway cheese is a must. But it never turns out quite the way I want it to taste, it's usually kind of flat, bland, and watery tasting no matter what I do, and no where near as good as Zupas. But the fix was pretty simple, instead of boiling the cauliflower for soup, roasting it makes all the difference. Also a good blender so it's actually smooth and not just chopped super fine.

1 head cauliflower
oil
Salt, pepper, garlic, manchego cheese
Chicken broth to cover
handful or two of gouda cheese
heavy cream, about a 1:8 rations of cream to broth

Cut the cauliflower in to smallish pieces. Toss with just enough oil to coat, I like olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic to taste and the toss with grated manchego cheese. Roast at 450 until very golden in spots.

Once that is roasted combine in the vitamix with the chicken broth and cheese. Add to a pot and simmer until heated through and gouda is melted. Stir in heavy cream and cook until hot. Taste for salt and pepper and serve with crusty bread.

Raisin Filled Cookies

This started off as Golden Raisin cookies from King Arthur Flour. Some basic changes had to happen though because I don't like hard chewy raisins.  So I simmered the raisins in cinnamon water until they were soft and then chopped them up a little. The drawback to that was while they were really good, they don't keep over night. The raisins make the cookies soft, which was actually delicious as well.


2 c. flour

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick butter, frozen

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. coconut oil

7-8 Tbsp. ice water

Filling

2 c. raisins

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

water to cover

Cream

Coarse Sugar

Simmer the raisins together with the cinnamon. Once they are plump and soft drain and chop. Put them on a paper towel for a little while preparing the dough to dry out as much as possible.

Another change I made was cream on the top instead of egg with the sugar to top.

The rest of the directions are the same as on the King Arthur web site so you can look there for directions. 

Corn and Orzo salad

8 oz. orzo (or 2 c. cooked quinoa)

2 large onions, chopped

2 lb frozen corn kernels 

1/2 stick butter

1 Tbsp. Turbinado sugar (or white sugar)

Salt to taste

4 oz. cream cheese, softened and cubed

4 chipotles in adobo, chopped

4.5 oz real bacon, bacon bits

Fresh chopped parsley (optional)

Cook the bacon bits in a large non-stick skillet until they are crisp. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the pan you cooked the bacon in, without cleaning it out, melt the butter and add the onions. Saute over medium heat until he onions are translucent. Add the corn, sugar, and salt and continue to cook on medium until the corn is thawed. Turn the heat to medium high and cook only stirring every few minutes or when the corn and onions on the bottom of the pan start to brown. Cook until the corn and onions are caramelized

Meanwhile cook the orzo in salted water until al dent. Drain and toss with a little oil to prevent sticking.

Toss together the caramelized corn, cooked orzo, and cream cheese. Stir to combine. Add the bacon bits and the chipotle. Top with the fresh parsley for color if using and serve.