Bloglovin'

Follow my blog with bloglovin

My First Rice Pilaf

My mom used to make this great rice pilaf; fluffy rice with peas and tiny shrimp and ... I'm not sure what else. But I remember my dad really liked it. He and my brother had favorite things they always requested her to make: dad had his German's Chocolate Cake for his birthday and my brother had stuffed peppers. I never had anything like that. I have never had a niche, gastronomically speaking (or otherwise). I just ... love food.

Anyway, I haven't had pilaf in forever and I decided to try some tonight with my herbed chicken. I started some chicken (boneless, skinless) in the oven after seasoning it: Kosher salt, freshly cracked pepper, (a tiny dusting of) granulated garlic, paprika and parsley with a drizzle of olive oil on top.

I guess I never thought about the 'trick' for keeping the grains of rice from gumming together in pilaf like they tend to when you just boil rice on the stove. Apparently it just takes a little time in the hot pan before adding the liquid (I used chicken broth) to sort of toast the grains. I don't make Rice-A-Roni all that often so this step isn't top of mind when it comes to preparing a rice dish. The rice turned out wonderfully: individual, fluffy grains and not a hint of gum! I am very pleased with my effort!

To start, I melted 2 tablespoons of butter and added 1/2 an onion, diced, to a warm pan over medium heat; then I added 2 ribs of diced celery and let them soften for a couple minutes. I poured in 1-1/3 cups of white rice (though I'm sure brown or Jasmine would be just as good) and let it toast for about 2 minutes, stirring to make sure all the rice had time at the bottom of the pot. Add the broth (2-1/2 cups) and 1/4 cup of golden raisins (mmm); let it steam with a lid on til all the broth is absorbed. I stirred it just a couple times because I always worry my rice is going to stick. When I boil rice the usual way, I sometimes add a drizzle of olive oil to the water which seems to help. While the rice cooked, I toasted about 1/4 cup of pine nuts in a dry saute pan (not the non-stick variety) over low heat for just a few minutes and then set them aside. Once the rice is done, add the pine nuts and a handful of course-chopped basil (fresh) and some salt and pepper. It made the perfect accompaniment to my baked chicken.

Do you know of a great pilaf? I'm always up for a new recipe. =)

Another week has passed ...

The weeks fly by faster this time of year. Not sure if it's the fact we are pulled in three times as many directions with the holidays and familial requirements; obscene amounts of gifting and baking and traveling; getting sick; going to parties; and generally trying to stay sane. Whatever combination of elements, the Fall and Winter months feel harried and short and they pass by with so much 'ado' over what turns out to be nothing and so quickly forgotten.

That new DVD player for $3 at Wal-Mart (starting at 5am, limited quantities of course; and mind you don't trample someone to death on the way to aisle 12!) quickly loses its shine and those new toys find a place in the pile of rarely touched items that accrue and accrue in playrooms and bedrooms, pushed aside for the newer model.

Just reminds me how important it is to not get caught up in the hubbub and the madness. Enjoy the wonderful foods and the good times with the people you care about; the bright Christmas tree and 'It's a Wonderful Life' and hot cocoa, a cat curled up in a frosty window. Enjoy them just as you would the first warm day of Spring and the first nip in the air that tells you Fall is on the way; just as you would any small but hugely significant thing that passes by quickly but with potentially great effect. Enjoy them, but don't get caught up in the insignificant parts.

Life is the small things. People say 'don't sweat the small stuff' but life is just that: a sequence of small things that make up who we are as individuals. So ... sweat the small stuff. Make the most of it. Savor the small things and the short moments and the turns of countenance; a kiss or a smile, a laugh with a friend, finding common ground, a piece of chocolate, or spending the evening with your favorite person.

I realize more the older I get that there are too many lovely things that pass us by if we are fixated on the negative things or the toxic people or the 'what if's'. Cross the bridge when you come to it and make the best of it. Try to remember what you did right and change what you think you can to make it better the next time around.

I see, too, that research and knowledge and observation are some of the more fulfilling practices in life. Read and learn - there is always something new to discover. I can feel myself changing and improving with all the articles I read and words I learn and new things I discover that I didn't even know existed before. How could anyone ever be bored?

Just a few of the small things from my week ... 

My curious cat, Smiley. I love the look in his apple green eyes.

A mystery herb that decided to sprout again after weeks of ... nothing. I brought it inside to the dining room window since it's getting a little too cold outside for herbs now.

Old-fashioned Scrabble in a pretty wooden box. Kevin and I sometimes play games together in the evenings.

Inspired by my friend, I have a 'thing' for collecting pretty napkins. They are so inexpensive but make a simple lunch or tea and cookies that much more pleasant ...

Breaking off a little piece of hazelnut milk chocolate.

A pot of rice pilaf simmering on the stove.

My warm, cozy house on a cool Fall night, my three favorite people (Kevin and the cats ;), a nice dinner and Friday night...

Happy weekend. =)

So...I started a blog! I guess I'm behind the times; it seems most people already have a blog - maybe more than one - on which they post the goings-on of their daily lives, however mundane or fascinating. Personally, I have this habit of snapping a photo or two (or 3 or 4 or ...) of the food I make and eat: in my kitchen, someone else's kitchen, a restaurant - I don't discriminate. So I thought (well, credit where it's due, KEVIN thought) a spot for all my food ventures might be nice. If not nice for others, at least for me: a place to keep track and post a few of the photos I snap as I'm buzzing around my kitchen.

I suppose nothing truly epic has come out of my kitchen; just yummy, simple things that most people like when they try them. From omelets to 'souped up' brownies; something thrown-together to simmer in the Crock-Pot all day, or some new dinner creation I whip up to relax (yes, cooking can be relaxing if not at least distracting) after work - maybe with an unexpected ingredient or a twist on an original. I just enjoy cooking and I especially enjoy it when others are happy with it, too.

So now for my first recipe post (drum roll, please), I present tonight's dinner: 

Baked Stuffed Tomatoes

There is absolutely nothing glamorous or out of the ordinary about tonight's dinner. Having admitted that, I will say it is simply delicious and homey and comforting which is draw enough to bring it into my kitchen. I made it once before (ages ago) and have been craving it for days!

I started with 6 large tomatoes - I suppose they are called Beefsteak or Hothouse? The kind real chefs might turn up their noses to (the bastard cousin of the tomato family), but they suit this use quite well. I wash them, dry them, then cap them and scoop the flesh out with a large spoon (keep this for later). After sprinkling a little salt into each of the newly minted caverns, turn them upside down on a cooling rack over your kitchen sink to help drain just enough of the excess juices.

tomato! ready to be salted.

While the tomatoes are draining, prep the filling. I start with an onion, yellow this time, cut into medium-small-ish dices and then soften in a pan with olive oil and a touch of butter. NOTE: I find that a combination of the 2 fats brings a little more flavor but also keeps the onion (or whatever) from cooking too fast or burning - olive oil has a lower smoke-point than butter (check out this handy chart). Once the onion is soft-ish, add about a pound of ground turkey - or any meat of your choice (ground sirloin is nice, too) - and brown. Remove from heat.

While this is happening, cook one cup of rice - any rice really, but jasmine is the hands-down favorite in our house. The flavor and aroma are undeniably top shelf. Once it's cooked, mix in about 1 cup (or to taste I suppose) of grated Cheddar cheese.

my pot of Jasmine bubbling away

Combine the turkey and rice mixtures and add the following:

- 1 can green peas (or a small bag of frozen, which is a better-quality choice but I only had a can in the house today)

- The diced flesh of about 3-4 of the aforementioned tomatoes or more if you want

- Kosher salt and fresh-cracked pepper (pre-ground and packaged pepper is inferior, folks! Stop using it!)

- Really any fresh herb of choice; for me this is basil since I have an abundance of it right now - I snipped about 15 small leaves into the mix

grown and picked in my own yard. nothing beats it.

Mix thoroughly. The rice likes to stick to itself so just make sure there aren't any excessively-large clumps of rice, the seasonings are well distributed and you should be good to go. Go ... into the tomatoes, that is.

(oh, and your oven should be preheated to 350 at this point)

Stuff the tomatoes as full as you can with the yummy filling (don't you just love the sound of the cheesy ricey mixture as you spoon it into the tomatoes?). Place all the tomatoes into a baking dish large enough to accommodate them. My largest baking dish was rather too large though so I went down a size and then put the remaining two tomatoes into their own individual ramekins. Kevin wanted me to do this so he had his own personal dish and I aim to please! Actually I think it might be a nice way to present this as dinner for guests ...

all mixed up and ready to be tomatoed

Anyway, just before putting them into the oven I sprinkled some of the grated cheese on top of each. When it comes out it's perfectly brown. Bake for about 40 minutes and let them cool for a few minutes. (I have a tiny bit of filling left over this time which is a perfectly delish treat all on it's own while I'm waiting on dinner!)

I also found a lonely green pepper in my fridge and decided to bake him up, too. I remember growing up on stuffed peppers - my brother asked for them as his birthday dinner every year, but we had them other times, too. Soo yummy.

Let them cool for a few minutes before digging in, obviously, unless you don't care if your tongue is scalded. You could make a salad or something to go with but this time they were great all on their own.

Mine was eaten with Kevin in front of the TV watching the 'Dexter' season 3 opener, which made it even tastier. ;)

ready to eat!