Veggie Rice
Hi everybody :)
Today I would like to share my favorite rice recipe with you. One day while eating Chinese take-outs (which I love). I decided to come up with my own version of veggie rice. How hard could it be... vegetables and rice ...Voila ..veggie rice. So, I went into the kitchen to create and this is what I came up with. Now, I get asked to make this at every family get-together. Once I had to make enough for about 150 people, when one of my sisters renewed her wedding vows.
Veggie Rice
For the Rice:
6 cups water
3 cups rice (I use a combination of Uncle Ben Converted Long Grain Rice and Par Excellence Yellow Rice)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon butter
Cook rice according to directions on package. (I cooked mine for 20 minutes) Set aside.
For the Vegetables:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, diced
1 cup carrots, shredded ; about 1 1/2 carrots (dry off excess liquid with paper towels)
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped; (I used 4 mini peppers) (dry off excess liquid with paper towels)
3 cups broccoli, chopped; (I used 2 broccoli crowns)
Salt, Pepper, & Butter to taste
In a very large frying pan over medium high heat add oil, butter, onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 2 -3 minutes,
add bell pepper and broccoli and cook until broccoli is tender but still firm about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat. Add rice, stir well to mix. Season with additional salt, butter and pepper to taste.
Serve. Yield: about 14 cups or 21 (2/3 cup) servings
This is great like it is or meat can be added to it for a main course meal. Beef, chicken, pork, or fish I love it served with grilled salmon. I like to make a lot, so I can freeze some for later. For detailed information on how to freeze and reheat cooked rice go here.
This can also be downside easily and the vegetable can be adjusted to your choice. So if you're entertaining, cooking for a crowd, or a family of four give this a try, I'm sure you'll be please with the results. Now, get out your cutting boards and get to chopping :)
ENJOY! Come again...
Linked to
Tasty Tuesdays @33shadesof green
Pumpkin Nut Belgian Waffles: Breakfast Is Served
Hi everybody :)
It's that time again...Welcome to another Breakfast Is Served Sunday. If you just tuning in to my blog every Sunday I post a Breakfast Is Served, last week post is found here.
Today you're are in for a treat...I'm making waffles! I first had waffles while attending a family reunion in Florida. The hotel we were staying had a very elaborated breakfast food bar. One of the features was a waffle area, where you make your own waffle to go. Those deep pockets of goodness, piping hot, soft on the inside and crisp on the outside smelled so delicious I had to give it a try. It was love at first bite...I was hooked, as soon as I arrived back home, I rush out to buy a waffle maker. For days on ends, I was in waffle heaven... I'm talking pure ECSTASY until, one day, my dear sweet waffle maker broke :( I was crushed...heartbroken, scattered... I had to have another one.
While walking down the isle in Sam's Club... something got my attention...
Could it be???
Yes!
A Double-Side Waffle Maker! A waffler maker with TWO sides, for double your waffles fun!
I couldn't wait to test this baby out!
Pumpkin Nut Belgian Waffle adapted Waring Pro
Makes 6 waffles
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ounce finely chopped walnuts or pecans (best if toasted first) (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (I used allspice)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (canned solid pack pumpkin)
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup real maple syrup (do not use pancake syrup)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, molted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large egg whites
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, chopped nuts, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Stir to blend and reserve.
In a second bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, egg yolks, milk, maple syrup, melted butter, and vanilla extract; stir until smooth.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to blend until smooth, using a whisk.
In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter.
Preheat your Waring Pro Professional Double Belgian Waffle Maker on setting #4 or preferred setting* (blue indicator light will be illuminated when preheated). TIP: Add 2 tablespoon vegetable oil to batter to prevent sticking.
What I Did and/or Thinks:
The only change I did was used 1/4 teaspoon allspice for the ginger. I did had to add 2 tablespoon oil to prevent sticking because my first
two waffles stuck to the grids, the rest came out perfectly. These smelled amazing while cooking, I couldn't wait to taste one. Keeping in with the maple and pecan taste, I made a Maple
Cream Cheese Syrup to serve with the waffles; recipe below.
The taste: I love the taste of these waffles. This is actually my first time eating pumpkin! I don't know why I never try it before now, but it won't be my last! These are definitely going on my REPEAT list.
Maple Cream Cheese Syrup:
2 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup pecans
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Heat butter and pecans in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter melted.
Add cream cream and syrup stir until bubbly about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and served.
ENJOY! Come again...
BTW. Like I mention earlier I got my waffle maker from Sam's, the price was $69.99 + tax. The link I left to it is from Amazon and their price is $99.00.
Linked to:
Mix it Up Monday @FlourMeWithLove
Marvelous Mess Monday @ Marvelously Messy
This Week's Cravings # 101 @ Mom's Crazy Cooking
Melt In Your Mouth Monday #85 @ Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms
Recipe Sharing Monday @ Jam Hands
Sundae Scoop link party
nifty thrifty sunday # 77
Scrumptious Sunday #31
Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches With Rum-Raisin Filling
Hi everybody :)
You may have notice from my past cookies post Chewy Quaker Oatmeal Bars Copy-Cat., Banana Oatmeal Cookies: 4 Ways, and Plate Size Cookies that I'm very passionate about oatmeal cookies, which was the first thing that lead me to this recipe. The second was those 3 words: Rum-Raisin Filling. And as if that wasn't enough, the picture, when I saw the cookie sandwiches I was DONE.
I rush to the kitchen to see did I have all the ingredients. To my dismay, I discovered that I didn't have dark rum or cloves :( BUT I was not deterred, "where there's a will, there's a way" was my motto for today, so here's what I did...
Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches With Rum-Raisin Filling adapted Classic Southern Desserts: All-Time-Favorite Recipes
Makes 15 Sandwiches
prep: 50 min. * cook: 10 min. per hatch * other: 23 min
1/2 cup butter. softened
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves ( I used allspice)
2 cups uncooked regular oats
3/4 cup chopped pecans
Parchment paper
Preheat oven to 375. Beat first 4 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg and almond extract, beating until blended.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed until blended after each addition.
Stir in oats and pecans.
Shape dough into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on large parchment paper-lined baking sheets. ( I use my medium OXO Good Grips Cookie Scoop to scoop them out, then I rolled them and flatten slightly)
Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Let cool on baking sheets 3 minutes. Remove to wire racks, and cool completely (about 20 minutes). Spread about 3 Tbsp. Rum-Raisin Filling onto each of half the cookies; top with remaining cookies.
Rum-Raisin Filling
1 (3-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
3 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp dark rum* (I used Bacardi Gold Rum and a pinch Allspice)
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt
1 (1 lb ) package powdered sugar (4 cups)
1 1/2 cups raisins
Rum-Raisin Filling;:
Makes 2 1/2 cups
Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add milk and next 3 ingredients, beating until blended. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until smooth.
Stir in raisins. *Omit rum, if desired.
What I Did and/or Think:
I used allspice in place of the cloves and added a pinch of it along with the Bacardi Gold for the dark rum. Although the recipe stated that the rum can be omitted, I didn't want to leave it out, no way, rum-filling it says...so rum-filling it shall be :)
The taste: They were Deliciously Sweet! I LOVE the taste of the almond flavor in the cookies, who knew almond flavor would be GREAT in oatmeal cookies!. The combination of the cookies and filling was like an adult version of oatmeal cream pies, only BETTER! Even though the cookies are delicious on their own, you got to try it with the filling. These cookies are my newest # 1 Oatmeal Cookies. I'm putting them in a special file: The REPEAT HALL of FAME!
B.T.W. These cookies spread out BIG so space them out on cookie sheet. They bake up kind of thin because of the corn syrup, and they are meant to be shared so they would make great gifts.
ENJOY! Come again...
Linked to:
Mix it Up Monday @FlourMeWithLove
Marvelous Mess Monday @ Marvelously Messy
This Week's Cravings # 101 @ Mom's Crazy Cooking
Melt In Your Mouth Monday # 85 @ Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms
Recipe Sharing Monday @ Jam Hands
Sweets for a Saturday # 88 @ Sweet As Sugar Cookies
Strut Your Stuff Saturday Week 64 @ Six Sister's Stuff
Foodie Fridays @ Designs By Gollum
Friday Favorites - Week 135 @ Simply Sweet Home
