Kitchen Tip: Precise Rice Advice

If you love rice and you work with it a lot, you probably already know this, but for those who are occasional rice users, it can come in handy. Sticky rice is great for many dishes, and there are types of rice that produce more starch for things like sushi rolls. But if you want to use rice that isn't as sticky/starchy - in a dish like fried rice, for example, then this tip is for you. 

If you're making fried rice from leftover rice, it's not a problem, because the rice is not going to be as starchy after it has been in the refrigerator overnight. But what if you want to make fried rice for lunch or dinner as a main dish? 

One good way to make "loose" rice is to just make a pilaf. Add a little oil to the pan, sauté the rice until it is coated, then proceed with the recipe (using whatever ratio you need depending on the type of rice you are using). Pilaf is made using an aromatic (like garlic or onion), and a bay leaf too, but you don't need to add those unless you just want to. Just sauté the aromatic for a minute or two before adding your rice. Bay leaf goes in after you add your water or stock.

A faster way to do this is to put everything in your pan or rice cooker, then add 1 tablespoon of oil or butter, then cook as usual. After the rice is done, fluff it and leave the lid tilted so it can dry out a little more. It is ready for action for your fried rice recipe, etc. 

The rice in the pic above was made using the faster method. It was used for a lovely pan of fried rice that we had for lunch. I'll have to post the recipe. It's not traditional, but it is tasty AF. It's one of those recipes where you could just eat the whole pan because it is so good.

It's possible that I might have already posted this recipe somewhere. If I did it was quite a while back & this dish has had improvements (re: the method) over the years, so it wouldn't hurt to post it again. 

Recipe: Need an Emergency Pie? Try This Easy Cherry- Cream Cheese Pie

 

This one was just a "throw-together" pie that turned out really, really well. I have to post about it so I don't forget. 

It all started with a pre-made pie shell that I wanted to use before it was unusable. I like to make my own pie dough & I don't buy pie shells very often, but I was curious about the texture & flavor. It was a Pillsbury frozen crust. (I am always leery of Pillsbury products because some of their products have an unpleasant aftertaste.) Since these were in the freezer section, I thought it might differ from the refrigerated version. They seem to be pretty popular. I remember when Pet was the king of pie shells in this area, but I guess they got out of the pie shell game, or they just don't ship to our area anymore. 

I've never been a fan of canned fruit for pies because most of them have an obscene, insane amount of sugar. So I'm either going to use fresh fruit, frozen, or dehydrated. This time it was frozen cherries. There was one package in the freezer, the organic kind. It was only 10 ounces. 

I thought, well, I can always just make a galette with the filling, but it was such a small amount, I changed my mind. I didn't want to add any other kind of fruit, so I decided to use an 8 ounce package of cream cheese that was also in the freezer. Posipka was the finishing touch. I had some of that in the freezer as well, but it's something you can throw together in minutes, so it's not a big deal if you don't have any on hand. 

Ingredients: 

Homemade pie dough for one 8-9 inch pie, or a store-bought pie shell.  (I'm sure it would be great with a graham cracker or cookie crust too.)

One 10 oz. bag of organic frozen cherries

One 8 oz. pkg. of cream cheese

1/2 c granulated sugar (I used Zulka Mexican Sugar)

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla (I used vanilla paste for this recipe, but regular vanilla is fine)

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Posipka at will! (you'll need sugar, flour, and butter for this)

Method

For the cherries:

Dump cherries in a saucepan, turn the heat on low. When they start to release juice, turn the heat up to medium. Once they have softened, you can mash them with a potato masher as much or as little as you please. 

Add 1/4 c of sugar to the cherries. Stir well. 

Mix the cornstarch with a little water (1/8 c or so) to make a slurry, then pull the cherries off the burner and add the slurry. Stir until combined, then put it back on the burner and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from burner, cover, and set aside to cool. It doesn't have to be completely cool before adding to the pie, but you don't want it too warm either. 

For the cream cheese:

Put the cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until softened (30 to 60 seconds - do it in increments). You can do this in a pan on the stove if you don't like using, or don't have, a microwave oven. Once is it softened, (it's okay if it's a little "soupy," don't worry about it. Just try to keep soupy to a minimum). Add 1/4 c sugar, mix well. Let it cool slightly (pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes or so). It can be warm, but not too warm, so your egg won't curdle. After cooling, add the vanilla, mix well. Scramble the egg and add to mixture. Mix until well combined. 

Set oven temp to 350ºF. 

Prepare your pie shell, (or remove from package if store bought). 😄

Put the cream cheese mixture in the pie shell, use a rubber spatula, if you have one, to get every bit of it out of the bowl. Spread evenly on bottom of shell. Place in fridge while you prepare your posipka. If you want, you can top with the cherry mixture and either swirl it in, or leave it as is. Just make sure all of the cream cheese is covered if you opt not to swirl. 

For the posipka: 

I just "play it by ear" when I make posipka. Some people melt the butter, but it's better to leave it solid, IMO. That's how my Czech grandma did it too - solid. You have to gauge it depending on the recipe, but if you make too much, don't worry. It freezes nicely for your next dessert. 

I start with 2 Tbsps. butter, straight from the fridge. Add 2 Tbsps. flour & 2 Tbsps. granulated sugar. Then just pretend you are making pie dough and use a manual handheld pastry blender, or a fork. Mash until crumbly. You'll have to add additional flour as needed to get it to the right crumbly state. Sometimes I also end up adding a little more sugar. It's really a personal preference - some people like to make their posipka sweeter, some don't. I like a good balance. Just eyeball the posipka on the pie in the pic, that's what you want it to look like. Crumbles of all different sizes. 

After making the posipka, take out the pie. Add the cherries if you haven't already. Then sprinkle with posipka. Fire at will...or rather...posipka at will! 

Bake for 30-40 minutes, but check at the 30 mark. The dough should look golden by then, your cream cheese will look puffy, and you can test with a knife or toothpick to make sure it is done. Your dough should be okay at that temp without covering the edges, but if your oven runs hot, go ahead and use protection.  

Let it cool on the counter for a while, then put it in the fridge to cool completely. 

It might sound like it takes a long time to prep, but it doesn't. Once the cherries are done, the rest of the prep takes less than 10 minutes (if you have already prepared the pie dough, or have a purchased pie shell).

It's a tasty, quick dessert if you need one for a party or potluck. 

Enjoy!

P.S.) If any part of the instructions are unclear or seem goofy, just let me know and I'll clarify. I do proofread before posting, but sometimes I miss things. 😁

Killer Garlic Bread Recipe

This one takes a little more elbow grease than "cheater garlic bread," but it is absolutely worth it. Use FRESH garlic too, not the one that's already peeled and minced. Fresh. 

Use your favorite bread, whether homemade or store-bought. This recipe is enough to cover 2 halves of a loaf of French bread. You could do slices as well, if that's what you fancy. 

I used: 

About 3/4 of a stick of unsalted butter. Or you can go ahead and use all 8 Tbsps. Either way, leave the butter out until is softens. Spreadable, but still firm. (It works better this way instead of melting the butter. It's more of a PITA if you melt it, let's just put it that way. Melting is great for spreading the butter, but the minced garlic has to be shoveled on with a spoon & won't spread evenly. So...no. Don't melt it.)

Garlic...I used an entire bulb for this. Use a garlic crusher if you have one. It makes life easier. I also used one of the tubes made for peeling garlic. Otherwise, you'll have to peel one by one with your knife, or smash them to release the peel. 

S&P - I seasoned with Kosher salt & some pepper

Oil - I used 2-3 tsps. of avocado oil

1 tsp. of garlic powder (not garlic salt). Because...why not? 

Mix & mash together until well combined, then slather it on your favorite bread. 

You can add other things too: herbs, your favorite cheese or cheeses, red pepper flakes, (or even more fresh garlic, if an entire bulb isn't enough for you). I was just itching for some good garlic bread, and that was the goal here. 

Toast the halves or slices in your oven until they reach your desired doneness. I let it get a little toasty on the edges, but that was it. I didn't want the garlic to burn. Alternatively, you can put the halves back together and just bake for a bit, but the results are better if you toast the halves, so the yummy garlic butter can melt into the bread. 

A great accompaniment for any meal, but it can also be a meal by itself. That is up to you. All I know is that I really enjoyed the chunk I had for breakfast the next morning. 😀

Let's Cook Some Broccoli - A Simple Recipe, A Great Flavor

 

I still have an issue with the guy who posted a video and tried to convince people that their veggies at home were not as good as they are in a restaurant. It just totally rubbed me the wrong way. He tried to claim that the "secret ingredient" that makes restaurant veggies taste so good is...butter. 

In the first place, I want to know where in the world he is getting all of these wonderful restaurant veggies, because the majority of the time, veggies are an afterthought in a restaurant. They are usually overcooked, undercooked, over-seasoned, or under-seasoned. And by over-seasoned, I mean salty AF. At least with under-seasoned, you can add what you want. 

So, unless you are dining at a 5 star restaurant, (and sometimes not even then), your average side-order veggies are a disappointment. I would say...99% of the time. That has been my experience. Your mileage may vary. 😀

Forget what he said. It is just pure BS. You can make veggies at home that far surpass any restaurant veggies. It's the cooking method, not the 5 pounds of butter, that make veggies good. They don't need a lot of adornment, but you can go that way too, once the cooking method is down pat.

Back to the broccoli. Unless I'm planning a broccoli casserole or broccoli soup with the leftovers, I usually just grab a good-looking crown of broccoli instead of a big bunch. That gets us through a meal with maybe enough left over for lunch the next day. (No guarantee on that though. It might all be consumed the very night it is made.) 

Either way, first rinse your broccoli. If you have a designated spray bottle for vinegar that you keep next to the sink (and if you don't, you should), spray it with that first. Then rinse & set it aside for a few minutes. 

For just a crown, I use either a 2-quart or 4-quart saucepan. Fill it 3/4 of the way up, add about a teaspoon of Kosher salt (less if you use granulated salt), and set it to boil. 

Then process your broccoli. Cut the crown into florets, and try to make them somewhat the same size. Cut them in half if necessary. But don't make a big deal out of it, as long as it's mostly uniform, you'll be fine. Peel and dice the stem too. 

Rinse again for good measure, then add to the saucepan after the water has reached a rolling boil. Stir, bring back to boil, then turn down to simmer. It will take 6-8 minutes before it's ready.

The pic above was taken after the water started to boil again. You can see it floats. Pennywise would approve. 😀

In this next pic, you can see that the broccoli has started to go below the surface. That's when you want to pull it. Sometimes I let it cook for about another minute once it dips below, but most often I pull it. 

Drain (no need to shock it in ice water), & add a little pepper & maybe 1 tsp. of butter, and toss until coated. Delicious!

Or you can leave it as-is, you use your favorite topping, or use it for soup, casserole, etc. Perfectly cooked, al dente. That's how it should be. If it is olive drab "army green," you are cooking it waaaaay too long!

If you aren't getting results like this with your broccoli, just drop me a line so we can figure out why. 

Product Review: Rice-A-Roni

 

Rice-A-Roni...it was introduced in 1958, do we really need to talk about it? Yes. Yes we do. 

I remember the commercial from many years ago, it was on tv a LOT. The San Francisco Treat. Yeah.

Well, it is good. It is one of the food items I don't mind eating cold from the fridge if there are leftovers. 

I don't know how many flavors there are now, but I still like the chicken flavor the most. Second is the "pilaf," if it is still out there. All flavors are made with the pilaf method, but ok, we'll let it slide. 

I mostly want to talk about prep. How do you make yours? Do you follow the instructions on the package to a T? Years ago I started subtracting water and now I only use 1 1/2 cups instead of the recommended...what is it? 2 1/4? No, no, no. That's way too much. It gets too big and "wormy." Stick with less water. It is so much better that way. 

So try it out. I am in south central Texas, so the right amount where you are might be different, depending on the region you live in. 

It's also a good idea to use a 10" pan to make it, rather than a 2 quart pot. 

2 Tbsps. of butter, yeah, it works. You can use oil too, really, but butter kinda hits the spot. Use unsalted though, since it already has a lot of sodium. 

A homemade version of this is actually pretty good too, but you know how it is with nostalgia flavors. Sometimes you just have to have the original. 

Bring it to a rolling boil before you cover an reduce heat. A rolling boil...not a simmer, not a barely boil. A ROLLING boil. 😆 Yes, one day I will get a camera and post an example of a rolling boil. 

Then when it's done, fluff it, and tilt your lid so steam can escape & it dries out a little more. Then it's munchie-munch heaven. 

Here's another tidbit...I used to get the family size sometimes when we needed extra, but I stopped doing that long ago. The balance of the flavor packet vs. the rice is not the same. I haven't tried it again in a while, but I'm betting it's still the same way now. Just splurge and get 2 regular size. This is not the only product where this issue happens, by the way. 

So far they haven't done anything with it to change it, because why mess with perfection? Each time a company starts monkeying around with a flavor, thinking it has to be "updated" or whatever, it's no good anymore. I have to cite Coke and Wolf Brand Hot Dog Sauce as examples. 

If it's good, leave it alone! At least the Rice-A-Roni folks make different flavors instead of ruining the original one. I give them 40 thumbs up for that! 😆