Brown Rice with Almonds and Cranberries

My wife and I prefer white rice but we can literally eat this brown rice dish every day. I'm also not much of a cranberry fan but their tart, sweetness balances the nutty savoriness of the rice and almonds beautifully. It takes about an hour to prepare but we think it's worth it!

For 4 servings (about 200 cal. each):

1/2 C brown rice
1 1/2 C hot chicken broth (I like Home Basics)
1/4 C sliced almonds
2 T dried cranberries
2 T butter divided
1 onion diced
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of salt
Pinch of brown sugar

Using a 10" non-stick skillet over medium heat melt 1 T butter. Saute onion and almonds in butter until onions are clear (about 5 minutes).

While the onion and almond are sauteing bring the broth to a simmer in a microwave (3-5 minutes depending on your microwave).

Toss the rice in with onions and almonds and toast in the pan stirring constantly over medium heat about 1 minute.

Add broth to rice mixture with a dash of cinnamon, salt and a pinch of brown sugar. Give the rice a good stir, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until the broth is nearly all absorbed then stir in remaining T of butter and cranberries, cover and simmer 5 more minutes.

Remove from heat and let stand, covered 5 minutes and serve.

Paella Pilaf

This was an improvised rice dish I made this weekend that turned out really well. If you don't normally keep orzo or wild rice on hand this is a good excuse to.

For 6 servings:

1 1/4 C long grain rice

1/4 C wild rice

1/2 C orzo

4 C chicken stock

8-10 saffron threads

1 red bell pepper (diced fine)

1 medium yellow onion (diced fine)

1 C green peas (cooked)

2 cloves garlic (sliced)

12 oz spicey sausage (chorizo, keilbasa, italian etc. I used mango-jalepeno chicken sausage)

2 T butter

1 1/2 C shredded fontina cheese

1 C shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350F. Over medium heat in a 10" skillet brown sausage (approx 5 minutes), remove sausage to 13x9 baking dish and drain pan. In same skillet saute onions, peppers, galric and peas until onions are clear and brown. Remove to baking dish with sausage. Deglaze skillet with a little chicken stock or white wine then melt butter and toast orzo until golden brown and fragrant then add rices and toast a couple minutes more. Add broth and saffron threads to rice, bring to a boil and simmer, covered until rice is tender (approx. 15-20 minutes). Fluff rice and remove to baking dish add 1 C of fontina and 1/2 C of cheddar then mix all ingredients well. Top with remaining cheese and bake at 350F until cheese is melted and brown (approx 20 minutes).

Basic Tomato Sauce

Probably should have posted this closer to summer when people have tomatoes coming out their ears. This is time consuming but worth it. It freezes and keeps well and tastes so much fresher and better than jar brands that are loaded with salt and corn syrup. You can taste the natural sweetness of the vegetables melded with the spices, garlic, olive oil and wine. Great plain on pasta with some garlic bread, or as the base to a meat sauce or as your sauce ingredient in lasagne and other Italian dishes.


20 Roma tomatoes (or 1/2 as many regular tomatoes, or a mix)
2T butter
1 1/2 C coarse chopped onion (approx 3 sml onions)
1 Green bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 C carrot, finely diced or ground (approx 1 lg carrot)
1 small stalk celery
1T dry parsley
1T dry basil
1t dry oregano
1/4 t dry thyme
1 t salt
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C red wine
1/4 C olive oil
6 T tomato paste
Ice for bath

Prepare an ice bath in a medium mixing bowl. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and plunge tomatoes in a few at a time until skin starts to peel approx. 1-1 1/2 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and place in ice bath for 5-10 seconds then remove and let rest until cool enough to handle.

Peel and seed tomatoes by splitting across middle (not through stem) to expose the tomatoes' chambers and then squeeze out seeds. Skin should slip off easily at the same time. Don't worry if a little skin remains here and there. Chop tomatoes and puree in food processor and set aside.

In a large pot over medium heat sauté onion, pepper an carrot in butter approx. 5 minutes or until onion begins to soften and clarify. Add olive oil, spices and garlic and sauté another minute until fragrant. Add wine and bring to simmer (1-2) minutes). Add tomato paste then tomato puree and whole celery stalk and bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer two hours, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard celery and simmer an additional 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Boston Baked Beans

A bean pot is something I've been meaning to get for a long time; but you don't need one to make baked beans. A slow cooker works just fine.

1lb Navy beans
1/2 C molasses
3/4 C dark brown sugar
2 T maple syrup
2 T tomato paste
1/4 C cider vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 Medium onion sliced
1/4lb salt pork cubed

In a stock pot cover beans with 2" of water and 1/2 t baking soda. Parboil for 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the liquid. Combine beans and remaining ingredients in a slow cooker and set on high for 4 hours (or cook on low 8-10 hours).

Meatloaf (It's What's For Dinner)

Ingredients:
1lb Ground Pork
1lb Ground Beef
1 C plain bread or cracker crumbs
2 extra large eggs
1/4 C Worcestershire sauce
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 T dry basil
1 6oz can tomato paste
4 T brown sugar
4 T white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350F

In a small bowl combine tomato paste, vinegar and brown sugar.

In a large mixing bowl combine remaining ingredients and 1/2 the tomato mixture. Knead together until firm. If mixture is still loose add more breadcrumbs 1 T at a time until firm and moldable.

Mold into a loaf on a lined cookie sheet and "glaze" with remaining tomato mixture.

Bake for 60 minutes. Let stand for 20 and serve.

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This could be filled with a lot of silly nonsense about who we are and what we do and why we cook, but that's kind of pointless. The only point is, we're here and we like to cook. Enjoy the recipes, and enjoy the stories!