Gourmet Brown Rice

Gillian McKeith's

Gourmet Brown Rice

We always have brown rice in the refrigerator.  It's so versatile, and it can be eaten with any meal.

When I saw this recipe in Gillian McKeith's You Are What You Eat cookbook, it sounded like a great play on regular brown rice, and used ingredients I had in the pantry/fridge!

I soak my rice overnight before washing it well and cooking with it.

After I soaked 1 c of short grain brown rice, I placed it in a saucepan with sliced carrots and celery and 2 c water.  The recipe calls for a vegetable stock cube or miso paste.  I used miso paste and it was really good.

At this point you just bring the water to a boil, then cover and simmer the dish for 25 minutes or so, letting it stand with the heat off for 10 minutes and then serving.

It's great heated up the next day as well. 

Great flavors and goes well with any main dish or with a large salad.



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Bon Appetit!



Grilled Artichokes

Grilled Artichokes

I have wanted to learn to grill artichokes for years, and finally saw a great blog post with fantastic step by step directions. 

I won't do it the same justice that Kim at Sand and Sisal did in her post, so be sure to check hers out as well!

Our wine club had a Picnic/Grill themed party so I thought it would be a great opportunity to try out the artichokes. 

I prepped them at home, with my helper Thomas, and Barry and Mike grilled them the evening of the party.

We picked out four good looking artichokes at Kroger.

We filled a large pot with a couple of inches of water, lemon, garlic, and salt.

Then my helper showed up and I gave him the task of trimming the pointy ends off the artichokes.

While it's evidently not a necessary step, I would recommend it because I pricked myself repeatedly on those pointy ends.  Thomas did a thorough job.

At this point you have to work rather quickly because once the artichokes are cut open they start turning brown in about 30 seconds.

Slice open one artichoke and scope out the hairy choke and pink leaves.

We thought they were soooo cool when we opened them up!

This is what it looks like (mostly) scooped out.  I did a bit more clean up on the hairs after the photo.

Rub a halved lemon all over the inside, quarter the artichoke and place it face down in the boiling pot of water.

This is what the choke and pink leaves from just one artichoke looks like!

I quartered the artichoke halves before popping them in the boiling water.

I stirred them up well so everyone got equal time.

While they're boiling you make up a marinade with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, steak sauce (I used A-1), and Montreal steak seasoning.

I happened to have this one hand because my friend Vinita shared with me her love for this seasoning awhile back.  She uses it on everything from salmon to steak.



Drain your artichokes and marinade them in a large bowl.

I then covered and refrigerated the bowl and took the artichokes to the party a few hours later.

After they were grilled up, they were ready to eat!

You just char them lightly on either side at this point.

To eat, take a leaf by the end and put the leaf in your mouth and pull between your teeth to get all the yummy meat off.  Don't eat the whole leaf, just the meat from it.

So good, really addictive!



I found prepping the artichokes to be somewhat laborious, but it was nice having a helper. 

I would definitely make this dish again for a grilling party!

Enjoy!



Salt and Vinegar Broiled Fingerling Potatoes

Umami Girl's

Salt and Vinegar Broiled Fingerling Potatoes

I thought this side dish sounded like a nice change from regular roasted potatoes, which we all love.

Carolyn at Umami Girl has some great recipes, so I was pretty sure I could pull this one off.

I cleaned a pound of fingerling potatoes and sliced them lengthwise.

They are supposed to be sliced about 1/4 inch thick, so I did the best I could.

I'm not known for my consistent slicing.

Then I combined the potatoes and vinegar in a pot and brought the mixture to a boil. 

I then let the potatoes simmer for 8 minutes until they were tender.

I let them cool in their liquid for 30 minutes and drained them well.

I patted them dry with a paper towel and tossed them with olive oil, Kosher salt, and black pepper.

Then I placed them on a baking sheet and broiled them for 7 minutes, flipped them over, then broiled them for 5 more minutes.

They taste great - like salt and vinegar potato chips that are so addictive!

Even Brennan, who doesn't care for vinegar tastes, liked the potatoes a lot.

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Enjoy!

Really Good and Easy to Make

Strawberry, Mandarin Orange, and Poppyseed Dressing Salad

House of Grace's

Strawberry, Mandarin Orange, and Poppyseed Dressing Salad

I saw this recipe on Bonnie's House of Grace blog awhile back and immediately pinned it.

I made it last night for a dinner party, and it was really good. 

Maybe my favorite salad ever.

I used Target's Archer Farms brand dressing because I like that they don't usually have a lot of extra ingredients in their dressings.  I'm sure other brands are good too.  I think poppyseed dressing goes really well with fruit.

Before the party I chopped up my lettuce and put it in my serving dish.  I used a mixture of romaine and bibb that I had on hand.  Then I covered it with plastic wrap and took it to the party.

I sliced strawberries and drained mandarin oranges and put them in plastic containers to take with us.  I did the same with the chopped walnuts.

When we were ready to eat I drizzled dressing over the lettuce, then topped with the strawberries, oranges, and walnuts, then drizzled more dressing over the top.

This salad is really fresh, pretty, and tastes great!  I'll definitely serve it again and again.

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Enjoy!

Fabulous!  Will make again and again!

 

Roasted Garlic-Sweet Pea Spread

Roasted Garlic-Sweet Pea Spread

I found this recipe in the March 2012 Southern Living and immediately ripped it out, along with the other 4 green pea recipes the page included.  This one sounded great for a party appetizer, so I made it yesterday.  I've modified it somewhat from the original.

You start by snipping off the pointed end of a garlic bulb and placing it on a piece of tin foil.

Then you drizzle 1 Tbsp olive oil over the bulb and fold the foil up, sealing it well.

Cook it at 425* for 30 minutes.  Then let it sit for 10 minutes.

I blanched peas in boiling, salted water for 2 minutes, then drained them and put them in the food processor, along with Parmesan, basil, mint, and lemon juice. 

Then I squeezed out the roasted garlic into the food processor, making sure to avoid any garlic papers.  I processed the mixture up while drizzling in olive oil.

Then I seasoned with Kosher salt and black pepper to taste, transferred it to a serving bowl, covered, and chilled it until the party.

Last night I served the pea dip with crackers, but I think it would be great with pita bread, baquette, or vegetables as well.

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Enjoy!

Really great taste, lots of requests for the recipe!