Jicama Salad

While my friends and I were attending the Quick Quotes Private Reserve Weekend they served us this jicama salad that was to die for. I have modified the recipe here for you. Once you try it I promise you will not be able to put your fork down.

For the Salad:

Ingredients:

Julien slice all ingresients and place in a large bowl

2 Large jicama peeled

1 White Onion sliced very thinly

1 Large Red Bell Pepper

1 Large Yellow Bell Pepper

1 Jar Sun Dried Tomatos thinly sliced


For Remoulade Dressing:

Ingredience:

Place all ingredience in a blender

1/4 Cup Lemon juice

1/2 Cup thinly sliced White Onion

1/2 Cup chopped Green Onion

1/4 Cup Celery (take off string)

2 Tbls Garlic

3 Tbls prepared Horseradich

3 Tbls Whole Grain Mustard

3 Tbls prepared Yellow Mustard

3 Tbls Ketchup

1 tsp Salt

with all ingredients in blender mix until blended, then add 1 Cup Canola Oil until emulsified. You may choose to make the dressing more creamy by adding 1/2 Cup Mayonaise to the mix (I chose to forgo the extra calories and didn't miss it in the taste or creamyness).

Add dressing to the salad and serve.

Quick Quotes Private Reserve Weekend

Last month a few of my friends and I attended Quick Quotes (QQ) Private Reserve Weekend. For those of you that have no idea what I am talking about, it's all about scrapbooking.
I have to tell you that the QQ ladies did a fabulous job at one of thier first go round weekend reserves. I know that they have done a few others at other cities and I am sure that they had as great of time as we did here.

I know that we completed so many great, fun, new projects that I can't wait to attend another Quick Quotes Private Reserve Weekend. My friends and I have attended Creative Escapes a few years in a row (2007 & 2008) and dollar for dollar we all agree that QQ is where it's at. I also felt that I got more completed and more usable projects out of the QQ weekend at a much lower price. I also felt I would give up a Creating Keepsakes convention to attend another Quick Quotes Private Reserve.

My advice if you are into scrapbooking and have an opportunity to attend a Quick Quotes Private Reserve, don't pass it up I promise you wont regret it.

Pumpkin Drop Cookies

This time of year when I see pumpkins around I always get excited for fresh pumpkin goodies. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin cake, and pumpkin drop cookies. This is one of my favorite recipes for this time of year. You can use the canned pumpkin but trust me just once try baking up and preparing some fresh pumpkin. Once you try the fresh pumpkin you'll never go back.

Ingredients:

3/4 C Butter softened to room temp

2/3 C packed Brown Sugar

2 large Eggs

1 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla

1C fresh (or canned) Pumpkin

2 C Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Pinch of Salt

2 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 C Chocolate Chips (you can use raisins or chopped dates instead)

Optional: 1 C chopped Walnuts

Directions:

In a large bowl beat together: butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Mix in pumpkin.
Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
Mix everything until well blended.
Stir in chocolate chips (or other add-In's that you have) and nuts, if using them.

Drop by spoonfuls, 2 inches apart, on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (trust me once you start using it you will want to use it in all your baking).

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove cookie sheets and carefully pull parchment paper (with cookies still on top) onto a cooling rack

makes about 36 (1 1/2 inch) cookies.

Enjoy!

Italian Meatloaf

So another flavor that will instantly take me back to my childhood is meatloaf. I loved it as a kid, but as an adult it doesn't hold the same flavors that I remember being so fond of. However, I have come up with a new grown-up version that I am just crazy about. I use Hot Italian sausage to add a little spice, but you can easily use mild Italian sausage and it gives it a little different slightly more savory flavor.

Ingredients:

1/2 lb Ground Turkey

1/2 lb Ground Beef or Pork (if you use beef it will have more flavor, if you use pork it will be more tender. Either way they are both delish!)

5 Italian Sausage links-removed from the casings (if you like a little spice try the hot Italian sausage)

1 large Egg (or 2 medium eggs) beaten

1/2 finely chopped Yellow Onion

1 chopped Yellow Bell Pepper

1/2 C chopped fresh Parsley

1/2 C grated Parmesan Cheese

1/2 C Rolled Oats

Sea Salt & Pepper

1 can of Muir Glen Tomato Sauce ( you could use a different kind if you want this is just for the top)

Directions:

in a large bowl mix meat, try not to over work your meat, over working meat can make it a little tough.

add: egg, onion, pepper, parsley, Parmesan, oats, and some salt and pepper (be careful not to over salt, you can always add more later, but you can't remove it). Work into meat.

Shape meat into a loaf. If your going to cook it in the oven then you will shape it like a traditional meatloaf. If you have pressure cookers and are going to cook it in a pressure cooker shape it more into a disk shape.

For the OVEN: preheat your oven to 375 Degrees. Place meatloaf in the center of a jellyroll pan. Pat your meatloaf to ensure that you don't have any air bubbles.
Bake for 1 hour. Pour tomato sauce over the top and bake for another 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

For the PRESSURE COOKER: when cooking with a pressure cooker always follow manufactures instructions for operation. Put 1 cup of water in the bottom of your pressure cooker.
Place your meatloaf on a trivet with a turkey chain around the entire trivet and meatloaf (you want to do this so that when your meatloaf is done you can lift the whole thing out as one and not break up your meatloaf). Once you have your "package together place it down in your pressure cooker, set the handles of the turkey chain to the side, but so that they will still be accessible to you when the cooking is complete. Pour the tomato sauce over your meatloaf and place pressure cooker on heat.
Place lid on pressure cooker. When pressure come up to 15lbs of pressure, cook meatloaf for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and drop pressure. Let meatloaf stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Apple Brown Bettys

Apple Brown Betty's in years past were a way for people to use up old stale bread and not have to waist it. Today I think for many, at least for me it elicits fond memories of my child hood and some of my favorite desert flavors.

So I am going to give you an up dated recipe for an old favorite.

Ingredients:

1 loaf Brioche- take off crust slice and break into somewhat equal pieces

1 cube unsalted Butter

1 TSP Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Nutmeg

1 TSP Pure Vanilla

6-7 Granny Smith Apples -peeled, cored, and sliced

1 C packed Brown Sugar

Raw Sugar

Directions:

Prepare pan, I use a brownie size pan, coat it with butter and sugar. Do this like you would do if you were going to put oil and flour into a pan to stop something from sticking. Set aside

Melt butter, pour over brioche, and set aside.

Toss apples with juice of 1 lemon, to help them keep a nice color.

mix: sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Add vanilla mix (I like to use a fork)

Add Apples mix so that all the apples get nice and coated with the sugar mixture

In prepared pan layer brioche then apples, then repeat end with brioche.

Top the layers with a Raw Sugar, you will want to use raw sugar because it has less of a potential to burn than granulated sugar. Trust me don't leave this off, it crystallizes on the top and give you this beautiful crunch that is just yummy!

Bake at 350 for about 50-55 minutes or until golden brown and apples are soft, but not mushy when pocked with a knife.

Enjoy!

Yummy Bread Pudding

I was watching Iron Chefs one night and they did this chocolate bread pudding and the people on the show just raved about it, and heaven knows I am a just a sucker for chocolate! And then one night I was watching 'The Best thing I Ever Ate' and one of the places highlighted had a hot chocolate that was spiced with lots of cinnamon.

Now I have never thought about putting cinnamon and chocolate together, and on top of that I can't stand bread pudding, but trust me on this one, I am sure that like me, you will love this one!

I am going to give you the recipe without the chocolate added and then at the end tell you how much and where to add the chocolate because just the cinnamon bread pudding is really good by it's self and you've got to give it a try as well.

Ingredients:

Brioche (if you can't find brioche a sturdy french bread will do) you really want this to be day old bread not fresh, and you want to take off the crust. If it is already in thin slices you will want 8 slices. If it is in thick slices, or if you are slicing it make it 4 think slices.

Mix some butter, cinnamon, sugar and put on bread. Toast bread in oven as you would for cinnamon toast. You can cut bread into 1/4 size cubes either before you place in the oven or after, it doesn't really matter its up to you, go crazy with it. The more cinnamon you put on at this point the more cinnamon taste you will have in your end product, I like a lot.

When you put your cubes into the oven, I put them into the oven at 350 for about 10 min. However, be careful not to burn your bread. If you are using bread that has already been cut, the slices are thinner and will be more prone to burn, so it may not need 10 min.

Set you toasted cubes aside and make your custard

for the custard:

1 tsp unsalted butter

2 C Half and Half

4 Eggs

1 C firmly packed Brown Sugar

2 tsp Cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground Nutmeg

1 tsp pure Vanilla


Directions:

In a large bowl whisk the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla together until very smooth and set aside.

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, add the half and half. When the cream comes up to a gentle boil take off heat.

Slowly add the egg mixture to the creamed sugar mixture and mix well, be careful not to add eggs too fast if you add them too fast you will have scrambled eggs in your custard mix.

Pour mixture over bread and mix. Try not to knock off your cinnamon crust off your bread as you mix. Let the mixture sit for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Prepare a 6 cup loaf pan (9 1/4 by 5 1/4 by 2 2/4-inch): butter bottom and side and the sprinkle it with sugar.

After 30 minutes have passed pour mixture into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 for about 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick pulls out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve.

I like to serve it with a good vanilla bean ice cream, but if you want a traditional cream try this one:


SPICED CREAM
1 qt Heavy Cream

1/4 C Granulated Sugar

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp white Vanilla

Beat the cream with an electric mixer on high speed in a large mixing bowl for about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla and beat again until the mixture thickens and forms stiff peaks, another 1 to 2 minutes.


For CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING:

follow direction as above except when you are heating the cream for the custard in the very beginning.
You need 1 1/2 C Chocolate chips
when Half and Half comes to a light boil whisk in chocolate chip a little at a time until all chips have been Incorporated into the cream and are well blended then remove from heat and continue with adding to the egg mixture.

Good luck with both of these recipes. I know they will both be added to your favorites list as they are on my families favorites list. Let me know what you think after you try them.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Salsa

I just love fresh salsa and there is one Fresh Mex restaurant that has a black bean salsa that I have been trying to duplicate for such along time. I don't quite have it, but I have come up with one that I think works and my family and friends seem to really like.

Ingredients:

6-8 Roma Tomatoes

1 bunch Green Onions

1/2 C Cilantro (leaves only)

4 Jalapenos (cleaned and seeded, if you like it a little hotter leave some of the seeds in)

4-6 cloves Garlic (or 1 TSP Garlic)

1 1/2 Desert Garden Green Chile Sauce -(I have buy this at Whole Foods Market- but I am sure they have it other places as well)

2-15 oz Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes

3 C cooked/drained Black Beans

Juice of 1 Lime


Directions:

Cut your tomatoes into 1/8 cubes, rough chop the rest of your produce (it just makes chopping easier, at least for us OCDers).

In your multi chopper add: Green Onion, Garlic, Cilantro, and Jalapenos. Chop on moment speed until you achieve a consistent size.

Add: Tomatoes and chop again to achieve consistent size.

Add: Black Beans, and Muir Glen Tomatoes, chop again to achieve consistent size.

Add: Green Chile Sauce, and Lime juice, and do final chop. Chop until you achieve desired consistency.

Empty contents into a dish that will go into the refrigerator and add Sea Salt to taste.

Refrigerate salsa for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to merry, trust me on this one.

Give this one a try and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

SALSA, SALSA, SALSA

I love salsa and nothing beats fresh salsa, and if you can make a great salsa and make it quick and easy it's even better. I promise you once you try this recipe and see how easy it is you wont want to buy salsa in the jar again. Just a warning I aways make my salsa a little strong with garlic, take liberties with it. If you don't like so much garlic just put in less, but if your daring and don't mind if your significant other asks you if you have been eating garlic, for a few days after you eaten the salsa, then go for it.


Ingredients:

6-8 Roma tomatoes

1 bunch Green Onions

6-8 Cloves of Garlic (or if you don't want to use the cloves and prefer to use the jars, which is what I do, then put in about 2 TSP)

1 C Cilantro (leaves only)

4 Jalapeno Peppers (I take out most of the seeds, if you like more heat just leave some seeds in)

1 Med Yellow Onion

1- 15 oz can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes

2 TSP Garlic Olive Oil (if you don't have GOO, you can use EVOO)

Sea Salt to taste

Directions:

I give all my produce a rough chop to start. What that means is just this: I cut everything into about 1/2" chunks except the tomatoes. The tomatoes I cut into 1/8ths (not 1/8" just 1/8 sections) that is what a rough chop is. The reason I do this is because I can admit I am a little OCD about a few things, and I like my salsa pieces to be all about the same size when I am done. If the chopper doesn't have to work so hard one some things then they all seem to end up about the same size. So if you would like to have a chunkier salsa maybe you don't want to rough chop first.


Just a note if you are using the multi chopper that goes on the Bosch you will have to divide your ingredients and then mix them when your done. This amount of ingredient actually makes about 8 or 9 cups of salsa depending on the size of you tomatoes.

Put Onion, Green Onion, Jalapenos, Cilantro, Garlic, and Garlic Olive oil in a multi chopper. Using the moment speed, chop until you achieve a nice consistent size.

Then Add:

Tomatoes

Continue to chop on moment speed unit a nice medium to small size consistence is seen. on the outside sometimes it can just look like you've almost chopped too much if you like it more on the small size, which I do.

Last add the Muir Glen Tomatoes

These will chop very fast so be very careful or you will end up with some consistency that is over chopped and not what you are looking for.

put contents into a container that can be refrigerated, add your Sea Salt to taste.

You can serve right away but it is aways better after the flavors have had a chance to merry together.

I hope you enjoy this really simple Salsa recipe as much as my family and I do. Let me know what you think after you have tried it.

Enjoy!

The Best Cobbler

Over the last several months I have been in search of the perfect cobbler. I have tried several different recipes and mixes, and I really didn't find one that I thought was perfect. So........I mixed up my own that I, and my family, think is perfect. I hope that you will give it a try and love it as much as we do.

Ingredients:

Biscuit dough for the top

2 C flour

1/4 C granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 stick of butter (trust me don't try to use something else, it's just not the same)

1/2- 3/4 C milk

mix dry ingredients together first then slowly add milk until it is fairly smooth and thin for a biscuit dough. You may or may not use all 3/4 C Milk.

For Peach filling:

1 C brown sugar

1 C granulated sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoon Sweet spice blend or Cinnamon

3 Tablespoons Cornstarch

put all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well, especially the cornstarch. You don't want any lumps.

Add to dry mix 3-4 lbs of peaches (you can use fresh or frozen)

Add 3 Tablespoons lemon juice (it will help the peaches keep their color and freshness)

mix fruit and sugar mixture together making sure to coat each piece of fruit.

Put Fruit and sugar mixture in a 9 X 12 pan. Its ok if your peaches stick up past the top of the pan just keep them away from the edges.

After all the fruit, and sugar, is in the pan spoon and spreadout the biscuit mixture. Some areas may have thicker dough than others.....Don't obsess it doesn't have to be even that's part of what makes this recipe so good.

Top the whole thing off with about 3Tablespoons Turbinado, or Raw Sugar, and Sweet Spice (If you don't have sweet spice Cinnamon will do just fine)

place in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 45-50 minutes. Top should be nice and golden.


variations to try:
--Reduce peaches by 1 lb and add about 2 lbs of blueberries. The blueberries add a different level of sweetness that is just perfect.

--For a great mixed Berry Cobbler use 3-4lbs of mixed berries (I like a mix of Marion Black Berries, Blue berries, and Raspberries they make a beautiful tangy mix). And reduce your brown and granulated sugar by 1/2 (So, only use 1/2 cup of each type of sugar).

Try all three types of cobblers and let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

Cinnomon Rolls

Ingrediants:

2 sticks butter
plenty of brown sugar
ground cinnomon

dental floss- to cut the rolls with

My family loves Cinnimin rolls and my version is one of their favorites.

For the dough I use my basic bread recipe. Trust me you will not regret making them with whole wheat. Eventhough these lovely treats have plenty of sugar you'll have the nutrition of the whole wheat, which in my book completely negates all the calories gained from the sugar.

To start make a batch of my "Basic Bread" recipe. After you have made the recipe put down enough vegtable oil on you counter to stop the dough from sticking, then put your dough out on your counter, or work surface. "Punch down" the dough to make sure that there are no air bubbles. Cut off a piece, about 3"X 8", the size you cut will determine the size your rolls endup to be. you must make sure that you have plenty of veg. oil on your rolling surface or you dough will stick.

Shape your piece so that it resembles a loaf, then roll out your dough. You want to roll it out so that the dough is about 1/4" to 1/3" thick. Again the thickness of your dough will determine the size of your rolls. So if you want larger rolls, leave your dough a little of the thicker side, but you don't want it too thick or you will have more dough and less of the cinnomon/sugar/sweetness.

After you have the dough rolled into a long rectangle you want to spread melted butter generously over rolled dough.

Next spread brown sugar over the length of the dough. Leave edges of dough free, but just about 3/4", so that when you roll the dough it can stick to its self.

Now that the sugar is spread spinkle on the cinnomon, remember you have control put as much or as little as you want.

You can also add raisins at this point if you like raisins in your cinnomon rolls.

Now that all ingredients are in start rolling your dough. just start at one end and continue rolling to the other end. Continue in this way until you have all of you dough rolled into one long roll.

Now cut one long string of dental floss. Use the dental floss rap it around your roll of dough and bring it arought the intire roll and cross the two ends keep tightening the floss until it "cuts" the dough into a slice. Continue slicing the dough in this way until you have sliced the entire roll.

Place rolls on a cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. Cover rolls, set them aside, and allow rolls to double in size before cooking.

And cook at 350 degrees for about 16-18 mins. A little longer if you make your rolls very big.
After cooking is done I pull my rolls off the hot pans and on to a cooling rack, keeping them on the parchment paper.

After the rolls are cool, or not, spread on your favorite cream cheese spread or try my cinnomon roll spread.

These are treats that everyone enjoys and they are easy to make. I am sure your family will love them as much as mine.

Basic Bread

Basic Bread Recipe
This recipe is setup to be done in a Bosch. It can be done in a Kitchen-aid but the recipe must be cut into about 1/2, on the short side of half.


INGREDIENTS:

7 CUPS FRESH GROUND WHEAT (I like to use white wheat, it have a lighter wheat taste my family doesn't even know they are eating all wheat!)

1/2 CUP POTATO FLOUR

1/2 CUP NON-FAT MILK FLOUR/POWDER

5 TBSP. SAF INSTANT YEAST ( I like to use SAF yeast it is very forgiving, if the temp of your water is a little high or not quite high enough it will still rise)

5 TBSP DOUGH ENHANCER (I use Blue Chip brand)

mix the ingredients together for about 1 minute to keep powdered milk from forming lumps when liquid is added.

ADD to dry ingredients:

6 CUPS WARM WATER (temp of water should be about 115 degrees)

1 CUP CANOLA OIL

2/3 CUP HONEY (if you put honey in same measuring cup as oil together they will pour out beautifully)

Mix ingredients well, but do not over mix.

This is what it should look like.

Now let it "sponge"! Now if you have never made bread you just went "What?!@*&^?"

Okay now quit swearing, and put a lid on it, I mean on your mix, and let it sit. It should sit about 10 minutes. It should about double in size.

When it is done "sponging" it should look about like this.

ADD:

5 BEATEN EGGS

2 TBSP SEA SALT

As soon as you have added your eggs and salt start adding more fresh ground wheat flour until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the of the bowl ( depending on the moister in the air and stuff like that it usually take another 5-8 cups), but keep in mind that the dough should not totally pick up from the bottom of the bowl. Your dough should remain sticky at this point.

You "knead" to develop gluten at this point (knead ha ha do you get it), so let your machine do your kneading for you about 5-8 minutes.

With oiled hands you can grab a small piece and flatten it in your hands as you pull on it as it gets thinner if it doesn't tear that's when the gluten has developed.

To make rolls I just put some parchment paper on a cookie sheet, then I pinch small handful size balls and place them on the parchment paper. I cover them with a light cloth while they rise. Let them rise until they double in size.

Bake at 350 degree for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown.

If you are making loafs they should be baked for about 30 minutes and the internal temp of the loaf needs to reach 200 degrees if at the end of 30 minutes the temp has not reached that it needs to be placed back in the oven and cooked for another 5 minute or more until it reaches the target temp.

Here is the end product, good luck and good eating. Enjoy!

Tools

I was going to share with you my bread recipe and as I was preparing it I realized that I use a lot of different tools and supplies that you might not find in every grocery store. So I thought I should tell you about those first and discuss them.


First I use a Bosch. If you are unfamiliar with what a bosch is or what it can do....stay tuned because I use it for so many things. It is so amazing I just love it. I had one years ago that I inherited from my sister-in-law and I really loved it, but when it quit working I really didn't understand how much difference there was between it and a kitchen-aid. So my wonderful husband bought me a new kitchen-aid and I used it a lot, but there were things about it that I didn't like. So after awhile I finally convinced my husband that I needed a new bosch. The following Christmas I got my new Bosch and a Nutrimill grinder, and have had no regrets since. I gave away my Kitchen-aid and haven't missed it one day.


















The mixing bowl on the left side is large enough to mix enough dough for 6 loaves of bread at once or whip as little as one egg white.



The Bosch has many attachments one of which is the blender. The blender can mix both wet and dry goods. I use it to make potato flour from potato buds, and milk flour from powders milk.












There is a specific reason I show you these. In my bread I use both potato flour and milk flour/powder. If you don't have a bosch, no worries you can buy these flours in a specialty cooking shop.


I did already mention that I also have a Nutimill. When I was growing up I loved white bread. I didn't know the first thing about white flour, wheat, wheat flour, the nutrition of or what it took to make any of it. I knew my mom made the most delious white roll I had ever tasted and I think I could eat a dozen of them straight out of the oven, well maybe not a quite a dozen but close! Well I know now that white flour has no nutritional value. Wheat flour starts to loose its nutritional value from the time it is ground, and the more heat that is generated when it is ground the faster it looses its nutrition. So that all being said that is why I own a Nutrimill. It uses air to blast the wheat instead of metal to grind, which in turn produces less heat. And it allows me to grind my wheat as I need it.














I have already given you a great recipe for spanish rice cooked in a Kuhn Ricon pressure cooker. I love pressure cooking. I don't have a lot of time so anytime I can cut my cooking time down to nearly nothing, in half, or make a good recipe great, I am all for it. Pressure cooking allows me to be able to do that. I have had a few different types of pressure cookers. When I got my first Kuhn Ricon, I have to admit, I got rid of my other pressure cookers. They are so easy to cook with, I just love them. I am including the link directly to the Kuhn Ricon website, but there are a lot of sites that you can go to that sell these great cookers. http://www.kuhnrikon.com/


The only other tools that I can really think of that are really important are the spices that I use and thoses I will discuss as I go through each recipe. I hope that this helps. Now don't go telling your spouces that you need to go buy all this new stuff, but it sure would make it a lot easier!

Spanish Rice

Spanish Rice

This is a Spanish rice recipe I have had around for quite a while. I didn't use it much because it called for a Mexican spice that I didn't like, vegetables, and tomato sauce instead of crushed tomatoes. There were a few other things about the recipe that I didn't like as well, you get the idea, okay well maybe I am a little picky! So, I modified the recipe until I got a recipe that I just love.

Ingredients:

5-6 TBSP Garlic Oil

2 Cups White or Brown Basmati Rice (I prefer brown, but you can choose)

1 Onion finely Chopped (If you know me, it is so finely chopped you almost don't know it's there)

3 Cups of Water

1/4 Cup Chicken Broth

-----Now about the Chicken Broth I use Frontier brand (it can be bought at many specialty cooking stores. I use this brand because it uses no meat products, no MSG, but tastes unbelievably like Chicken. I use it in so many recipes I would be lost with out it.)

4 TBSP Taco Seasoning- I like to use McCormick (it doesn't have any MGS and tastes great), but you can use any brand.

(Also if you don't have taco seasoning on hand you can use

3 TBSP Chili powder, 1 TBSP Paprika, & 1 TBSP Cumin)

1 can Muir Glen Crushed or stewed tomatoes

I took this picture so that you could see why I like Muir Glen tomatoes vs other brands, oh and yes...I know that my can is upside down, smartie! Anyway, Muir Glen lines it's cans so that the acid from the tomato's isn't left to just eat into the tin can. Who knows what happens to that tin once it's in the juice of the tomatoes?

To Cook: First I have to explain that I use pressure cookers whenever possible. The brand I use is Kuhn Rikon. They have several safety feature on them that make them extremely safe, not like the pressure cookers that your mothers used that left you cleaning food off the ceiling. You can fix this recipe without a pressure cooker, however, it will take you longer. My timing for the rice cooking is for a pressure cooker.

Okay lets cook!

In a 5 Liter waffle bottom pressure cooker (or a skillet) saute onions and rice in the garlic oil until the rice starts to brown.

In a large 4 cup (or larger) measuring cup. Mix your water and powder chicken broth, then pour it on your browned rice. Add your tomato's and seasoning to the rice and bring mixture to a boil.

Now if your doing it the quick method: once the mixture is boiling put the pressure lid on and let the pressure rise to the second ring (or if you are using another type of pressure cooker, whatever normal cooking pressure is, you will have to check the manufacture recommendations. keep in mind I am not an expert on all types of pressure cookers I only know the ones that I use). Once the pressure cooker comes up to pressure cook at the second ring for 6 minutes. After 6 minutes remove pressure, according to manufactures instructions, and open the pan, make sure to be careful there will be a lot of hot steam. If you are not careful it will burn you. Open so that the steam is faced away from you and make sure that your fingers are covered or protected. Trust me the steam is hot...It will burn! If you like your rice a little dryer simply put the rice back on the stove for another minute or two with the top off, but watch it close so that your rice doesn't burn.

Now if your going to simmer your rice. Bring the mixture to a boil on medium heat, simmer until water cooks down to the level of the rice. Reduce the heat to low cover continue to cook until water is gone.

Keep in mind that Brown rice takes long to cook and more water than White rice, but the nutritional rewards and the taste are worth it. If you haven't tried brown Basmati rice give it a try.

I think that covers this recipe. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Recipes

I have decided that I would like to share one of my favorite past times.....Cooking! Well maybe not the actual cooking, but the recipes that I like best and use often. I like to use recipes that are (mostly) easy, fairly quick, (mostly) healthy, and best of all taste great! At least I think so, well so does my family. I will share some of my tricks, my tools and how I change traditional recipes to make them easier, but make them taste like you slaved over them. I hope you'll love them. Let me know your thoughts as you try my recipes.

Can I tell you what really just bugs the heck out of me? Well it has really bugged the heck out of me all day. You know I had the first message of this blog all worked out, typed up, and thought I knew the direction I was going to take it right? Well, then I went to bed. Didn't sleep a dang bit! It bugged me all night. But since I didn't sleep, I had a new message all re-worked and ready to go for the blog, not that you all care because you don't know what the first one was! But that is not the part that is buggin me. What's buggin me is this: I had a new great second/first blog, but when I went to type it all in, I couldn't remember it! I could remember the jest of it, because it was something that is important to me, but I couldn't remember this great new first blog I had worked out. Doesn't that just bug ya ta death? Boy it does me, and ya know what? It happens to me all the time. At least it wasn't my keys that I missed placed, and can't find. That's a story for another time.

I was talking with one of my friends earlier today about teenagers and how much they seem to struggle as they are graduating from high school and not yet mature enough to find their way in the adult world. We talked about how important it is for us to help them not loose focus on the end goal, to find happiness, and harmony in their life. All while we try not to loose our freaking mind!

On my facebook page a have a quote by Mahandas Ganghi "Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

I really love this quote because it is so true. If everyone could just stop trying to look good or important to everyone else, make everyone else happy, do what they think will make everyone else happy, or keep up with the "jones's", I truly believe the world would be a better place and we would all be happier.

Life

As I contemplated my blog last night and the direction that I wanted to take this blog a particular song kept coming to mind. The Climb sung by Miley Cyrus. It is a song that definitely is reflective of my life and challenges that I face in my life. I don't think I am alone, when I look at people that are important in my life, I think they also face many mountains and face them in similar ways. That is what this life is about. Facing challenges, learning from them, and facing the next one stronger and with even more determination.