Cafe Rio Style Rice

5 Cups water
4 teaspoon chicken bouillon
4 teaspoon garlic minced
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 can green Chiles
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 onion
21/2 cup rice

Blend cilantro green Chiles, and onion together in food processor.
Bring water to a boil and add all ingredients, simmer cover 30
minutes.

Sweet and Savory Coconut Rice

So tonight I made this as a side dish to our dinner. Oh. So. Yummy ...

2 c. white or Jasmine rice
1 can coconut milk
2 c. water
1 tsp. Kosher salt
Splash of white vinegar (optional, but it helps with the texture)
2-3 tsp. white sugar
Handful of chopped green onions, plus chopped green onion tops for garnish (we're using the whole animal here...)
Black pepper to taste

Combine rice, coconut milk, water, salt, vinegar, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil Turn heat to low and cover for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Allow to stand 5 minutes. Add green onions, black pepper (if desired), and additional salt if necessary.

recipe found here

Lemon Orzo Salad with Asparagus, spinach and feta

I made this for dinner tonight and it was SO good. So very good. And easy. Walmart (yuck) was out of spinach (what!? I know) so I added a cup of frozen peas instead. It was amazing.

1 cup orzo
Salt-about 1/2 tsp. for boiling water

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup packed fresh spinach
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/3 cup feta cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a medium sauce pan, bring 4 cups of water to boil. Add the salt. Stir in orzo. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain orzo and set aside.

2. In a small sauce pan, saute garlic in olive oil. Add in asparagus pieces. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Stir in spinach. Cook until asparagus is tender and the spinach shrinks down.

3. Put the orzo in a medium bowl and add in the vegetables. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the orzo and vegetables. Stir. Season with salt and pepper. Taste-add more lemon juice if you wish. The lemon I used was huge, so I only needed to use one lemon. If you need more juice, go ahead.

4. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top of the salad. Serve warm.

Serves 4

Honey-Dijon Roasted Fingerlings

I was at Harmons (my favorite grocery store) searching for food to serve for Sunday dinner. In the produce section, I noticed the fingerling potatoes, which I've always wanted to try, and right above them was a recipe. I figured it was worth a shot, but I didn't expect it to be nearly the hit it was. They were so easy and amazingly delish.

2 lbs assorted fingerling potatoes
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp honey
2 tbsp chives, freshly chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash fingerling potatoes in cool water, pat dry and set aside. In a large mixing bowl toss together olive oil, salt, pepper, mustard and honey. Add fingerlings to mixture and coat each potato well. Transfer fingerlings to a 9x13 pan. Place in the center of oven and bake fingerling potatoes uncovered for 25 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Rotate frequently to cook evenly. Garnish with chopped chives and serve while hot.

Easter Turkey

I cooked my first turkey yesterday - yahoo! Here's what I did:

Turkey
Reynold's turkey bag
2 tsp. flour
Half cube butter
Lemon, cut in half
Bunch fresh parsley

Put the flour in the bag and shake it around. Dab butter all over the turkey and put lemon and parsley in cavity. Put it in the oven til it's done (so technical, huh?)

And to go with it (aside from the obvious mashed yukon gold potatoes):

Stuffing
2 bags Mrs. Cubbison's seasoned stuffing mix
3 links sweet Italian sausage, cooked and drained
3/4 cup each diced yellow onion, celery, waterchestnuts and corn
1 cup butter
1 cup broth

Mix it all together and bake in a covered cassarole dish at 350 for 25 minutes.

Asparagus
2 lbs asparagus, washed & trimmed
2 tbsp butter
zest of 1 lemon
salt & pepper

Blanch asparagus and add butter and seasoning. Toss and serve.

Roasted Carrots
3 lbs carrots, peeled and cut on a diagonal into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup olive oil
salt & pepper
fresh dill

Toss carrots in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast on cookie sheet at 350 for 45 minutes. Add fresh dill just before serving.

4 Side Dishes = 1 Meal

On my quest to eat healthier (eat less meat, more veggies) I found that there are a lot more side dishes than main dishes to choose from. So, I made these four side dishes into a complete meal. It was delicious. (I found these recipes in Betty Crocker's November 1999 Holiday magazine...and I don't think St. Patrick's Day was the holiday they were thinking of...but I made it anyway.) Perhaps to make it looks like like 4 side dishes I would add more squash and put it over the rice.

Included in my meal:
Butternut Squash Saute
Hazelnut Parmesan Asparagus
Brown Rice
Beets (I didn't put recipe on...since I just got it from a can)

Butternut Squash Saute
Prep: 20 mins. Cook: 20 mins.

4 Slices of bacon (for vegetarian, take out bacon and add a little butter instead)
1 Medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
6 Cups 1/2 inch pieces peeled butternut squash (2 small)
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or 1/8 dried thyme leaves
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 Cups firmly packed baby spinach leaves

Cook bacon in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp (or just melt butter for vegetarian style). Stire in onion. Cook about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is crisp-tender. Stir in squash, thyme and pepper. Cover and cook 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender. Stir in spinach just until wilted.

Hazelnut Parmesan Asparagus
Prep: 15 mins. Cook: 10 mins.

2 Cups water
2 lbs asparagus spears (or 3 pkgs, 10 oz, frozen)
2 Tablespoons margarine or butter
1 Package (8 oz) sliced mushrooms (3 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1/4 Cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 Cup chopped hazelnuts (filberts)

Heat water to boiling in 12-inch skillet. Add asparagus. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 4-6 minutes or until crisp tender. Drain; set aside. (If using frozen, cook according to package directions.)

Melt margarine in skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in mushrooms. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are light brown. Stir asparagus, basil, salt and pepper into mushrooms until vegetables are coated with seasonings and asparagus is heated through. Sprinkle with cheese and hazelnuts.

*We had the cheese and nuts on the side as optional...I actually forgot about them and ate without them...which was still really tasty but kind of defeated the purpose of it being called "Hazelnut Parmesan Asparagus".

Brown Rice

1 cup brown rice
2 cups water
(Just make sure you have the 1 to 2 ratio of rice to water.)

Put rice and water in a pan on the stove. Heat uncovered until water boils, reduce heat to low/simmer. Cover and let simmer for 40 minutes.

Awesome Easy Cheese Ball

My friend made this for Bunco and I loved it, so I got the recipe. I have made it twice in two weeks for parties at our house and people gobble it up. And it takes like five minutes to make. Suh-weeet!

Grab:
2-8 oz packages of cream cheese (16 oz total)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 tablespoons red onion
2 tablespoons celery
3 tablespoons dry ranch dressing mix
1 bag of chopped walnuts
Crackers of your choice (wheat thins go well, or any party cracker)

Chop the onion and celery into a small dice and cut up the parsley. Let the cream cheese get to about room temperature (just easier to mix that way). Throw the cheese, parsley, onion, celery and ranch dressing in a bowl and mix 'er up.
Now it's time to form the cheeseball. This is how I do it, but I'm sure there are other ways that work just as well:
Get a piece of tinfoil and spread probably half the bag of nuts on it. Then spoon the cheese mixture (in some sort of roundish shape) on top of the nuts. Place your hands underneath the foil and lift it-with the nuts-around the cheese and start forming a ball. Use leftover nuts to fill in any holes or extra spaces so that the entire cheeseball is covered in walnuts.
Stick the cheeseball in the fridge to firm up a bit and then set it out about 10 minutes before you are ready to serve.
GUYS especially loved this, so it would be great for Superbowl parties or game nights.

Twice baked potatoes

One of my goals for the new year is to cook a lot more often and try new recipes. As a result, I'm hoping you'll see an increase amount of content on this blog from me. 

Tonight for dinner I made twice baked potatoes and steamed broccoli. I had also planned on making a steak for Jason, but I forgot to get it out of the freezer yesterday to start the thawing-out process. Oops! Anyway, Jason loves twice baked potatoes, and they're not hard, but for some reason I've only made them once since we've been married so today I decided to change that. Here is the recipe I used, it's a real winner!

4 Yukon Gold potatoes (higher nutritional value than your traditional russet)

1 cube butter

1/2 cup sour cream

bacon bits (fake ones for us)

1 cup shredded cheese

black pepper

seasoning salt

Bake the potatoes naked (sans foil) on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for an hour. When the potatoes are done cooking, cut them in half.

In a mixing bowl combine butter (easier if you've pre-sliced it), sour cream, bacon bits and the insides of the potatoes. Smoosh around with a potato masher, mix up in a mixer. Then add the cheese, a pinch (or more) of pepper and a dash (or more) of seasoning salt and mix. 

Spoon the mixture into the potato shells then put a little pile of cheese on top of each stuffed potato. Put them back into the oven at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Roasted Mushrooms, Potatoes and Green Beans

For our wedding, Jason and I received the most wonderful cookbook. Everything I've made out of it has been amazing, and I recommend you all go and buy it. It's called Essentials of Healthful Cooking and can be found at Williams-Sonoma. This is one of the many recipes Jason and I have loved, and it's super easy.

8-10 white mushrooms
2 Yukon gold potatoes(my favorite potato)
1 yellow onion
1/4 lb green beans
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 400. Trim the ends of the stems from the mushrooms and discard. Cut the mushrooms in half through the stems. Cut the potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Cut the onion into wedges 1/2 inch thick. Trim the green beans and cut into 1-inch lengths. Set the green beans aside.

In a shallow 9x13 baking dish, combine the mushrooms, potatoes and onion. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil, toss to coat evenly, and spread in an even layer in the dish.

Roast until the vegetables begin to brown on the edges, about 30 min. Remove the dish from the oven, add the green beans and carefully turn and rearrange the vegetables in an even layer. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Continue to roast until the vegetables are browned and tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes longer. Sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano and thyme. Roast for 5 minutes longer to melt the cheese. Serve the vegetables directly from the baking dish or transfer to a serving bowl.

Calories: 90 Protein: 4 grams Carbohydrates: 10 grams Total Fat: 4.5 grams Saturated Fat: 1 gram Cholesterol: 5 mg Dietary Fiber: 3 grams Sodium: 150 mg

The best green beans

Pioneer Woman does it again! I think these are the best green beans because they are soooo good and sooooooooo easy! I made these for dinner last night (with spinach calzones, recipe coming soon!) and Jason and I practically inhaled them.

Fresh Green Beans, One Way

1 lb green beans
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons bacon grease (can substitute 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt (can substitute regular table salt; use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon)
Ground black pepper

Snap the stem ends of green beans, or cut them off in a big bunch with a knife if you’d like. Just don’t tell Granny. Melt bacon grease in a skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic and onions and cook for a minute. Then add green beans and cook for a minute until beans turn bright green. Add the chicken broth, chopped red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Turn heat to low and cover with a lid, leaving lid cracked to allow steam to escape. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until liquid evaporates and beans are fairly soft, yet still a bit crisp. You can add more chicken broth during the cooking process, but don’t be afraid to let it all cook away so the onions and peppers can caramelize.

Crash Hot Potatoes

If you haven't visited The Pioneer Woman's blog, you are seriously missing out. She's always posting interesting stories, nifty photoshop tricks and amazing recipes. Here's one that I'm making for dinner tonight:

Crash Hot Potatoes:

Ingredients: New Potatoes (or other small, round potato), Olive Oil, Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, and whatever herb you like.

Instructions:

1. Begin by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make, and cook them until they’re fork-tender.
3. Next, generously drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan.
4. When the potatoes are tender, place them on the cookie sheet giving them plenty of room to spread out.
5. Next, grab your potato masher and gently press down on the potato until it slightly mashes, then rotate the masher 90 degrees and finish flattening it. Of course, you don’t want to absolutely smash it into the pan—you want it almost to resemble a cookie. Repeat until all are flattened.
6. Next, brush the tops rather generously with olive oil.
7. Next, grab some Kosher salt. You can use regular salt, but I’d really recommend using kosher. It adheres to the potatoes more easily and really flavors them nicely without getting too salty. Add pepper as well.
8. Now, you can grab some chives…or thyme…or whatever herbs you have available. Whatever herb you use, just chop it pretty finely and sprinkle over the top.
9. Now throw them onto the top rack of a very hot (450-degree) oven, and cook them for 20-25 minutes.

And done!

For step by step picture instructions visit here.

Summer Salsa

This recipe comes to you courtesy of a ward Relief Society activity where this salsa was served and the recipe was sought after with much demand. If that isn't a testimony to good cooking, I don't know what is!

12 roma tomatoes
2 bags sweet petite corn
2 cans black eyed beans (drain & rinse)
16 oz zesty Italian dressing
1 bunch green onions
1 bunch cilantro
3/4 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
jalapeños to taste
salt to taste

Cut/chop tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. Mix in a large mixing bowl. Add corn, beans, dressing, cumin, and garlic powder. Add jalapeños and salt as desired. Serve with tortilla chips!

Annie's modifications: Nix the jalapeños and throw in 2 chopped avocados, instead.

It's best fresh, but it does keep for a few days. It's so good you'll down it long before it expires. Great and fast for parties!

Parmesan Mushroom Asparagus

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes. Also, if you only use 1 lb asparagus, there won't be leftovers.

Parmesan Mushroom Asparagus
Prep: 15 minutes Cook: 10 minutes

2 cups water
2 pounds asparagus spears
2 tablespoons butter
1 package (8 ounces) sliced mushrooms
1 ½ teaspoon chopped fresh or ½ teaspoon dried basil leaves
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Heat water to boil in 12-inch skillet. Add asparagus. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp tender. Drain, set aside.*
Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in mushrooms. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently until mushrooms are light brown.
Stir asparagus, basil, salt and pepper into mushrooms until vegetables are coated with seasonings and asparagus is heated through. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

*I usually put the asparagus in the serving dish, add about an inch of water to the bottom and steam them in the microwave for 4 minutes.

Spinach Dip

This recipe is so easy it's absolutely impossible to mess up. And it tastes fantastic!

1 package frozen chopped spinach
1 package Knorr's Leek Soup mix (You can find it in the soup aisle near the Lipton's stuff)
1 medium container of sour cream (I like to use light or fat-free)

Defrost spinach
Mix soup mix and sour cream together in large bowl
Stir in spinach until coated
Serve with bread chunks (I like to use french bread)

Notes:
*You can also make this recipe with fresh spinach, but I actually like the consistency of the frozen kind. It "sticks" better.
*To make more, just double (or triple) all the ingredients

Salsa

I know this isn't technically "cooking", but it is yummy and super-easy. It's also hearty enough that it it makes a fantastic salad if you pour it over lettuce.

1 - 10 oz. pkg frozen corn
1 - 15 oz. can black beans, drain and rinse
1 green pepper chopped
1 medium red onion chopped
8 roma tomatoes chopped or 4 large tomatoes
1/2 bunch Cilantro chopped
1 c. Light Italian dressing
2-3 t. Cumin
2 avocadoes
2-3 t. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Mix dressing, cilantro, cumin, and chili powder together in a large bowl
Add vegetables and stir to coat
Add salt and pepper as desired
Serve with tortilla chips

Crockpot Mashed Potatoes

Plus also! To go with the last one...

I would forgo the butter. Your arteries will thank you, and you won't miss it. But trust me. So good.

From Linda Larsen (this one time someone at work found this recipe online under her name--a rare instance when an online discovery turned out splendidly!)

Potatoes are actually cooked and mashed out of the crock pot, then cooked for a couple of hours to blend the flavors. This recipe is perfect for the holidays because you don't have the last minute mashing and beating of potatoes.

INGREDIENTS:

5 lbs. red potatoes, cut into chunks (peeled if you like)
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 cubes chicken bouillon
8 oz. container sour cream
8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes, garlic and chicken bouillon cubes. Cook potatoes until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water. Mash potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese, adding reserved cooking water to reach desired consistency. Transfer to a 4 quart crock pot, cover, and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours. Just before serving, stir in butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serves 8-10.