Spanish Rice Casserole-Secret Recipe Club

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day, and now it is time for this month's Secret Recipe Club post.  I cannot even begin to express how thrilled I was when I received this month’s assignment.  Miz Helen's Country Cottage is one of my favorite blogs, and she is one of my blogging heroes.  I have subscribed to her blog for a number of years.  When I saw she was a blogger of a “certain age”, I thought maybe, me at my age,  could be a blogger, too.  She also cooks “down home” comfort food, just the kind I like.  Two great features of her blog are her weekly "What's for Dinner Next Week" post and her "Full Plate Thursday"  link-up.

I have used many of her recipes such as Spicy Cranberry Coffeecake and Slow Cooker Bar B Que Pork Roast.  My printed-out pile of “to try" recipes from her site is at least a half inch high.  It was very difficult to choose a recipe for this post as there were so many I wanted to do.

I finally settled on Spanish Rice Casserole for several reasons.  I like rice a lot, hubby not so much.  He was going to be out of town so I thought that was a chance to make something that only I liked.  We were gifted with a beef quarter for Christmas so I have a lot of good ground beef on hand.  The recipe made a lot so I could stick some of the casserole in the freezer for future use.

I made three slight changes to the recipe.  My ground beef is put up in 1 1/2 lb. packages, so I used that amount instead to the 2 lbs. Miz Helen used.  I don’t care for green peppers so used red peppers instead.  I always have Mexican Blend grated cheese on hand so I used that instead of the cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese called for in the recipe.  I like to put a dollop of sour cream on top of my rice and serve it with corn chips.  Next time I make this, I think I will add a small can of green chilies to replace the green color I lost when omitting the green pepper.  Boy, was this ever good.  I am so glad that I am going to have some of this available in the freezer to take care of my Spanish Rice cravings.  This makes lots so would be a great dish to take to a party or potluck.  Thanks, Miz Helen for sharing one of your great recipes.

Spanish Rice Casserole
Miz Helen's Country Cottage
2 lbs. ground chunk (I used 1 1/2 lbs.)
1 T. olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, chopped (I used a red one)
1 1/2 t. cumin
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
4 c. rice
1 (10 oz.) can tomatoes and green chilies (such as Rotel)
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
4 c. chicken broth
1 c. sharp cheddar, shredded
1 c. pepper jack, shredded (I used shredded Mexican Blend cheese for the two cheeses)

Brown ground beef in a heavy, oven-proof Dutch oven.  Remove ground beef and drain if necessary.  Add olive oil to Dutch oven, heat and add the onion, garlic, and green or red pepper.  Cook until the onion is clear.  Add the cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.  Stir and cook for about a minute.  Add the rice and cook and stir until the rice is just beginning to turn brown.  Add the tomatoes, tomatoes and green chilies and tomato sauce.  Add the chicken broth, pouring a little of the chicken broth into the tomato sauce can to clean it out before adding to the rice mixture.  Return the ground beef to the Dutch oven.  Bring the mixture to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring several times to keep mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan.  Remove cover and add the cheese to the top of the mixture.  Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the rice is fully cooked.  (Note:  because I was going to freeze the Spanish Rice, I did not add the cheese before baking.  I covered the mixture and will add cheese to the individual servings as I heat them.)  There wasn’t an amount of servings listed, but I am guessing this will serve at least 10-12.

To freeze individual servings of this recipe I put 1  1/2 cups of the casserole into zip-top sandwich bags and flattened them out.  I placed them flat on a jelly-roll pan to freeze so I could stack the bags inside a gallon freezer bag and stack them in the freezer to save space.

To learn how you can join in the Secret Recipe Club fun, visit the membership information page.

An InLinkz Link-up

Homemade Rice-A-Roni

Welcome to my new followers.  I appreciate that your are here.  Thanks to all who take the time from their busy lives to read my blog.  I know that I only post a "thank you" weekly, but in my heart I say it every day.  I hope that you find the information here useful.

When I made the Hungarian Beef that I posted last week, I served it over Home Rice-A-Roni.  I said that I would post that recipe so here it is.

I found this recipe in Sunset magazine many years ago.  They called it Rice and Vermicelli Pilaf.  Since it has the same main ingredients as Rice-A-Roni, I have always called it Homemade Rice-A-Roni.

Vermicelli is not always easy to find at the grocery store so angel air pasta that has been broken up may be used in its place.

Since my hubby isn’t particularly fond of regular steamed rice, I use this recipe a lot, changing the seasonings to go with whatever main dish I am serving with it.

If I want Italian flavor I use Italian seasoning, Greek flavor I use Greek Seasoning.   For Mexican I use taco seasoning or cumin and chili powder and add tomato bouillon.  The tomato bouillon is a product that can be found in the Hispanic section of the grocery store.   For Asian flavor I sauté the rice and vermicelli in sesame oil and add soy sauce and a bit of ginger or Chinese 5-spice.

This is a good recipe to have in your recipe arsenal as a change from potatoes.  Since it is homemade it has much less sodium and chemicals than the commercial product and is significantly less expensive.
 
To save time, the rice and vermicelli can be combined and put into zip-top bags and stored in the cupboard.

Homemade Rice-A-Roni
Adapted from Sunset magazine

3 T. butter, margarine, vegetable oil or 2 T. vegetable oil and 1 T. sesame oil.
1 c. regular long grain rice  (I usually use Calrose which is an oriental rice)
1/2 c. vermicelli or angel hair pasta broken into about 1-inch pieces
2 12 c. water
1 t. thyme leaves or seasoning of choice
2 T. fresh parsley ( may also use dried or omit)
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. onion powder
1 T. granulated beef, chicken, tomato, or vegetable bouillon (I like to use Better than Bouillon Organic Paste)

Melt butter or margarine over low heat in a medium saucepan.  Add rice and vermicelli, stir well and cook until it is lightly toasted, stirring often.  Add water and remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer over medium heat until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, abut 15 to 20 minutes.  Makes 4 servings.

Linking to:  Tuesday Talent Show
Show Me What Ya Got
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Take a Look Tuesday
Tip Me Tuesday
Totally Tasty Tuesday
Tasty Tuesday
Tuesday Time Out

Fruited Rice Pilaf

When Brenda at Meal Planning Magic sent an email about her new Let’s Eat the Alphabet monthly link-up, I though it would be loads of fun.  This month the letters were A and/or B.  We could link up any recipe containing a fruit or a vegetable whose name started with those letters.

I chose apricots and decided to make a side dish that used them.  My choice was to make a rice/vermicelli pilaf similar to a Rice-a-roni side dish.  With the rice/vermicelli I used butter, dried apricots, dried cranberries, dried minced onion, chicken broth, salt, allspice and almonds.

This is a versatile recipe and raisins or other dried fruit can be used with the apricots.  I have varied the seasonings in this and have used nutmeg, curry, cinnamon, and Chinese 5-Spice instead of the allspice.  Walnuts or pecans are good in this also.

I like Calrose rice for this as it doesn’t cook up as soft as long grain rice, but long grain rice can be used.

This makes a very pretty side dish.  I sometimes garnish it with some chopped green onion for additional color.  It is very nice with pork or chicken..

Fruited Rice Pilaf
1 T. butter
1 c. Calrose rice
1/2 c. vermicelli
1/2 c. chopped dried apricots
1/4 c. chopped dried cranberries
1 T. minced onion
2 c. chicken broth (low sodium)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. allspice or other desired spice
!/2 c. sliced almonds, preferable toasted

Melt the butter in a medium size saucepan.  Add the rice and vermicelli and cook until vermicelli starts to turn golden brown.  Watch carefully and stir often.  Add the apricots, cranberries, onion, chicken broth, salt, and desired spice.  Bring to boil.  Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.  Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and stir in sliced almonds.  Turn into a serving dish and garnish with more almonds and sliced green onion.  Serves 4.

Frugal Friday Tips-Make Your Own Onion Soup Mix

Today I am going to talk a little bit about onions and onion soup mix.  Onions generally keep for some time, but if they are starting to go “south” as they say, chop them up and put in the freezer.  Put the chopped onions in 1/2 c. amount in snack bags.  Put the snack bags into a large freezer bag and freeze.  The onions can then be removed as needed and added directly to soups, stews, sauces, and casseroles.

One of the handiest things to have in your kitchen is onion soup mix because there are so many things you can do with it.  Purchased onion soup mix is expensive and high in sodium.  A homemade version of the mix can be made in less than 5 minutes with ingredients probably on hand, and will be lower in sodium even with using the instant beef broth granules.  If sodium is a concern, use low sodium granules.  Note:  The mix in the photo above is not as brown as some would be due to the brand of instant broth I used.

The mix can be stored in an air-tight container and measured out as needed, or 5 T (the equivalent of 1 envelope of mix) can be measured into snack bags and stored in a larger plastic storage bag.  Dividing the mix up ahead saves time when using it.

An advantage of homemade mixes is that they can be customized to a person’s tastes.  After trial and error, this is my version of homemade onion soup mix with several recipes to use it in.  I like to place my dried onions in a 350 degree oven and toast them for about 3 minutes, but that is optional.  Watch them carefully.

Homemade Onion Soup Mix

3/4 c. dried onion flakes, toasted if desired
1/3 c. instant beef broth granules
1 T. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. celery seed
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 t. black pepper

Combine all ingredients together, blending very well.  Store in an air-tight container.  When ready to use, shake container well and use 5 T. for 1 envelope of mix.  This can also be divided up into 5 T. amounts and stored in snack bags.  If using for onion dip, spread, or rice add 1 t. dried parsley to each 5 T. mix
.
Onion Dip

5 T. Onion Soup Mix
1 c. sour cream or cottage cheese (put through a blender)

Mix soup mix and sour cream or cottage cheese together and let chill at least 1 hour.

For Onion-Cheese Dip add 1 T. grated Parmesan Cheese to above mixture.

Onion Spread

5 T. Onion Soup Mix
1 pkg. (8 oz.) softened cream cheese, reg., low-fat, or fat-free

Mix soup mix and cream cheese together, blending well.  Let chill at least 1 hour.

Onion Rice Pilaf

1 T. butter or olive oil
1 c. rice, uncooked
1/2 c. vermicelli or thin spaghetti broken into 1/2-inch pieces
2 1/2 T. onion soup mix
1 1/2 to 2 c. chicken broth or water.

Melt butter in medium saucepan.  Add rice and vermicelli and cook until vermicelli is browned, watching carefully and stirring often.  Add onion soup mix and chicken broth or water.  Bring to boiling, reduce, cover and simmer until rice is done and liquid is absorbed.  I give a range on the water because most directions  call for 2 cups water to 1 c. rice, but I have better luck with 1 1/2 cups.  Serves 4.

Curried Apricot or Peach Chicken

Chicken:  may be whole, cut-up; skinless thighs, or boneless, skinless chicken breasts-enough for 4-6 people
1 bottle (8 oz.) bottle Catalina Dressing or make your own.
1 (10-12 oz.) jar apricot or peach jam
5 T. onion soup mix
1/2 –1 t. curry powder

Place chicken in a foil-lined baking pan.  Combine Catalina Dressing, jam, onion soup mix, and curry powder.  Pour over chicken.  Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hour depending on what chicken parts you use.  Sauce is good served over rice or couscous.  Makes 4-6 servings.

Fried Rice-Japanese Style

Everyone probably has their own recipe for this, but I thought I would share mine.  This is loosely adapted from the Benihana Japanese Fried Rice recipe in "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes".  I use more ingredients in mine.  I don't know if there is much difference between Japanese and Chinese fried rices, but I am going to call this Japanese.  I sometims garnish this with toasted, slivered almonds.  Diced, cooked meat, poultry, or even seafood could be added to make this a main dish.

Fried Rice-Japanese Style

2 c. well-chilled cooked rice (1 c. rice cooked according to package directions)

1 1/2-2 T. butter

1/4 c. minced or grated carrot

1 bunch green onions, sliced or 1/2 c. diced regular onion

1/2 c. finely diced red pepper

3-4 T. low-sodium soy sauce

2  eggs, beaten

1 c. frozen peas, thawed

Melt butter in medium-sized frying pan.  Add carrot, onion, and red pepper.  Cook until tender, stirring often.  Add rice, cook and stir for a few minutes.  Add soy sauce and mix well.  Push rice to ide of frying pan.  Pour eggs into frying pan and scramble quickly, breaking egg up into pea-sized pieces.  Mix egg and rice together, blending well.  Add peas.  Cook, stirring often, until peas are heated through and everything is hot.  Makes 4 servings.

Ingredient Spotlight-Curried Rice and Vegetables

hen I began to choose what recipes I wanted to post for this week's Ingredient Spotlight-half and half/cream, I ended up with three recipes and couldn't decide among them. So there will be two posts today.  One for this recipe and one for two easy dessert sauces, Chocolate and Butterscotch.

This recipe combines rice and vegetables into one side dish.  Although I use peas and carrots, any vegetable of your choice could be used; and it is a good way to use up leftover veggies.  The curry/nutmeg flavor is very subtle and just makes one wonder, "What is that?" I sometimes use chopped, toasted walnuts or crisp bacon bits as a garnish for this. This is my adaptation of a recipe that came from the internet several years ago. You can also add chopped, cooked chicken to make this into a main dish.

2 T. butter
1 bunch green onions (you can use regular onions, about 3/4 c.)
1/3 c. chopped red pepper (omit if you don't like)
1 large clove garlic minced (the garlic was shy and wouldn't get in the photo)
1 c. frozen peas and carrots
T. butter
1 c. rice (I use Calrose)
1/2 t. curry powder
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. half-and-half

Slice the green onions including a couple of inches of the green part. In a saucepan, melt the first tablespoon of butter. Add green onions, red pepper, and minced garlic. Saute' until just tender. Remove from saucepan and set aside. In same saucepan, melt the second tablespoon of butter. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until rice begins to turn golden. Add required amount of water for the rice you use.  Bring to a boil, turn heat very low and cook rice for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, cook peas and carrots in microwave, drain.  Stir together the green onion mixture, rice, peas and carrots, curry powder, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well. Add half-and-half. Return to heat just to heat mixture through. Makes 4-6 servings.

A tip: If your rice is too firm and all the liquid has been absorbed, add about 1/4 c. hot liquid, cover, and cook until liquid is absorbed.  Repeat if necessary.

I am linking to Eat at Home Ingredient Spotlight