Vittles Divine

I was tasked with providing a Latin side dish for dinner with friends a few weeks ago. I was having a hankering for Spanish rice, so I tried a new recipe! Risky, but it paid off! I researched about a dozen different recipes and smashed them together with my fingers crossed. Savory, spicy, sassy success . I have added a few more spices since that first attempt and am now ready to share the recipe in its perfected-to-my-personal-tastes state! Now, before I unveil this masterpiece, I must also encourage you to eat the leftovers with breakfast. Yes, breakfast. I made two over-easy runny eggs and served them with half cup of rice. Yum. Yum. I tried it without realizing that this is actually a common dish! My natural culinary brilliance knows no cultural barriers. Cough, cough... I'm kidding. Ingredients: 2 Tbs butter 1 medium onion, diced 2 tsp minced garlic cloves 3 cups uncooked white rice*** 2 cans chicken broth (14.5 ounces each) 1 cup water 1 10-ounce can ...

I was in the mood for fried rice recently, so I did a little google exploration. I inspected a few dozen different recipes and picked out the common denominators. I have tweaked the general recommendations to my liking and am very pleased with the end result. This is one half of my addiction-of-the-month. The other half is an Asian honey chicken recipe that comes right after this post. Ingredients: 6 cups cooked, cold, leftover brown rice* 2 cups frozen peas and carrots 1/2 cup diced green onions (about 3 stalks) 1 Tbs sesame oil 1 Tbs butter 6 Tbs soy sauce 2 large eggs** (optional) Directions: Melt butter in pan and add sesame oil. When pan is hot, add onions and stir for 30 seconds. Add frozen peas and carrots, and stir in pan until thoroughly warmed through. Add rice and stir until warm through. Add soy sauce and keep stirring until everything is completely warmed through. Yum! Total Calories (with eggs): 203 per cup *Leftover rice works a lot better than fresh, warm rice! ...

I have been making funeral potatoes for a long time, tweak-tweak-tweaking my recipe along the way. I finally have them perfect. Well, perfect for me anyway. We call them "creamy potatoes" around here because my kids find the name "funeral potatoes" a little disturbing and distracting. Ingredients: 1 26-ounce bag of frozen shredded hashbrowns (about 9 cups) 1 can (10 ¾ oz.) cream of chicken soup 1 cup milk 3/4 cup sour cream 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded 1 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper 3 tablespoons butter, melted (and divided) -- I always use unsalted butter 1/4 cup diced onion Directions: Melt 1 TBS butter in small saucepan and saute onions until soft and onions start to carmelize. Mix soup, milk, sour cream, 2 Tbs melted butter, cheese, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add sauteed onions. Slowly stir in hashbrowns and mix well. Pour mixture into lightly greased 9 x 13 pan. Bake covered on 350 for 25 minutes. Take cover off and continue baking u...

I love stuffing. I mean I LOVE STUFFING . Ingredients 2 loaves bread 4 cups diced celery 2 cups diced onion ½ cup butter 2 cups chicken broth (one can) 1 and 1/2 cups evaporated milk (one 12 oz can) 3 eggs 1 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons rubbed sage 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning 1 ½ cups dried cranberries (craisins, on 12 oz bag) 3 cups peeled, chopped apples Directions Break bread into small pieces and allow to dry out, preferably for two days. If you have an electric knife, use it! Simmer onions and celery in saucepan with butter and broth until tender. Remove from heat, add evaporated milk, salt, and dried cranberries. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes; when they have cooled, beat eggs and add them to mixture. Add apples to mixture. When bread is dry, add sage and poultry seasoning, toss to mix well in a large bowl. Slowly add wet mixture to bread and mix gently until well moistened. Pile high in the largest pan you’ve got (make sure you've sprayed it with Pam or whatever), cove...