For years, Carl complained every time I cooked rice. It was always "sticky" and he wanted it "fluffy." I tried every recipe I saw, and even got advice from a "master chef," (or so he said!) No luck - everything I tried resulted in sticky rice.
Since I happen to love my version of fried rice, I kept trying to find a way to get rid of the "sticky" so he'd like it too.
I was just about to give it up when one Christmas I ran across a rice cooker.
I bought it (for him), and the rest is history. We now enjoy fluffy rice every week or so. What I enjoy the most (aside from the fact that he's usually the one doing the cooking these days) is that you turn it on and forget it. When the rice is done, the pot switches to "warm" and you don't have to hover over it, watching to see when its just right.
If you've been having this same (earth shaking) problem, take advantage of the hot deal I just found. It's only good until August 4th, so if you need a rice cooker, get it now!
FUJITRONIC FR-803 Electric Rice Cooker 4-Cup w/ Non-Stick Pot
FREE BUDGET SHIPPING
List price: $38.99
SAVE $12.00
Buy.com price: $26.99
Marte's Fried Rice
My fried rice is a bit different than the kind you'll find at a Chinese Restaurant - but I like it better. You might too, so here's how you make it:
While your rice is cooking, cut some bacon into small pieces - about 1/4" across. Then chop some onions - use green onions if you have them, but the others are fine, too. Brown the bacon and onions together in a wok or a large frying pan.
When the rice is done, stir it into the bacon and onions - be sure to include the bacon fat. After it's thoroughly mixed, scramble 2 or 3 eggs with a tablespoon or so of soy sauce. Then stir that in and let it cook until your desired level of done-ness. I like it a little on the dry side.
Serve with some chopped green onions on top if you have them.
Until next time, good cooking!
Marte
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Easy Summer Cooking with Winter Tools
Do you have one of those big roasters to use on holidays when you need to cook a turkey AND use the oven for a few other things?
We do, and it's a great summer time tool as well. Putting dinner in the oven is always an easy way to cook while getting other things done, but when it's 90 degrees outside, heating up the house with the oven isn't an attractive option.
Instead, we take the roaster outside on the patio, where its heat can disperse into the already hot summer air.
It works great for a roast or a casserole - and also for a pie, cake, or cookies.
If you have one stored away for holiday cooking, dig it out and put it outdoors. If you don't have one, consider the purchase. Your house will stay much cooler, and if you need an excuse to sunbathe you can say you were watching the food.
Nesco 18-qt. Porcelain Cookwell Electric Roaster, White
I know they'll be on sale in November, but right now is when you need it, and at only $49.95, the lower temperature in your house will make it worth buying now.
Yours for good eating,
Marte
P.S. Be sure to visit www.carlcooks.com for recipes!
We do, and it's a great summer time tool as well. Putting dinner in the oven is always an easy way to cook while getting other things done, but when it's 90 degrees outside, heating up the house with the oven isn't an attractive option.
Instead, we take the roaster outside on the patio, where its heat can disperse into the already hot summer air.
It works great for a roast or a casserole - and also for a pie, cake, or cookies.
If you have one stored away for holiday cooking, dig it out and put it outdoors. If you don't have one, consider the purchase. Your house will stay much cooler, and if you need an excuse to sunbathe you can say you were watching the food.
Nesco 18-qt. Porcelain Cookwell Electric Roaster, White
I know they'll be on sale in November, but right now is when you need it, and at only $49.95, the lower temperature in your house will make it worth buying now.
Yours for good eating,
Marte
P.S. Be sure to visit www.carlcooks.com for recipes!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Mashed Potatoes - better the 2nd time around
Leftovers make me feel guilty. Either I feel guilty for serving "used food" or guilty for throwing them out. So this week we figured out something to do with the leftover mashed potatoes - and I liked them better than I did the night before.
Here's what we did:
First, a bit of oil in the frying pan to keep the potatoes from sticking.
Next, spread the leftover potatoes over the bottom.
Then chop some green onion - a little or a lot to suit your taste. Sprinkle those on top.
Now grate some cheese and sprinkle it around. Again, a little or a lot depending on how much you like cheese.
After the bottom of the potatoes begin to brown a bit, turn the whole thing over. It won't turn neatly, but that's OK. All you're doing is getting it hot enough to taste good, melt the cheese, and give some crispy edges.
This doesn't take long, does taste good, and does remove the guilt that you would otherwise have in a few days when you open that container and see that watery lump of graying potatoes.
If you've got some good recipes for leftovers - share! I don't know too many cooks who can plan well enough to live without leftovers. Maybe that's why there are so many fat dogs, or why I wish we had chickens or pigs. (I don't want the dogs to be fat.) It would just feel better to feed that stuff to someone!
Yours for good eating,
Marte
Here's what we did:
First, a bit of oil in the frying pan to keep the potatoes from sticking.
Next, spread the leftover potatoes over the bottom.
Then chop some green onion - a little or a lot to suit your taste. Sprinkle those on top.
Now grate some cheese and sprinkle it around. Again, a little or a lot depending on how much you like cheese.
After the bottom of the potatoes begin to brown a bit, turn the whole thing over. It won't turn neatly, but that's OK. All you're doing is getting it hot enough to taste good, melt the cheese, and give some crispy edges.
This doesn't take long, does taste good, and does remove the guilt that you would otherwise have in a few days when you open that container and see that watery lump of graying potatoes.
If you've got some good recipes for leftovers - share! I don't know too many cooks who can plan well enough to live without leftovers. Maybe that's why there are so many fat dogs, or why I wish we had chickens or pigs. (I don't want the dogs to be fat.) It would just feel better to feed that stuff to someone!
Yours for good eating,
Marte
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Summer food - it's just easier
Now that barbecue season is here, cooking got easier, and so did clean-up.
With days in the 90's, no one is interested in heating up the house with cooking, and a big evening meal doesn't even sound appealing. So... how many things can we cook outdoors on the grill?
Burgers, steaks, and hot dogs, of course, and perhaps pork chops. When we have our act together and think about dinner ahead of time, we like to marinade steak, and even burger. You can make a tasty marinade with equal parts of olive oil and red wine vinegar, a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. When we do it we make quite a bit, so the meat can be covered well. We use it, take the meat out for cooking and then freeze what's left for next time. Go heavy or light on the worcestershire sauce to suit your own palate.
If you're tired of "where's the beef," seafood is a delicious change. You do need the right tools, of course, like this seafood rack from cooking.com. It's listed on their site at only $19.95... (click the photo to learn more)
Along with that barbecue, watermelon and cantaloupe make for a light meal on a hot day.
Because the garden is now producing lettuce and radishes, we also like to add a fresh green salad. Sure wish we could also add garden ripe tomatoes and fresh cucumbers, but spring arrived here so late that we may not have those until September! Sure hope they ripen before the first frost.
There's hope here for the tomatoes - I see blossoms now. But as for the cucumbers, I have my doubts. Those plants are still tiny.
Yours for good eating,
Marte
With days in the 90's, no one is interested in heating up the house with cooking, and a big evening meal doesn't even sound appealing. So... how many things can we cook outdoors on the grill?
Burgers, steaks, and hot dogs, of course, and perhaps pork chops. When we have our act together and think about dinner ahead of time, we like to marinade steak, and even burger. You can make a tasty marinade with equal parts of olive oil and red wine vinegar, a dash or two of Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder. When we do it we make quite a bit, so the meat can be covered well. We use it, take the meat out for cooking and then freeze what's left for next time. Go heavy or light on the worcestershire sauce to suit your own palate.
If you're tired of "where's the beef," seafood is a delicious change. You do need the right tools, of course, like this seafood rack from cooking.com. It's listed on their site at only $19.95... (click the photo to learn more)
Along with that barbecue, watermelon and cantaloupe make for a light meal on a hot day.
Because the garden is now producing lettuce and radishes, we also like to add a fresh green salad. Sure wish we could also add garden ripe tomatoes and fresh cucumbers, but spring arrived here so late that we may not have those until September! Sure hope they ripen before the first frost.
There's hope here for the tomatoes - I see blossoms now. But as for the cucumbers, I have my doubts. Those plants are still tiny.
Yours for good eating,
Marte
Friday, July 4, 2008
4th of July food, rice salad recipe
Traditions are important - and the food for the 4th of July seems to be a tradition at our house.
The carpenter turned cook has already got a potato salad made, and is planning one more grocery run for morning to make sure he has all the fixin's for BBQ. I think he's going to push me into making some other salad - and it won't be hard to decide what it will be, since the menu is the same every year! Macaroni salad and "ugly salad" it will be.
If you've never tried "ugly salad" now might be the time. You start with a box of Rice-a-roni fried rice mix. Cook it according to the package instructions. Then you add the good stuff:
A half cup or so of finely chopped green onions,
A small can of artichoke hearts, well chopped (save the juice)
A small can of chopped olives
A small can of water chesnuts, chopped finely (toss the juice)
A half cup of mayonaise.
Before you chop the artichoke hearts, drain the juice off into the cooked rice mixture. Then chop everything, dump it into the rice, add the mayonaise and mix.
I first saw this when I was working in a restaurant and it was on the salad bar. I thought I should toss it, because it looked like it was turning green. Well, as it turned out, it's supposed to look a bit green. I never heard the name, so I've called it ugly salad ever since. As soon as I tasted it, I asked for the recipe, and it has become part of our traditional holiday food.
We wish you a joyful day, and remind you that to ensure that it remains joyful, be careful with fireworks, and put your pets indoors.
Animal rescue groups know that on July 5 they will begin getting calls about lost pets, and a few found pets. Unfortunately, they don't always match up, and there are more lost than found. Fireworks scare critters, and they run so hard and so far that they sometimes can't find their way home. Keep them safe - keep them in!
Wishing you a fantastic 4th!
Marte
The carpenter turned cook has already got a potato salad made, and is planning one more grocery run for morning to make sure he has all the fixin's for BBQ. I think he's going to push me into making some other salad - and it won't be hard to decide what it will be, since the menu is the same every year! Macaroni salad and "ugly salad" it will be.
If you've never tried "ugly salad" now might be the time. You start with a box of Rice-a-roni fried rice mix. Cook it according to the package instructions. Then you add the good stuff:
A half cup or so of finely chopped green onions,
A small can of artichoke hearts, well chopped (save the juice)
A small can of chopped olives
A small can of water chesnuts, chopped finely (toss the juice)
A half cup of mayonaise.
Before you chop the artichoke hearts, drain the juice off into the cooked rice mixture. Then chop everything, dump it into the rice, add the mayonaise and mix.
I first saw this when I was working in a restaurant and it was on the salad bar. I thought I should toss it, because it looked like it was turning green. Well, as it turned out, it's supposed to look a bit green. I never heard the name, so I've called it ugly salad ever since. As soon as I tasted it, I asked for the recipe, and it has become part of our traditional holiday food.
We wish you a joyful day, and remind you that to ensure that it remains joyful, be careful with fireworks, and put your pets indoors.
Animal rescue groups know that on July 5 they will begin getting calls about lost pets, and a few found pets. Unfortunately, they don't always match up, and there are more lost than found. Fireworks scare critters, and they run so hard and so far that they sometimes can't find their way home. Keep them safe - keep them in!
Wishing you a fantastic 4th!
Marte
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
When dinner plans go wrong... eat red macaroni!
The past 2 days have been so hot that even I have been uncomfortable. Everyone knows that any time Marte Cliff says she's too warm, it's really hot and everyone else is not just warm, but roasted. I take a lot of teasing any time I utter those words. Meanwhile, everyone else freely whines about the heat.
Yesterday was up to 97 and by night we had far off thunder and sheet lightening in the sky... So today a storm blew in.
It was hot and muggy all day, with thunder rumblings and the skies getting darker and the wind stronger as the afternoon wore on. By 5 o'clock it felt pretty good to be outside puttering with the garden and picking the first strawberries. So we stayed out for quite a while.
Before we went outside, we put a little roast in the oven, and about a half hour before dinner time I came in to check on it - and found the oven cold! It seems the lightning caused a little power bump and it turned off the oven, along with "un-setting" the digital clocks.
Hamburger to the rescue! Just to make it more interesting, we added chopped onions and shredded carrots, and then simmered the cooked burgers in a combination of beef broth and mushroom steak sauce. Along with spinach, "red macaroni," and cantaloupe for dessert, it turned into a good dinner.
Our red macaroni is a version of what my Grandmother used to call "Slip and go easy." I could eat it until I burst when I was a little kid, and I still make a pig of myself on it.
You start with frying a handful of chopped onion along with a couple of strips of bacon, cut into small pieces, then add a can of tomato sauce and/or a can of tomatoes, and salt, pepper, and garlic to suit your taste. Dump in some cooked macaroni, and that's it.
May your oven always stay lit!
Marte
Yesterday was up to 97 and by night we had far off thunder and sheet lightening in the sky... So today a storm blew in.
It was hot and muggy all day, with thunder rumblings and the skies getting darker and the wind stronger as the afternoon wore on. By 5 o'clock it felt pretty good to be outside puttering with the garden and picking the first strawberries. So we stayed out for quite a while.
Before we went outside, we put a little roast in the oven, and about a half hour before dinner time I came in to check on it - and found the oven cold! It seems the lightning caused a little power bump and it turned off the oven, along with "un-setting" the digital clocks.
Hamburger to the rescue! Just to make it more interesting, we added chopped onions and shredded carrots, and then simmered the cooked burgers in a combination of beef broth and mushroom steak sauce. Along with spinach, "red macaroni," and cantaloupe for dessert, it turned into a good dinner.
Our red macaroni is a version of what my Grandmother used to call "Slip and go easy." I could eat it until I burst when I was a little kid, and I still make a pig of myself on it.
You start with frying a handful of chopped onion along with a couple of strips of bacon, cut into small pieces, then add a can of tomato sauce and/or a can of tomatoes, and salt, pepper, and garlic to suit your taste. Dump in some cooked macaroni, and that's it.
May your oven always stay lit!
Marte
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