Garlic Butter Rice with Kale

Garlic Butter Rice with Kale is my new favorite side dish. Think beyond the normal kale salad and make this amazing side dish full of nutritious kale.

Considered to be a "super food" kale is so very good for you. Here are just some of the health benefits of kale:

• exceptionally high amount of Vitamins A, C and K
• high in antioxidants
• help lower cholesterol which can reduce the risk of heart disease
• it has cancer fighting substances
• an excellent source of minerals that many people don’t get enough of, including calcium, potassium and magnesium
• So this kale recipe is an excellent delicious way to get more nutrition into your diet!

This Garlic Butter Rice with Kale is so good my husband even ate it, and liked it, and he is not a veggie fan. That was a win-win to me!

You may also like:
Kale and Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

RECIPE
Ingredients
4-5 cups chopped fresh kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups chicken bone broth
3 tablespoons butter, reserving 1 tablespoon
2 tsp garlic powder

Method
Remove kale from stems, roll leaves up cigar style and slice thin ribbons then chop. Place the kale in a large bowl and rub with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Cook rice in a rice steamer (or on your stove top) with the chicken bone broth, 2 tablespoons butter and garlic powder.

Once rice is fully cooked, fluff with a fork. Add kale, remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and stir to combine. Cover steamer and let sit on "keep warm" for approx. 15 minutes. Alternately, if you cooked the rice on your stove top, remove from heat, add kale and let sit covered 15 minutes.

Serve as a side dish with most any roasted or grilled meats. We loved it with fried chicken breasts and garlic cheese biscuits.

Yield: 4 servings

Enjoy,
Mary

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Journey Cakes { a 1775 vintage recipe }

A few weeks ago my friend, Kathy, at Old McCaskill's Farm gave me a bag of Rice Flour form Carolina Plantation Rice because she knew I would use it, make something with it and share the recipe. I guess she knows me pretty well! On the tag on the back of the rice flour was this recipe for Journey Cakes, a circa 1775 recipe from South Carolina. Well right then and there I just knew I had to make them.

What in the world is a Journey Cake?  Legend has it, these cakes would help sustain travelers while they journeyed for long distances, so if you're getting ready to go somewhere, make sure you pack a few of these along! Once I made them I saw this made perfect sense. They are light, nutritious and very portable because they are small. Nowadays they are largely used as a side dish to and grilled or roasted meat.

Carolina Plantation’s White Rice Flour is carefully ground to a fine consistency in our century-old stone-buhr grist mill. We use only our most aromatic rice for this flour to produce a smooth texture and unforgettable taste. Rice flour is a favorite ingredient for gluten-free baking. They also use this flour in our award winning fish fry. 

Carolina Plantation Rice comes to you from the only colonial plantation in the Carolinas to grow rice for commercial sale: Plumfield Plantation on the Great Pee Dee River. This special grain has an aroma and taste that you won't find in any normal grocery store variety. Once you've tasted it, you'll never go back to your current brand. 

Carolina Plantation reintroduced aromatic rice to South Carolina in 1996. With rice once again in her fields, Plumfield Plantation proudly serves a truly distinctive taste of the 18th century southern rice plantations. (source: Carolina Plantation Rice)

RECIPE
Ingredients
2 cups cold cooked Carolina Plantation rice
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups milk
1 cup Carolina Plantation rice flour
1 1⁄2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tsp salt

Method
Preheat oven to 400. Stir together rice and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl. The batter will be very thin.

Fill greased muffin tins 1/2-3/4 full with batter and bake 18-20 minutes or until brown around edges.

Rosemary-Garlic Journey Cakes: Add 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh or dried rosemary and 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic to batter - this is the option I baked. I also added some shredded cheddar cheese to a couple for variety.

Tomato, Parmesan, and Kalamata Olive Journey Cakes: Add 1 tomato, seeded and finely chopped; 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese; and 1/4 cup minced Kalamata olives to rice mixture.

You can watch a video here from America's Heartland on the Carolina Plantation Rice and catch a few more recipes!


Enjoy,
Mary

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Spicy Mexican Rice

Spicy Mexican Rice doesn't call for a lot of ingredients, and it's delicious as a side dish with most any meal. I used fresh tomato sauce I had previously "put up" over the summer, some pickled jalapeno peppers, chili powder, black pepper and ground cumin to make this easy dish. This rice would be great served with some Spicy Chicken Enchilada Casserole.

RECIPE
Ingredients
1 cup long grain rice
1 - 16 oz. jar tomato sauce
1 tbls. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. course-ground black pepper
1 tbls. pickled jalapeno pepper slices (or less according to taste)
1/2 cup water
2 tbls, butter

Method
Place rice, tomato sauce and all other ingredients in a rice steamer or large sauce pan. Cook according to rice steamer directions, or bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is cooked and liquid is evaporated.

Enjoy,
Mary

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Asian Inspired Ground Beef and Rice

Updated October 2020

I love most all Asian influenced foods ... they are typically loaded with veggies and are quick and easy to put together. They make an awesome weeknight supper, ready in just about no time at all. This one "spices things up" a bit using red pepper flakes, which you can omit if you want to, no biggie, or add more to your taste. It's totally up to you ... I just like it hot and spicy!

RECIPE
Ingredients
1 lb. grass-fed ground beef (pork, chicken/turkey, or lamb)
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup shredded cabbage
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
1 tbls. butter
2 cups cooked rice

Method
Brown ground beef; drain and set aside. In the same skillet stir fry garlic, onion, celery, carrots and cabbage with brown sugar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes until veggies are al dente, about 5 minutes. Toss in frozen peas, cover and cook about 3 minutes. Stir in cooked ground beef and serve immediately over hot, cooked rice.

Yield:  4 servings

Enjoy,
Mary

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Homemade Chicken and Rice Soup

Updated July 2020

One of the easiest things to make is your own soup. You add your own fresh ingredients, season it to suit your taste, no preservatives or other additives; just pure, simple homemade soup. What could be better than that? Plus your house will smell AMAZING while it cooks!

This soup is wonderful if you start with your own chicken bone broth, which takes a bit of time to make, but it cooks in a slow cooker, or in a stock pot on your stove top, and it's really very easy to do. Of course, you can skip this step and use packaged chicken stock if you want to.

RECIPE
Ingredients
1 quart (4 cups) chicken or turkey bone broth 
2 cups water
2-3 carrots, sliced into coins
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. course-ground black pepper
2-3 cups chicken, cooked and diced
2 cups cooked rice

Method
Bring broth, water, carrots, celery and spices to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until vegetables are tender. Adjust seasonings to taste, add chicken and simmer 15-20 minutes.

Add hot cooked rice to bowls and ladle soup over top. Serve immediately while hot with cornbread, biscuits or crusty bread.

Cooks note - do not add the cooked rice directly to the soup. The rice will continue to swell and absorb the broth resulting in a less than desirable soup. Store leftover soup and rice separately in a refrigerator. It keeps several days refrigerated or freeze leftover soup for another time.

Yield:  4 -6 servings

Enjoy,
Mary

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Creole Spiced Turkey Soup

Updated October 2020

Leftover turkey or chicken and a few other ingredients make this tasty Creole Spiced Turkey Soup. It's spicy good for you deliciousness in a bowl.

Creole-inspired, it's a bowl full of comfort food for those cooler fall or winter days, quick and easy to make with leftover turkey or chicken.

RECIPE

Ingredients
3 cups cubed cooked turkey (or chicken)
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 qt. (4 cups) chicken or turkey bone broth or stock 
1 can (2 cups) petite diced tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots, green beans or corn (or all 3)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp Creole seasoning * (see below to make your own)
1 tsp oregano
2 bay leaves
pepper, to taste
1/2 cup long-grain rice, cooked

Method
Heat olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add celery, onions, and garlic and cook 10 minutes.

Add cubed cooked turkey, stock, tomatoes, veggie of your choice, 2 tbsp Creole seasoning, and bay leaves. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered for about 1 hour.

Add cooked rice to each bowl and ladle soup over top. I do it this way because the rice will continue to absorb the liquid if it's cooked in the soup, so I always prefer to add it separately.

*Creole Seasoning
Ingredients
2-1/2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp cayenne
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme

Mix all spices together and store in a glass jar for up to 3 months.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Enjoy,
Mary

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Rice-A- Roni Homemade

Not too long ago I saw this great recipe for Homestyle Rice-A-Roni from my friend, Patty, at Cooking on a Budget.

She browned the broken spaghetti in a fry pan, and cooked the entire dish in the pan. I wanted to try her recipe, but use my rice steamer instead. The results were delicious and this recipe is a definite keeper!

RECIPE

Ingredients
1 cup white rice
1/3 cup cut spaghetti 
2 cups chicken broth 
4 tbls. butter, divided
1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley flakes - crushed
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. course-ground black pepper

Method
Spray your rice steamer with cooking spay.  Place all ingredients, except 1 tbls. butter, inside rice steamer and set according to manufacturer's directions.

Once rice is done, remove lid and add reserved 1 tbls, butter, fluffing rice with fork. Let sit 10-15 minutes using the "keep warm" setting.

Serve while hot.

Cook's note - if you don't have a rice steamer, cook it in a large fry pan following the directions linked here 

Enjoy,
Mary

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Ground Beef and Green Beans with Rice

After I received some Organic Green Beans from Backyard Produce I knew I wanted to do something different, and family-friendly with them, besides just cooking them to eat as a side dish.

We made some Onion and Ale Soup using the Beef Bone Broth I had, and a bit was leftover, so my wheels started turning.  What if I used onion and beef bone broth to cook the green beans in?  What if I then added some cooked ground beef from Hill Creek Farms - Hartsville, and ancient grain Rice from Anson Mills?  Hmmmmmm ... could be a winner and it was!

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef (I used 100% grass-fed Angus Beef)
1/2 lb. fresh green beans (I used green beans from Backyard Produce)
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 cups beef bone broth
1-2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. course-ground black pepper
1/3 cup flour
1 cup uncooked rice (I used rice from Anson Mills)

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Trim and cut green beans into pieces; place in a medium-sized saucepan.  Add onion and beef bone broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes or until green beans are partially cooked.

In a fry pan, brown ground beef until no longer pink.  Sprinkle with flour, garlic powder and black pepper and stir to combine. Add green beans with liquid, uncooked rice, and stir to mix well.

Spray a 9 x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and add green beans, rice and beef mixture.

Bake covered in 350 oven 30 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook 10-15 more minutes, or until rice is tender and casserole is bubbly.

Serve while hot.

Enjoy,
Mary

Ham, Rice and Veggie Casserole

Who doesn't love a good casserole?  So convenient, most casseroles come together quickly and make for an awesome dinner.  This casserole uses fresh canned corn, diced celery, chopped onions, ham and more. Delicious and very little prep time. It's one I make over and over again, it's so good, and so easy to do.

Ingredients
2 tbls. butter
1 medium fresh onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 large carrot, peeled & diced
One 14.5 oz. can niblet corn, drained ( I used my own canned corn)
1 1/2 cups cooked ham, diced
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
salt & pepper, to taste
1 tsp. thyme leaves
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a 9-x-9-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. 

Place a large fry pan over medium heat and melt butter. Saute onions, carrot, celery, corn, and ham 5-7 minutes or until veggies start to soften. 

Stir in cream of chicken soup. Add in seasonings, rice and water. 

Add cheese, stirring to melt in, and pour into prepared baking dish. 

Bake 40 minutes or until rice is completely cooked and no liquid remains. Remove from oven and serve while hot. This is nice served with some biscuits or Cheddar Soda Bread.

Enjoy,
Mary

Easy Chicken and Rice

Don't you just love easy? I especially love easy on busy weeknights when you need to get something ready in a hurry. Easy Chicken and Rice is just that, easy and simple. My favorite kind of meal.

What do you need to make Easy Chicken and Rice?

• Chicken breast tenders or boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Chicken stock or bone broth
• Cream of Chicken Soup Mix 
• 1 cup cooked rice

Yes, you can absolutely use a can of condensed cream of chicken soup if you don't want to make the chicken soup mix. You can also use boneless chicken thighs in place of the chicken breast tenders if your family enjoys them more.

RECIPE

Ingredients

6 chicken breast tenders (or more depending on family size)

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 - 3/4 cup cream of chicken soup mix (depending on desired thickness)

1 cup rice, cooked according to package instructions

Parsley to sprinkle over top (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a covered baking dish with cooking spray and place chicken tenders in dish.

Whisk 2 cups chicken stock or bone broth with 1/2-3/4 cup cream of chicken soup mix and pour over chicken tenders. Cover and bake 30 minutes.

Remove cover and cook an additional 10 minutes, or until chicken is bubbly. Serve chicken over cooked rice with gravy. Sprinkle parsley over top.

Enjoy,

Mary

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Chicken Tahiti

Updated and Revised December 2020

This recipe came to me from my mother. Since she worked full-time when we were older, she loved quick meals, and anything that was quick to put together. As kids, we loved this chicken, and as an adult I have served it many times over the years to my own family. 

Baked chicken breasts or tenders, smothered in a tangy sweet 'n sour sauce, pineapple chunks and bell pepper pieces, served over rice ... always a hit!  Don't have pineapple chunks and bell pepper? No problem, just leave them out.  

What do you need to make Chicken Tahiti?

• boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
• ketchup
• sugar
• vinegar
• cornstarch
• vegetable oil
• canned pineapple chunks (optional in sauce)
• bell pepper (optional in sauce)

RECIPE

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts or 8 chicken breast tenders
Sweet 'n Sour Sauce
White rice, cooked

Method
Preheat oven to 350. Cook rice according to package instructions; set aside and keep warm.  

Place chicken pieces in a baking dish, sprayed with cooking spray. Spoon 1/3 to 1/2 sweet 'n sour sauce over top to evenly covered reserving the remaining sauce for serving.

Bake 35-45 minutes, depending on size of chicken pieces, until chicken is cooked through. Baste with sauce one or two times while cooking. 

Serve hot over rice with the reserved sweet 'n sour sauce.

Yield:  4 servings

Pro Tip - Make the sweet 'n sour sauce in advance and store in your refrigerator (keeps for several weeks).

Enjoy,
Mary

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Savory Pecan Rice Casserole

Have you ever had a moment when you couldn't find one of your favorite recipes? Oh my goodness, that just happened to me a bit ago, and I was convinced I had lost it forever.

Weeks went by, then just the other day I found it while cleaning out and moving some cookbooks from one area to another (thanks to my husband painting our kitchen) ... there it was, written down on a piece of note paper tucked inside another cookbook. Whew! So glad I found this one! It's a great rice dish and makes a wonderful accompaniment for pork, poultry, beef or fish.

RECIPE
Ingredients
1/2 lb. butter (2 sticks)
4 green onions, chopped
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced (or use minced garlic in a jar)
2 cups brown or long-grained white rice
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/8 tsp course-ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans 
5 cups chicken stock 

Method
Preheat oven to 400. Melt butter in large frying pan and saute' onions and mushrooms until golden. Add garlic and then rice, stirring frequently until rice is golden.  Mix in seasonings and pecans.

Turn into a 3 quart casserole dish sprayed with cooking spray or lightly oiled. Pour stock over rice; cover and bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Fluff rice with a fork and a bit of butter; let sit 10 minutes covered before serving.

Yield:  8 servings

Cook's note - recipe is easily divided in half, but also remember to reduce cooking time to approximately 35-45 minutes.

Quick Method
Don't have time to make it the long way? Here's a quick way to make it and still achieve great taste and flavor.

Combine 2 cups rice, 4 tbls. butter (cut into pieces), 4 cups chicken stock, thyme, turmeric, and pepper in a rice steamer. Cook according to recommended time on your model.  

Meanwhile, melt 4 tbls. butter in a fry pan. Add onions and saute' several minutes; add mushrooms and continue to saute' until onions and mushrooms have browned slightly.  

Toss in garlic and cook a few more minutes until well incorporated. Lastly stir in chopped pecans and cook just until slightly roasted. Remove fry pan from heat and stir mixture into steamed cooked rice; fluff with fork.  

Serve immediately.

Enjoy,
Mary

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Easy Flavored Rice

Why buy flavored rice when you can make it yourself?  By simply adding a few ingredients, you can have great flavored rice at home with very little effort. Try it for yourself and see!

Ingredients
1 cup long-grain rice
2 cups water
1 tbls. instant beef or chicken bouillon granules
2 tsp. dried minced onion
1 tsp. thyme leaves
1 tsp. parsley flakes
1 tbls. butter

Method
Add all ingredients to a rice steamer and allow to cook.  Once done, fluff rice with a fork adding about 1-2 tsp. more butter.  Allow rice steamer to stay on "keep warm" for 15-20 minutes.  Perfect fluffy steamed rice every time.
Make this with chicken bouillon granules and other spices to "change it up."  Add sautéed sliced almonds, sliced mushrooms, or toasted pecans to make it your own.  The varieties are endless!

Yield:  4 servings

Enjoy,
Mary

Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

Stir fry dinners are quick, easy and convenient since everything cooks in one pan.  This Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry comes together quickly and is an easy dinner to prepare. With a little prep, you can have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients
2 cups rice, cooked
2 stalks celery, sliced and diced
4 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
4 chicken tenders, cut into small pieces
2 eggs, whisked
2-3 tbls. soy sauce (or more to taste)

Method
In a large covered frying pan (I used an electric fry pan), cook bacon until crisp; remove to a paper towel and let drain; once cooled, crumble bacon.  Add diced celery to bacon drippings, cover pan and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring from time to time.  Add chicken, cover and cook 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, again stirring from time to time.  Add broccoli, cover and cook an additional 5 minutes or until broccoli is al dente.  Push broccoli, chicken and celery to the side of the pan, pour in whisked eggs to center of pan, and cook until well scrambled.  Mix all ingredients in the pan together, add soy sauce and rice and stir to combine.  Top with reserved crumbled bacon. Serve immediately.

Yield:  4 servings

Enjoy,
Mary

Crab Dip Stuffed Beef Roulade

Oh my goodness!  First of all let me tell you the Crab Dip from Big T Coastal Provisions is AWESOME!!!  Full of crab meat, and I do mean chock full of wonderful wild caught crab meat. It was light, tasty, delicious, and oh so crabby! Tony and Tracy from Big T Coastal Provisions are the real deal.  They sent me some of the crab dip to try, and boy am I ever glad they did! There is simply nothing like it ... and I mean nothing like it!

As they say "Looking for the real deal? Well you’ve found it! Our family's sought after recipe packs 100% real crab meat into every creamy bite. We combine sharp cheddar and cream cheeses, spices and other signature seasonings with the freshest crab meat to bring you a dip perfect for just about every occasion – from porches to picnics, tailgating to cocktail parties. A coastal Carolina entertaining favorite, Big T Coastal Provisions Crab Dip tastes best when shared with friends and family."

Tonight's recipe inspiration came from a discussion with the hubs, and after quite the debate, this is what materialized.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Recipe
Ingredients
1 package (1/2 lb. beef top round for rouladen, boneless)
1 package original Big T Coastal Provisions Original Crab Dip
1-2 tps. Feiny's Everything Rub
2 tbls butter
2 tbls. red cooking wine
3 tbls. balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup (approx.) Panko crumbs

Method
Mix crab dip with Panko crumbs; set aside. Take 1 piece of beef roulade, sprinkle it on one side with Feiny's Everything Rub and rub into meat. Top with crab dip mixture and spread evenly over top of meat.  Roll up tightly from long side and secure meat in several places with butchers twine. 

Place in baking pan sprayed with cooking spray (or oiled); add butter and wine. Splash balsamic vinegar over top of meat, cover tightly with foil and bake 45 minutes. Uncover, ladle pan drippings over top of meat and continue baking 15 more minutes uncovered.  Let rest for 5 minutes.  Slice and serve over a bed of  Carolina Creole Long-Grain Rice.

Enjoy,
Mary

Disclaimer: The samples in this post were provided by Big T Coastal Provisions. All opinions are my own.

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Loaded Veggie & Ham Fried Rice

I love fried rice, any kind of fried rice, and the list of possibilities for fried rice is endless ... that said, here is another recipe for leftover ham, or any fully-cooked cubed ham (of course you could use ground pork, diced chicken or shrimp instead, or leave out the meat entirely).  Delicious and so easy!

Ingredients


1 cup white rice, cooked according to package instructions
1 cup cooked ham, cubed (any ham will work; use leftover, cubed, sliced, whatever you have)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 tbls. soy sauce (more or less depending on taste)
2 eggs, beaten (preferably farm fresh)
5-6 stalks fresh asparagus, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped/diced
1/2 cup green peas
1 cup cabbage, chopped/diced
1-2 tbls butter


*Note - add any fresh veggies you like

Directions
Melt butter in large frying pan, or electric skillet; add onion, celery, cabbage, peas and carrots; cover and cook over medium heat until al dente (or firm/tender); stir in ham and continue to cook until hot.  Add eggs and stir until cooked through; stir in cooked rice and soy sauce. Continue cooking until heated through. Add fresh asparagus last, cover and cook until just done. Serve immediately.

Enjoy,
Mary

Marinated Beef Strips with Broccoli

Oh yes, this is yummy!  Quick weeknight meal using thin strips of steak and fresh broccoli. The marinade is simple, and the recipe equally easy to do.  I hope you enjoy it.

RECIPE
Ingredients
2 tsp minced garlic (or garlic powder)
1 tsp minced ginger (I used ground ginger)
1 cup beef stock (I use homemade)
1 lb. any steak, sliced into thin strips (I have used flank or skirt steak, but any cut will work)
1/3 cup red wine
1 tsp course-ground black pepper (or more to taste)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup fresh broccoli florets 
1 cup rice, uncooked

Method
In the morning, marinate beef strips in wine, pepper, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, course-ground black pepper and beef stock; cover and set aside in the refrigerator until evening (you can also do this a day ahead if preferred).

When ready to prepare, steam, or cook rice until done; cover and keep warm.

In large skillet over medium heat (sprayed with cooking spray) saute' onion. Reserving marinade, remove beef and stir fry in skillet with onion approximately 3-4 minutes.

Add marinade and bring to a boil, stirring and allowing to reduce some. Add broccoli florets and cook just until al dente.

Serve immediately over hot cooked rice.

Enjoy,
Mary

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Easy He-Man Spanish Rice

Oh, this brings back so many memories as my dad used to make this when I was just a girl!  You can make this as "mild" or as "spicy" as you want it. Super-easy, one pan dish that cooks in just a few minutes, perfect for a weeknight meal.  Serve with cornbread and a side salad and you have dinner.


Recipe

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
1 can tomato soup
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes, with liquid
3/4 can water
1-2 tsp. garlic powder
1-2 tsp. course-ground black pepper
1-2 tsp. chili powder (or more to taste)
1-2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp. hot sauce
1 tbls. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup cooked rice
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese on top of each serving.

Method
Brown ground beef in large fry pan or electric skillet; add diced onion and saute a few minutes or until onion is soft. Add tomato soup and next 7 ingredients.

Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes. Add rice and simmer, covered, until rice is hot and all ingredients are well mixed.  Serve with some shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Adjust seasonings to your taste - omit red pepper flakes and hot sauce to make it more mild and "kid friendly."

Enjoy,
Mary
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Sweet 'n Sour Pork with Fried Rice

I just love making Chinese Take-Out at home!  It's something our family enjoys and the recipe for the Sweet 'n Sour Sauce has been a family-favorite of ours for many years!  Enjoy!

2 eggs beaten, 2 cups cooked rice, 1 onion chopped and sauteed', 4 slices bacon cooked crisp and crumbled, Soy Sauce to taste

Sweet 'n Sour Sauce bubbling

Sweet 'n Sour Pork

Ingredients
1 pork tenderloin cut into bite-size pieces
Toss pieces in bowl with cornstarch or flour

Beer-Batter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups beer

In a small mixing bowl add flour, egg, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir in 1 cup beer (you can add more than one cup to obtain your desired texture).

Method
Dip pork pieces tossed with cornstarch or flour in beer-batter. Drop each piece into fryer and cook until done, about 3 minutes.


Fried Rice

Ingredients
2 cups cooked d cooled rice (best made day ahead)
4 strips bacon fried and cooked crisp
1 onion, diced
2 large farm eggs, beaten
1 stalk celery, diced (optional)
Soy Sauce to taste

Method
Cook bacon until crisp in large fry pan; remove and drain on paper towels. Add diced onion and saute' until translucent; add beaten eggs and cook until eggs are soft set. 

 Crumble bacon and add to onion/bacon mixture, stir in cooked rice and add Soy Sauce to taste; stir to combine. Reduce to low heat to keep warm.

Sweet 'n Sour Sauce
Ingredients

8 Tbls. Ketchup
6 Tbls. Vinegar
6 Tbls. Sugar (granulated)
2 Tbls. Cornstarch
2 Tbls. Canola Oil
1 1/3 cups Water

Method
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, heat to boiling over low heat. Add crushed pineapple, diced bell pepper as desired.

Enjoy,
Mary