Rice Cookers

I have recently purchased a new rice cooker.

 If you like brown rice, or WANT to like brown rice...you must purchase one.

I previously had a cheap rice cooker like the one to the left.

I thought it was fine. It cooked Japanese rice well.   I have always wanted a better rice cooker, but have never purchased one since the one I had worked ok.

With this type of cooker (removable lid)...I could never cook brown rice in it. The water would fly out of the lid and all over everything in a five-foot radius of the cooker. Not fun. Very starchy.  So, I would always cook brown rice in a pan.

My new rice cooker is a lot like the one to the right. I saw this one at Tuesday Morning for $30. Went home and googled it and saw it is normally $60. Decided I could not pass this up.

Fabulous discovery. This kind of rice cooker makes AMAZING brown rice. I highly highly highly recommend it. Wow. There is NO comparison. Wow Wow Wow. So good. I just made some very basic organic brown rice from the grocery store. Not Japanese rice. It is so good. I am in shock.

Ok...if you don't own a rice cooker, but you like rice...buying a rice cooker will change your life. It is so simple, and such a no brainer to make rice in a rice cooker. I don't know how to describe it...but...especially this kind of rice cooker - cooks rice sort of like a pressure cooker, I suppose. It's just so good.

Double Corn Spoon Bread with chiles and cheese

taken from The Texas Border Cookbook by W Park Kerr and Norma Kerr

"Serve it as a meal's bread or in place of potatoes or other starch with chili, brisket, fried chicken, etc., or try it at brunch teamed with eggs and bacon. When hot and freshly baked, the bread is soft and spoonable; it firms as it cools and then cuts neatly into squares..."

(true confession: I have never taken the time to roast the green chiles. I'm sure it would be a fabulous addition to this recipe. But, I have substituted a can of diced green chiles.)



6 long green chiles
8 eggs, beaten
two 16-oz cans cream-style corn
8 oz. medium sharp cheddar or monterey jack cheese (2 cups)
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
two 4-oz jars of roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained
2/3 cup cultured buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar
5 pickled jalapeno chiles, stemmed and minced, about 1/3 cup
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

In the open flame of a gas burner or under a preheated broiler, roast the long green chiles, turning them, until they are lightly but evenly charred. Steam the chiles in a paper bag, or in a bowl, covered with a plate, until cool. Rub away the burned peel. Stem and seed the chiles and coarsely chop them. there should be about 1 cup.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 375. Butter a 10-12 cup shallow casserole dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream-style corn, and cheese. Stir in the cornmeal, green chiles, red peppers, and buttermilk. Add the sugar, jalapenos, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and mix well. Transfer the batter to the baking dish.

Bake for 35-40 minutes or until puffed and just barely set in the center. Serve hot or warm.

Skier's French Toast

2 Tbsp corn syrup
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 loaf french bread, sliced into 2 inch slices
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350. Combine syrup, butter, and brown sugar in a pan and simmer until thick (syrup-like) approximately 5 minutes. Put in a 9x13 pan. Add bread slices. Pour egg mixture over bread. Refrigerate, covered with saran wrap, for at least an hour. Can be refrigerated overnight. Bake for 45 minutes. Invert to serve.  

A loaf of french bread - cut into 2/3 inch slices works really well - makes about 12 "slices" usually...and they will expand when baked to fill the pan.

If you use a different kind of bread, you can overlap them as needed...cut off crusts if you use a different kind of bread. . . .I found another recipe that called for a one pound loaf of unsliced white bread, with crust trimmed.

Breakfast Casserole

When it's done, it looks kind of like this picture from ClosetCooking.com  (I have never taken a picture of mine, sorry, I'll try to next time.)

1 cup bisquick
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese (I use sharp)
2 tsp chopped onion (or more, to taste)
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
1/4 tsp salt
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1-2 cups diced ham

1/2 cup butter, melted

Mix all ingredients except butter in order given. Pour into a 9x13 glass pan. Pour 1/2 cup of melted butter over mixture. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Corn Cakes

This was one of the winners of the University of Minnesota's Golden Gopher Pancake Cook-off in 1998 or 1999. The recipe came from Jeff Tjosvold, Maple Grove, MN.

1/2 cup sifted cake flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 beaten egg
3/4 cup milk
2 Tbsp cooking oil
honey (opt)

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; set aside.

In another bowl, combine egg, milk, and cooking oil. Add the egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just till moistened and almost smooth.

Pour about 1/4 cup of the pancake batter onto a hot lightly-greased griddle or heavy skillet.  Cook over medium heat about two minutes on each side or till the pancakes are golden brown, turning to second side when the pancakes have bubbly surfaces and edges are slightly dry.

Serve warm, drizzled with honey, if desired. Makes 8 pancakes.

Chipotle Black Bean Chili

This is REALLY spicy. 

That being said, as leftovers, it is REALLY yummy served over a baked potato. :) 

I got this from a Midwest Living Magazine, and it's also now on the midwestliving.com website.  Chipotle Black Bean Chili

 1 1/2 pounds ground beef, ground pork or pork sausage, uncooked ground turkey or uncooked bulk turkey sausage

2 14-oz cans of reduced sodium beef broth (or chicken broth if you're using turkey)

1 16 oz jar of salsa

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 15 of can of golden hominy, rinsed and drained

2 cups of loose-pack frozen diced hash brown potatoes with onions and peppers 

1 or 2 canned chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce, finely chopped - SEE NOTE

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

Dairy sour cream, chopped avocado, adn/or shredded cheedar cheese, optional

Tortilla chips or corn bread, optional

In a large skillet, cook the ground beef until meat is brown. Drain off fat. Transfer meat to a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker. Stir broth, salsa, beans, hominy, potatoes, chipotle peppers, chili powder, oregano and cumin into meat in cooker.   Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high setting for 3.5-4 hours. 

Top individual servings with sour cream, avocado, and cheddar cheese and serve with tortilla chips, if you like. Makes 6 servings (9.5 cups total)

*Handling hot chili peppers: Because hot chili peppers contain volatile oils that can burn your skin adn eyes, avoid direct contact with chiles as much as possible. When working with chile peppers, wear plastic or rubber gloves. If your bare hands DO touch the chile peppers, wash your hands and fingernails well with soapa dn water when youare done. 

Farmgirl's Savory Cheese & Scallion Scones

from
Farmgirl's blog


I have made these a few times and they are quite good. Click on the farmgirl's blog above for ideas on substitutions (cheddar and chives if you don't like feta, etc.) the person at the following link also made variations on the recipe which I think look good. Spinach and Onion Scones

2 1/2 to 3 cups flour (all purpose)
1 Tbsp plus 2 tsp baking powder*
1 tsp salt
4 ounces feta cheese crumbled (or sheep/goat milk)
4 ounces cream cheese, softened in microwave 15-30 seconds (you want it very soft)
4 scallions, both green and white parts, chopped

1 cup half and half or whole milk
1 egg

Optional egg glaze:
Beat well with fork:
1 egg and 2 Tbsp milk

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add cheese and toss gently with a fork until combined. Add scallions and toss gently with a fork until combined. Beat half and half (or milk) with eggs and gently fold into dry ingredients, mixing lightly until a soft dough forms. Add up to 1/2 cup additional flour if the dough is too sticky.

On a floured surface, gently pat the dough into a circle approximately 1 inch thick. The key to tender scones it to handle the dough with a light touch and as little as possible. With a sharp knife (author of recipe uses a large serrated knife dipped in flour) cut the circle into 8 wedges (for large scones - 12 for smaller scones) and place them on a greased or parchment-lined heavy duty baking sheet.

Brush tops and sides of scones with egg glaze, if desired, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm, or cool completely and refrigerate or freeze in a zipper bag or an airtight container.

*Make sure it's fresh! If your baking powder has been open more than a couple of months, toss it out and buy a new container. I prefer Rumford brand, which is aluminum-free and always gives me excellent results.