Wild Rice Chowder

This is a chowder that I never really use a recipe for, so keep that in mind with the measurements! None of the measurements are exact - you can make changes as you like.  

If you haven't ever made a white sauce before, you may want to find better instructions somewhere than those I am leaving. Here's one example at about.com

How to Make a White Sauce

 (You don't have to use sharp cheddar cheese, I just like sharp better than mild.) Makes a large batch - depending on how many vegetables, how much broth you decide to use.

RICE:

1 cup wild rice, dry

water to cook rice

VEGGIES IN STOCK:

Chicken stock or bouillon - 6 cups (enough to cover vegetables in pan)

5 carrots, diced

3 onions, diced

5 potatoes, diced

WHITE SAUCE:

butter, 1/2 cup

4 cups milk

3-4 Tbsp flour

2 Tbsp water

3 cups cheddar cheese, sharp

salt and pepper

(bacon or ham - optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Cook wild rice according to instructions.

While wild rice is cooking, chop vegetables into bite-sized pieces (use any combination and amount of vegetable you want to). Add the vegetables to a stock pan, and put in chicken stock - enough to cover vegetables completely. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes or until veggies are tender.

While veggies are cooking, make a white sauce as follows. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add 2 Tbsp water to flour in a small cup or bowl. Stir or whisk to try to remove all lumps. Add more water as needed. You can use more or less as desired. Like I said, I don't measure. You do want a thick white sauce because you're using quite a bit of water in cooking the veggies.

Usually with a white sauce, you're going to "cook" the flour with the butter for a minute or two. You may need to add a little of the milk to the butter first, before you add the flour. Whisk the flour/water mixture into the butter. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk (either add very slowly or you can actually HEAT the milk before adding). Stir constantly over low heat until thick, 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese is completely melted.

When all of the components (wild rice, veggies, white sauce) have completed cooking, combine them.

Makes a very large batch of soup.

IngenuiTea Teapot

Susan introduced me to this amazing teapot - the brand is IngenuiTea. She found them at Gong Fu Tea in Des Moines (very nice tea shop).

You put the looseleaf tea in, put water in, steep. Put the teapot on a cup, which strains the tea. The leaves are then left in the pot. Dishwasher safe (top rack).

Video of How It Works

My personal faves from Gong Fu tea are Kikucha and Genmaimatcha. Both really good green teas.

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.