- 1/2 small onion, diced into blendable chunks (the original recipe calls for white, but I prefer red onion because it's prettier)
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1 garlic clove (I use garlic paste or minced garlic in a jar)
- 1 envelope Sazon Goya Seasoning con Culantro y Achiote (It will say on the box. You can find this either on the spice aisle of the grocery store or in the hispanic food section.)
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 2 cups chicken broth OR water
- 1 cup white rice (I use Basmatti)
- vegetable oil (enough to coat bottom of pan)
- 1 can shoepeg corn (drained)
Start by making the sauce. Throw all but the last three ingredients into the blender and blend well. Set aside.
Fry uncooked rice in medium skillet in oil over medium heat. Fry until good and browned. Be careful not to burn it. Drain off any excess oil.
Pour the contents of your blender (the sauce you set aside earlier) and the corn into the skillet with the rice. Bring it back to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until all liquid is absorbed (just like you make any other kind of rice).
Feeds about 6, but could be more like 4 or 8 depending on how big a portion you decide to dole out. I find this recipe to be better than any rice I've ever had in a restaurant. I like to serve it with a sprinkling of cheese on top or inside a burrito. Maybe one day I will remember to take a picture before I eat all of it.
The title of this recipe when I received it was "Eden's Rice." I got it from my fabulous cook-friend Bekah. Now that I've made it a couple of times, made whatever little tweaks I felt were good for my cooking style, and adopted it as my go-to Mexican rice recipe, I'm posting it here as part of my cook book.
I think I've said this a few times, but I am LAZY.
I'm ok with that. I don't sell my food. I work full time. And I know what tastes good. I don't apologize for using cake mixes. I won't pretend they are "from scratch." I'm not a chef. I'm not a "true" recipe inventer. I just make good-tasting food.
I take good ideas and improve them. I listen to what other people have learned. I know Paula Deen knows her stuff, even if she'll give you your very own case of diabetes if you aren't careful.
So, of course Ms. Deen got it right when she modified a box mix. I followed her instructions this week, and made two batches of the most delicious cupcakes ever. Here's how I did it.
- Add 1 box mix to a bowl. I like Betty Crocker SuperMoist. They're just better than other mixes. I don't know why. I made "Triple Chocolate Fudge" and "White" this past weekend.
- Now, look at the instructions on the back of the box. Instead of water, add whole milk in the same amount called for.
- Instead of oil, add melted butter in DOUBLE the amount called for.
- Add two extra eggs (that was 5 eggs in each batch I made this past weekend).
- Add 1 tsp of vanilla extract (I use Mexico vanilla for all my baking, and I swear it makes a real difference.)
- Fill muffin or cake tins, and bake according to the package instructions. I greased muffin tins and baked these without any baking cups.
Once the cupcakes were completely cool, I plopped them into pretty wrappers and piped on Butter CREAM Frosting. If Betty Crocker and Paula Deen somehow managed to cross-polinate, these cupcakes would be their offspring. I'm sure of it. Best. Cupcakes. Ever.
- 1 stick of unsalted butter, softened
- ~ 4 cups powdered sugar
- 4-8 TBS Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
This is a shameless rip-off of Domino Sugar Buttercream Frosting, except I'm too lazy to worry about 1/4 cups when it comes to sugar in my frosting and I like the extra creaminess of using real cream instead of milk. I mean, as long as we're eating super-unhealthy, super-sweet, super rich food, we may as well go all out, right? Right!
Ok, so now that we've covered that. All you do is use a hand mixer to mix together the butter and the powdered sugar. Then mix in the whipping cream (it should get creamy, or you need to add a bit more cream). Then stir in the vanilla.
This will typically top 24 cupcakes if I don't go crazy with it. If you find it's too stiff, you can always microwave it for a few seconds. Too long and you'll have a puddle, though, so be careful!
- 2 c. graham cracker crumbs
- 6 TBS unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
- 8 oz. white chocolate chips
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1 c. sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- foil baking cups
- choice of toppings: caramel, fudge sauce, and pecans for turtle; chopped fresh strawberries and sugar; or whatever you love on cheesecake
Preheat oven to 300. Set baking cups in muffin tins.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter; stir well. Add about a teaspoon of the mix to each baking cup and smash down into an even layer in the bottom of each cup. Set aside. Note: you may have extra graham cracker mix, or you may need to make a bit more to go with all the filling.
Bring whipping cream to a simmer in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add the chocolate chips. Stir mixture with a rubber spatula until smooth. Let cool briefly.
Beat cream cheese at high speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add sugar; beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Fold in chocolate mixture. Stir in vanilla. Spoon batter into baking cups. Filling each about 3/4 full.
Bake at 300 for about 45 minutes (maybe another 5 minutes if they don't look fully "set up"). Let cool completely on a wire rack. Peel off foil rappers. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour (although the truth is, these are good while they're still warm and good for several days afterward if refrigerated).
Non-fruit toppings may be added as soon as the cakes cool, but fruit toppings should not be added until immediately before serving. Makes 24-30 mini cakes.
Obviously I share my creations because I love praise. Let me just say that if you're motivated by the same thing, you should make these and share them with lots of people. They will rave. And you will have really high self esteem.
Ok, fine. So, I'm a shameless recipe thief. But here's the thing... if I try something, and it's perfect as is. Why go reinvent the wheel? So, I'm adding this easy and delicious meal from thedailydeelight.com to my cookbook.
- 2 lb chuck roast, cut into large chunks (I used a larger piece, more like 3 lbs, and I'm lazy, so I did not cut it into chunks. It worked out fine.)
- 1 onion, cut into large chunks. (I used about 3/4 of a white onion. More was not necessary.)
- 3-4 cups chicken or beef broth (I used 4 cups of chicken broth.)
- 1 c. white wine (I used plain ol' cooking wine.)
- 2-3 TBS red pepper flakes (I just used 2 TBS)
- 4 TBS garlic powder
- 4 TBS cumin
- tortillas, chips, or salad bowls plus any toppings you might like: cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, beans, etc.
Put the beef in the crockpot with the onions, and cover them with the broth and wine. Add the garlic powder, 2 TBS of chili powder, and red pepper flakes. Put the lid on, and turn the crockpot on low for 8-10 hours (Mine inevitably cooks for 10 hours then sits on "warm" for another 2 until I actually get home. This did not hurt the recipe, and may have helped it.)
When done, remove the beef and shred it in a large bowl. Then add about a cup of the liquid left in the crockpot to a smaller bowl. Mix in the cumin and 2 TBS of chili powder. Dump that over the shredded beef and stir it up good.
Serve on nachos, in tacos, as burrito filling, or topping a Mexican salad. I ate these as regular tacos with guacamole, cheese, and sour cream, and that was delish. I'm planning to serve this meat as part of a taco/nacho bar for a party this weekend.
The meat stores and reheats well, and can be enjoyed for several days in several different ways. The 3 lbs I made, fed 5 people 2 full meals.
