Apologies!

Sorry.  I haven't been online much for the past few weeks.  I got a new job and it's been training, training, training!

I will start posting some delicious recipes and photos again this week.  That's a promise!

Secret to Good Mexican Rice-Now With Pictures!

As a Mexican food fan, I've always tried to re-create those delicious meals at home.  I've had success with refried beans, taco, enchiladas, burritos and even sopes. The one thing I could never get quite right was the rice.

Mine usually had a great flavor but the texture was off.  The rice they serve is always light and fluffy.  Mine was like Mexican flavored steamed rice.  Not exactly what I was going for.

Fortunately, one of my best friends married a man who's family owns several Mexican restaurants in the area.  Matter of fact, that's how they met but that's another story.  He showed me the secret to making delicious Mexican rice at home & now I'm going to share that with you. 

Mexican Rice
1 cup white Rice
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 small can Tomato Sauce
Water to equal 2 cups when added to the tomato sauce
1 cube Chicken Broth seasoning (or 1/2 package if using granules)
small Tomato (optional)
Peas/Corn/& or Carrots (optional) about 1/2 cup total.

Pour tomato sauce into a 2-cup measuring cup.  Add water and stir.  You may add 1 small chopped tomato to this and sort of squish it into the sauce. No big chunks should be left.  Set aside.

In a large skillet with a lid, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add rice and stir continuously until rice has browned. (that is the secret to this recipe)

Sprinkle with chicken broth and then add tomato sauce mixture.  Stir and bring to boil.
If you are using peas/corn/& or carrots, add now. 

Turn down to a low simmer and cover with lid.
Cook for approximately 30 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is light and fluffy.

Ethnic Food In SW Missouri-Part 1

Growing up in Southwest Missouri in the 60s through the early 80s, I can't say we had many choices when it came to ethnic foods.  We had a few.  But when I say "ethnic", I'm being very liberal. 

Most the ethnic food served in Springfield at the time was heavily modified to accommodate the local palate.  Meaning not very spicy and fried if at all possible.  These modifications ended up with surprising results, the best being Springfield Style Cashew Chicken and Mexican Villa's delicious spin on South-of-the-Border favorites. 

We had Imo's Pizza or Pizza Hut for Italian...

St. Louis style Pizza. Notice the square cut.

 Bamboo Inn for Chinese...

Springfield style Cashew Chicken...FRIED!  A local adaptation.

 

Same thing for Sweet & Sour...FRIED!

 and for Mexican, it was Mexican Villa. 

Chico Platter: Enchiladas, beans and rice.

Now I know these things aren't authentic, but I sure do love them.  I moved out of the area in the 80s and I've grown to love traditional ethnic foods with a passion.  I eat Japanese Sushi, Thai Pad Kee Mau, Guatemalan Pupusa, Vietnamese Pho, and of course, Mexican tamales, moles and even menudo.  Yes, I like menudo!  However, I sometimes crave the foods I grew up with.

 

Obviously, there are recipes headed your way! Stay tuned!

Homestead Barn Hop

Winner Winner DUCK dinner!

It was dreary and cold again on Monday.  Just the right kind of weather for another hearty baked dinner.  I've had a duck in the freezer for awhile.  OK, a long while and I really needed to do something with it. 

I opted for a classic roasted duck.  I was going to go with an Asian spin but I decided to keep it simple.  The duck came with an orange sauce packet and I didn't even use it.  I warmed it up and sat it on the table and though it was very tasty, the duck itself was perfection and needed nothing more than a knife and fork. 

Hubs said this was one of his favorite meals I've ever made.  We've been married almost four years so I've made a lot of meals.  I'll take that one as a serious compliment.

Ignore all the Asian sauces in the picture below.  Didn't use them.

Roast Duck & Potatoes
1 thawed or fresh Duck (mine was 6.5 lbs.)
1 whole Onion, quartered
1 whole Celery Stalk, cut into small pieces
4 whole Garlic Cloves
3 Bay Leaves
Salt
Pepper
Whole small Potatoes
Olive Oil
Fresh Rosemary

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Prepare your roasting pan.  If you don't have a roasting pan (I don't), put foil on a large pan and then use a baking rack on top to suspend the duck.  You want the juices and fat to have room to drip out and away from the duck.  I always cover mine in aluminium foil so I don't have to scrub so much later. 

Thaw duck if needed then take out all the giblets from inside.  Duck is very fatty so make sure to cut away large chunks of fat and put with your giblets.  Save these to make delicious duck broth.  Also check duck for pin feathers, and if you find any, pull them out. 

Since duck is so fatty, you will need to score over the top half of the duck (breast side up) to allow the fat to escape.  Make very shallow cuts diagonally to keep from cutting into the meat in a diamond pattern.

Salt and pepper the inside and outside of the duck.  Next, stuff duck with the quartered onion, celery, garlic cloves, and bay leaves.

Since I didn't have any twine to truss the duck, I used bamboo skewers.  Basically just close up the opening you just filled with those yummy veggies.

Be sure to tuck the wings under the duck so they don't overcook.  My poor bird only had one full wing.

Place duck breast-side-up on rack and set the timer for 1 hour.

While the duck is roasting, it's time to start the potatoes.

Prick all over potatoes and put into a bowl.  Pour some olive oil over them, sprinkle with salt, pepper and chopped rosemary.  Toss to make sure all the potatoes are covered with the oil and seasonings. 

When the timer goes off, take the duck out of the oven.  Prick all over the duck to allow fat to be released.  This will help make the skin nice and crispy.



Arrange the potatoes around the duck and place back into the oven.  Continue roasting until skin is browned and crispy and juices run clear.  Remove from oven and allow duck to rest for approximately 10 minutes.  This allows all the juices and fat to go back into the meat.



Here is the first slice...Perfection!

I Reached 1000!

WOOHOO!  As of today, my little blog has had over 1000 hits!  

Thank you!  I am truly amazed and honored!  I hope to have lots more goodies for you so keep on reading! :)

Quick & Easy Immersion Blender Mayo

Earlier, I showed everyone how to make homemade Miracle Whip.  It was easy but it took forever.  Today, I think I have solved that issue. 

I made homemade mayonnaise with my immersion blender.  So easy and so fast!  I think it took longer to gather the ingredients than it did to make.

Next time, I'm going to make the mustard mixture from the Miracle Whip recipe and add it to the finished blender mayo for a quick and easy Miracle Whip recipe.  I'll post the results.

Immersion Blender Mayonnaise
1 large whole Egg
1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard (I used Inglehoffer stone ground mustard 'cause it's what I had on hand)
1/2 fresh Lemon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Oil
Immersion Blender
Wide-mouth Jar (one large enough to accommodate ingredients and Immersion Blender &  that allows for expansion)

Crack the egg into the jar.

Add mustard but do not mix.

Juice 1/2 lemon and add to mix, again, do not mix.

Add salt then oil and as before, do not mix.

Let oil settle then ease in the Immersion Blender.
Start blender and using a slow up-and-down motion, combine ingredients.

It only takes about 1 to 2 minutes to combine all together. 
When it is light and fluffy, take out blender, and there you have it.  Mayo!

If you want to get fancy, you can add garlic or other flavors to the mix.  As always, let your taste and imagination run free!  I think I  also add a bit of fresh ground pepper to the plain mayo for a little kick.