Harvest Rice

Harvest Rice, Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob, and Mahi Mahi

I have quickly learned to never, NEVER, go to Costco when I am hungry.  OR, go to Costco if I need a snack, and my bank account is running low.  Either way, customers need to be prepared for some scrumptious treats.  For those of you unfamiliar with Costco, it is very similar to Sam's Club.  I prefer Costco though because it feels cleaner, better organized, and a bit more upscale.  To throw back to lower school ERB testing-
Costco : Sam's :: Target : Wal-Mart

In case you don't remember or didn't quite understand the analogy section of lower (elementary) school English, that translates to "Costco is to Sam's Club as Target is to Wal-Mart."  The same concept of a store, but Costco is just a step above in quality- in my humble opinion.

I pre-measured and chopped everything when I had some spare time during the day, then when it was time to cook, all I had to do was plop in the ingredients as the recipe called for them

Grammar Side-Note- I never can resist the temptation to remind people how important correct grammar is.  (*If you don't know the difference in its/it's, they're/their/there, etc, we may not be able to be friends.)  ANYWAY. I was at Costco one day and in need of a snack, so I headed to the back right corner where the food is located.  I had my slice of bean and cheese taquito ("Right here on Aisle 9, ma'am."  No, thanks, I just wanted a free sample.  I don't need 110 taquitos.), piece of lemon garlic tilapia, cracker with brie, and crab cake.  All I needed was dessert.  Since I had already eaten my way through half of the frozen food aisle, I thought I'd try the dried cherries for dessert.  They sounded sweet but healthy- and, most importantly, they were available to sample.  They were perfect! A bit sweet, and a lot tart, dried cherries are now one of my new favorite snacks.

My pre-measured packets of ingredients all folded up and ready when I was

As they do every year, my parents left in January and headed to Colorado for a week and a half for the Ouray Ice Festival.  Read about the last time we housesat and Smashed Potatoes here.  I was cooking dinner for Andy one night while we were house sitting at my parents' house, and I thought I'd find a recipe that involved my new love, dried cherries.  I ended up making Harvest Rice which called for dried cranberries, and I substituted my cherries instead.  Andy wasn't such as fan of the cherries- he thought they were weird in rice (which, I'll give him, that is unusual), plus he isn't a big fan of dried fruit.  I, however, thought the rice was robust with flavor and boasted a very unique taste that was all of nutty, sweet, tarte, and filling.  It would be great for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner side item- I even said it "tastes like Thanksgiving."

Maybe around the holidays I will head to Costco and pick up some of these ingredients in bulk.  Until then, you can find me moseying around the freezer aisle, in hopes of finding another delicious undiscovered snack.


Harvest Rice
All Recipes; altered by Kate Strickland
Servings: 4; Weight Watchers PointsPlus Value: 9

Harvest Rice

• 1/2 c slivered almonds (or use candied almonds like I use in my candied almond salad- read here how to make candied almonds)
• 2 c chicken broth
• 1/2 c uncooked brown rice
• 1/2 c uncooked wild rice
• 3 tbsp butter (or butter substitute)
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 c onion, chopped
• 1 c dried cherries (or cranberries)
• 2/3 c sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. If you're using plain almonds, you're going to want to toast them.  If they're already prepped, skip to step 2:
1. Place almonds on an ungreased baking sheet
2. Toast at 350 degrees for 5-8 mins
2. Mix broth, brown rice, and wild rice in medium saucepan.  Bring to boil.
3. Reduce heat to low.  Cover, simmer for 45 mins until rice is tender and broth is absorbed.
4. In medium skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat
5. Add onions and brown sugar
6. Saute until butter is absorbed and onions are see-through and soft
7. Reduce heat and cook onions for another 20 mins until caramelized
8. Stir cherries and mushrooms into the skillet
9. Cover, and cook 10 mins
10. Stir in almonds and orange zest, then fold mixture into the cooked rice
11. Add salt and pepper to taste

Keep on cookin'!

-Katherine

Spicy Potatoes

In August of 2010, my aunt called my mom and invited us up to her boss' cabin in Almont, Colorado.  My mom asked if I was availbale to go.  Lucky me, my current job is PRN (for those of you not in the medical field, this means "as needed.")  Back to my mom asking me if I could go to Colorado.  I believe my exact response was, "Why yes, Mom, I would love to leave the 109 degree Texas heat and adventure to Colorado for a week with my family.  What's that? The high today was 79 with a low of 38? Excuse me, I have to go pack."  So the very next week, there we were in Almont, Colorado.  Oh, and the boss' "cabin?"  More like a small hunting lodge.  Holy. Moly.  This gorgeous home slept 16 people.   And did I mention that the part of my family we went with are the most loving, carefree, amazing people I have ever met?  Seriously- ever.

Our gorgeous cabin, thank you, Estes Family!

Quick Bios:  My uncle, Richard, is my mom's younger brother.  Richard is married to Rhonda who is like my other mom.  Richard and Rhonda have a daughter named Ashlea who is, by fate, my little sister.  No, we aren't some weird, intertwined hillbilly family (although my mom did go to prom with her cousin... weird...)  Ashlea has just always been the closest thing I ever had to a little sister, and she is also my sorority sister.  We say we are "twice sisters."  She's my favorite girl in the world.  Rhonda and Richard also have a daughter-in-law, Tiffany.  Although Tiff is my cousin by marriage, I call her my cousin.  Tiff's daughter, Kami, is four.  Kami is potentially the cutest little girl I have ever seen, and I can only hope to someday have a daughter half as precious as her.  Not to be even more confusing, but Kami calls me, "Aunt Kate."  I'm cool with that- I love it, actually, because I have no nieces or nephews.  Also at the cabin was my cousin, Kyle.  My mom and Richard also have a sister named Judy, and Kyle is Judy's son.  Kyle's girlfriend, Jess, joined us, too.  If you know me, you know our family truly needed this time together and away from the hustle and bustle that is life, and the timing was impeccable.

Kami, Tiff, Ashlea, me

So there we were- me, my mom, my dad, Uncle Richard, Aunt Rhonda, Ashlea, Tiff, Kami, Kyle, and Jess.  One night, my mom and Uncle Richard cooked a fabulous dinner of nilgai (an antelope meat), and what I call "spicy potatoes."  Tiff and I probably would have helped, but we were busy having girl chat with wine and Ashlea (and her Mike's Hard Lemonade).  Potatoes, you will soon pick up, are my favorite food item.  These spicy potatoes were fan-tastic.  I made them the other night for some of my closest friends, and they loved them, too.  They go great with nilgai, but if you don't have any antelope meat on hand, they make a great side to chicken or roast, too.  They are spicy, they are filling, and they remind me of the resounding love that echoed through the rooms in the cabin on that night in Colorado.

Dinner at Garlic Joe's

Spicy Potatoes
Uncle Richard Poirot & Carolyn Poirot
(Servings: 5)

Spicy Potatoes

• 6 small potatoes
• 4 fresh jalapenos
• 1 large onion
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil    
• Salt & pepper as needed (PRN?)

1. Wash potatoes
2. Slice potatoes (the thinner the better)
3. Slice jalapenos (smaller is better, especially because these can get so hot! Our mouths were on fire the other night!!)
4. Slice onions thin
5. Heat large pan on stovetop
6. Pour vegetable oil in pan and allow to warm up, turn pan this way and that to coat pan
7. Put potatoes in pan alone to begin cooking
8. Add salt & pepper to tast
9. After appr. 5 min, add onions and jalapenos
10. Cook until potatoes and onions are browned

*Notes:

• If potatoes are still not done, but onions and jalapenos are browning too fast, add some water to pan and cover with lid.  This will slow the onions and jalapenos' cooking and speed up the potatoes' cooking.

Thanks for trying them, Brynne!