Perfect Rice

Here’s a simple, yet delectable recipe for clam chowder.  In addition to the ingredients, you will need a food steamer, a cutting knife, and a large pan. 

Ingredients:

1 medium sized onion
4 small pieces of pork
1 can tomato soup
6 large potatoes
3 lbs. steamer clams
2 tbsp garlic
Salt and Pepper
Directions:

Using your food steamer, steam the clams, then shell and chop them into small chunks.  Simmer the pork and onion in your large pan with a little bit of olive oil until browned, then put the rest of the ingredients into the pan.  Add milk until desired consistency is achieved.  Cook until the potatoes are soft and tender.  Makes a great meal for a one night with leftovers for a couple days!

Here is a recipe for the perfect white rice that Japanese people eat with almost all their meals.  In addition to the ingredients, you’ll need a rice cooker (rice cookers provide several benefits which simplify the cooking process and improve the texture of the rice; if you don’t have one, buy one!).

Ingredients:

2 cups white rice
3 cups water

Directions:

The ingredients are quite simple, but the difficulty of cooking the perfect rice comes in the process.  The first thing to do is thoroughly rinse the rice in a bowl (the rice cooker bowl can be used if it is removable).  Once the rice has been rinsed, you will want to wash it; not with soap!  To wash the rice, take a small handful, and rub it between your hands for a few moments, then place it back in the bowl.  Repeat this several times for about five to ten minutes.  Once this has been done, place the rice in the rice cooker with the recommended amount of water, turn it on, and presto, perfect rice!

This is an excellent recipe for Dijon chicken, five stars for sure!Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 teaspoons cornstarch
A pinch of pepper

First wash the chicken and pat it dry.  Next you will want to place the chicken in the crock pot.  Combine the other ingredients together, then spoon them over the chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.  Crock pot Dijon chicken should serve about four.

Here’s an awesome recipe for oriental chicken!Ingredients:

1 onion (chopped)
1 bell pepper (chopped)
1 ½ cups of rice
1 14 oz. can of chicken broth
1 6 oz. can chicken
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts
1 8 oz. can sliced mushrooms
½ cup butter

First mix the ingredients together in a rice cooker.  Set the rice cooker to “cook”.  When the rice cooker goes off the dish should be done, but check it yourself.  The easiest way to tell whether the dish is done is to taste the rice and ensure its texture is not grainy.  Simple and easy!  (Serves 4-6)

Any chef knows that chopping can take a good deal of time. In fact, even noted television chef Rachael Ray has acknowledged this fact. Her “30-minute recipes” have received a lot of criticism for taking more than the allotted half an hour. When directly asked about this issue, she confessed that the time did not account for preparation, which includes…you guessed it…chopping vegetables.

Hand chopping vegetables, however, is not only time consuming. It can also be dangerous. Especially if you’re trying to do something quickly, using a knife to chop can result in nicked fingers or serious cuts. That’s why every fully stocked kitchen should be outfitted with a high quality vegetable chopper. It could just save your fingertips!

Rice cookers are very versatile appliances.  They can steam vegetables, seafood and chicken, boil eggs, and cook oatmeal and other cereals and grains.  A rice cooker can either shut off or keep the food warm after it has finished cooking.

Rice cookers save time and effort because a pot on the stove does not have to be watched closely—usually they include an alarm that can be set for a time increment.  This appliance does not take up much space, and some of them come with detachable electrical cords for portability.  For convenience, low-effort cooking, and as a starter kitchen appliance, it is hard to beat a rice cooker!

Approximate cooking time:  20 minutes
Approximate advance preparation time:   20 minutes
Serves: 4Ingredients:
2 cups macaroni pasta
1 cup chicken stock or water
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1-1/2 cups shredded mixed cheeses (mild and Vermont cheddar, mozzarella, and fontina)
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt and pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Place pasta and liquids into rice cooker.  Close lid and press cook.  When pasta goes to keep warm, add the other ingredients, stir with paddle. Close lid and keep on warm till ready to serve. If a larger serving is desired, go ahead and double or triple this recipe…however, when adding the cheese, you may need to add an additional 1/2 cup of liquid if the pasta is not thoroughly cooked, and press cook again.

Here’s a great recipe for making soup in a crock pot.  It tastes great and is worth a try:

Ingredients
-   3 slices bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces
-   4 tablespoons onion, minced
-   10 1/2 ounces can cream of potato soup
-   2 cups milk
-   8 ounces American cheese
-   1 cup wild rice, cooked according to pkg.
 
Directions
In a heavy skillet over medium heat, sauté bacon for 3-4 minutes or until slightly browned.

Add onions and sauté until onions are light brown in color and bacon is crisp. Remove onion and bacon and drain off excess bacon drippings. Set aside.

Prepare rice, instant or uncooked.

Add soup, milk, rice, cheese & bacon mixture. Simmer until cheese melts, approximately 10-12 minutes. If needed, thin with additional milk to appropriate consistency.

Brown rice is simply white rice that has not had the brown-colored bran covering removed. So brown rice is considered a whole grain. Why remove the bran? Because most people prefer white rice since it is fluffier and cooks faster than brown.Since brown rice still has the bran intact, it has more fiber than white rice. One cup of brown rice has 3 1/2 grams of fiber while the same amount of white rice has less than one gram of fiber. We all need from 25 to 38 grams of fiber in our diet everyday.

Brown rice also contains nutrients like magnesium, manganese, and zinc. White rice has reduced levels of these nutrients, but is often fortified with iron, and some B vitamins. Both can be readied in electric rice cookers.

One of the staples of the Mexican-American restaurant is the ever-popular Spanish Rice.  Making it isn’t too difficult.  All you’ll need is the following ingredients:

1/4-1/2 cup vegetable oil
1-2 cup long grain rice
1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 tomatoes, diced
1/2-1 small onion, diced
3-6 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons cumin
2-4 tablespoons tomato paste
2-4 cup water, boiled

Cook 2 cups of rice in a rice cooker.  Once it’s done, let it cool for 10 minutes. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, fry rice in oil until slightly golden, about 3-5 minutes.

Add salt, cumin, onion and garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add tomato, tomato paste and boiling water. This should boil almost immediately; turn down heat to low, cover and cook for about 20 mins, or until water has evaporated.