How to: Make Rice in the Microwave

It never occured to me to make rice in the microwave, but my favorite celebrity chef - Alton Brown - says anything that does not need to be browned can be cooked in the microwave! So the other night when I realized I was using my normally rice pot for something else, I thought, there must be a way! And there is....and I was so happy with the results, I think I will cook it in the microwave from now on.

To do it...

Put 2 cups of water in a microwave safe bowl that also has a lid
Stir in however much salt you prefer.
Stir in 1 cup of long grain white rice.
Microwave uncovered on HIGH for 5 minutes, then cover and microwave on HALF POWER for 15 minutes.

The awesomest thing about doing it this way is that the bottom does not burn! Hooray! The dish is so much easier to clean out. The rice is a little sticker, but we like it that way.

If you're going to cook another kind of rice, consult the package or the internet. :)

October 28 - November 10, 2008

T 28 – Chicken Curry, Rice
W 29 – Brined Pork Chops, Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing, Green Beans
R 30 – Crock pot Pork Chops, Egg Noodles, Green Peas
F 31 – out
S 1 – Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Sesame Snap Peas and Pearl Onions
U 2 – Pizza, Salad
M 3 – 40 Cloves and a Chicken, Green Beans, Carrots
T 4 - Teriyaki Chicken, Rice, Sesame Snap Peas and Pearl Onions
W 5 - Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad
R 6 – Crock Pot Roast
F 7 – L.O. Crock Pot Roast
S 8 - Miss Stoker’s Lasagna, Garlic Bread, Salad
U 9 – L.O. Lasagna
M 10- Chicken with Yellow Rice, Green Beans

Can you tell I like Sesame Snap Peas and Pearl Onions? I watched ONE episode of Quick Fix Meals with Robin Miller and she made this side dish. She made it look so yummy and it is! I saw the show while we were in Ft. Myers and the Publix there never had frozen pearl onions, but here in Miami they DO!! Anyway, the recipes only needs 1/2 bag, so we're having it twice. She used fresh sugar snap peas, but I buy a box of them frozen, that way if I have to push the meal back a few days, I won't find they've gone south in my fridge.

How to: Store Cilantro

One thing I am not crazy about is buying fresh herbs. Not because they are expensive, but because they always end up going south on me before I can use them. But I had two recipes calling for cilantro, so I went ahead and bought the bunch.

After my celery experience, I searched online for tips on storing cilantro and here is what I learned:

Fill a glass with about 1 inch of water and put the cilantro in like a big green bouquet:


Cover everything with a paper sack and stick it in your fridge.


As it turned out, I forgot to add cilantro to the first of the two recipes and had to move the 2nd recipe back a couple of days - a full week after I bought the cilantro, it still had a strong aroma and was quite fresh.

October 14-28, 2008

14 T – Out
15 W – Ham and Broccoli Bake
16 R – Greek Garlic Chicken , Couscous, Salad
17 F - Lentil Soup with Turkey Bacon, Peppers, and Herbs, Crescent Rolls
18 S – Fiesta Chicken Chowder , Yeast Rolls
19 U – Pizza, Salad
20 M – Saucy Broccoli Beef Bake, Glazed Carrots – Annalise’s Birthday Cake!
21 T – Tasty Salmon Casserole, Salad
22 W – Monterey Chicken, Baked Beans, Biscuits
23 R – Cajun Style Pot Roast, Rice, Green Beans
24 F – Chicken and Yellow Rice, Broccolini
25 S - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes
26 U - Chicken Curry, Rice
27 M – Brined Grilled Pork Chops , Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing, Green Beans
28 T – Chicken Alfredo Lasagna, Salad

October 1-13, 2008

W 1 - Catfish, French Fries, Salad
R 2 - Slow Cooker Chili, Corn Bread
F 3 - Grilled Chicken Quarters, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Creamed Corn
S 4 - Barley Vegetable Beef Stew
U 5 - Chicken Tetrazzini, Carrots
M 6 - Manicotti, Salad, Garlic Bread
T 7 - Chicken Curry Pot Pie
W 8 - Cornbread Deep Dish Pizza, Salad
R 9 - Sloppy Joes, Mac & Cheese, Carrots
F 10 - L.O. Sloppy Joes, Glazed Carrots, Green Peas
S 11 - Asian Chicken Noodle Bowls, Egg Rolls
U 12 - Ham and Broccoli Bake
M 13 - Chicken Curry, Rice