Rice Cooker "Paella"

FIRST.   Paella purists and snobs... look away. Look away or be horrified.  If you choose to continue reading, do not mock or explain to me the many ways that this is not Paella.  I know.

I will admit, that even by rice cooker standards, there are many ways I screwed this dish up.  Mainly because I was too lazy to go to the store for certain ingredients I normally consider essential.   No Arborio rice.  I used Uncle Ben's.  No clam juice.  No parsley.  No seafood of any kind.  No fresh garlic.

But the essentials were there so I pressed on and the result (ask Elizabeth if you don't believe me) was fantastic.  Ok, no more apologizing, now for the recipe.  I will make notes where you could do a more full featured Paella and at the end I'll list some other ideas to try.

Oh, and why are we cooking Paella in a rice cooker anyway?  You won't believe how easy this dish is to cook and clean up or how a rice cooker produces unusually juicy and flavorful chicken.

Nothing says "holiday" like a cheese log

I know what you're thinking - perhaps "holiday" could be better said by decadent homemade eggnog or roast beast or some other more glamorous treat, but a homemade cheese spread will be like honey to flies at your next holiday party. You may also be secretly thinking, though, "You know what? I really love a good cheese log." Who doesn't, says I! Here's how to whip up a really good one (no crazy port wine required) and delight your guests (or the host).

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated. Be sure to do the grating yourself. Pre-grated is just not the same. If you hate doing the job (like I do), it's the perfect task for an eager child or a sweet and willing boyfriend.
1/2 c crumbled blue cheese, I like to pick a really good blue for this since this is really the standout flavor of the spread
1/4 c chopped almonds toasted
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Let the cream cheese stand at room temperature so it's easy to mix. Combine all ingredients. To make a log, or if you like, a cheese ball, scoop the cheese mixture onto plastic wrap, and form into shape. You can make it look fancier by rolling it in more almonds. Chill (chill the cheese log, but you can also chill. All the cheese log heavy lifting is over! Time for a glass of wine!). Let stand at room temperature before serving so it's easy to spread.

I like to serve this with an assortment of crackers, salumi, and granny smith apple slices. Homemade cheese log might sound 1950s, but it's supremely delicious and a great addition to your holiday snack table.

crescentkatie

How to Chop an Onion as well as Kjersti

Many years ago, up at the cabin, we were doing the prep for The Dinner: green salad and chicken bratwurst. A sophisticated meal to be sure, but one that can be produced in bulk with ease. A key step in classing up the affair is sauteeing the onions. Kjersti grabbed an onion and a knife, and with a series of cuts so economical as to make a samurai weep, she diced the onions in about 15.6 seconds. She then spent the next ten minutes showing me the process.

I probably have since modified the actual process from Kjersti-orthodoxy. Hopefully I will not be excommunicated for my sins.

1) Slice the onion along the meridian, cutting both root and stem.



2) With two cuts remove the top and bottom



3) Remove outer layer. (don't be a hero scraping off the dried layer. If it gives you crap just peel off the entire outer layer and condemn it to Onion Hell.)

4) Starting slow, slice half the onion across more "longitudinal' cuts" Make about 5-6 cuts until you make a vertical cut.


5) After making a vertical cut, rotate the onion 180 degrees and start again from the other side.


6) . If you're leaving the onions a little more 'chopped' and larger, then you're done. If dicing, now turn 90 degrees and cut across.


That's it! You've sliced an onion! The poets and heralds will speak of this day for years to come.

Time travel blog entry

Somehow the blog I posted last night showed up as being posted on November 22nd 2011. Since I would really hate if anyone missed out on my wit and insight, here's the link so you can marvel at my use of arugula.

http://sharedoven.blogspot.com/2011/11/tasty-now-what-arugula-edition.html

Roast Chicken with Onions and Tomatoes

This chicken recipe is simple, tasty, and great for company or any cool winter evening.  Steve and I were really hungry after picking out our Christmas tree last night so we went to the store and threw this together. Prep time 15 min, cooking time 45 min

Here is what you need

One small free range chicken with giblets removed

2 cups broth

2 cups white wine ( I normally choose a cheap Chardonnay that is still palatable)

2-3 small tomatoes

1 medium onion

Salt

Pepper

Optional: sage or thyme

 

1.Place chicken in a roasting pan breast down, baste both sides with olive oil.
2.Coarsely chop the tomatoes and onions and place them around them in pan
3. Fill the pan with the broth and wine.
4. Grind salt and pepper over chicken. (Add thyme or sage if desired)
5. Cook at 400 degrees for 30 min until chicken is crisp and browned. Flip the chicken and baste with olive oil and salt. Cook for 15 more min, or until chicken is fully cooked. Be careful not to over cook the chicken or the white meat will become dried out.

That is it! So simple and so good! Steve normally makes rice to go with the chicken.

Steve's Rice:

Normally we use arborio rice, but we were almost out, so Uncle Ben's worked just fine.

Left over Movember Mustache and Christmas tree not required

 Add rice to rice cooker (and if you don't have one I recommend one!) Add broth instead of water and a table spoon of butter.
Normally we add garlic or garlic powder, a pinch of saffron and salt and pepper to the rice as well. Since we were out of saffron we substituted one package of Paellero, a Paella seasoning mix.

Can I have some?

 
 In the end you have a colorful and tasty dish. I suggest serving it with bread so you can dip the bread in the broth-wine mixture.

-Spot