Mexican rice

So, yesterday I received a call from my Niece Christine. She wanted me to post a recipe for Mexican rice. Mexican rice is a little different from Spanish rice just in case you didn’t already know that. It’s pretty simple and quick to make.

You need:

3 tablespoons of oil

1 cup of rice

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

½ teaspoon of cumin

¼ cup onion, chopped

½ cup tomato sauce

2 cups of chicken broth

Now, before I go any further… The above ingredients listed are the standard for Mexican rice. But I should clarify that when I make Mexican rice I usually use Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles. I love the flavor and heat it imparts to the rice. As I was gathering together everything I needed, I chose to grab stewed tomatoes out of my refrigerator since I needed to use them up. I just ran them through my blender for a minute to get tomato sauce.

There are some basic steps that you should do before you even begin making rice. First, you need to rinse the starch off of the rice. This helps so that after your rice has cooked it will not be sticky and will fluff up with a fork. Honestly, I do not mind my rice sticky so I sometimes skip this step. Secondly, let the rinsed rice dry out before frying.

Now we are ready to make some Mexican rice!

First thing is to grab a pan with a fitted lid (remove the lid until later). Then heat up some oil in your pan. Add your rice and cook, stirring constantly, until the rice begins to puff and turn golden. What does that mean?? In layman’s terms it simply means you want it to lose the iridescence and turn whiter. I like my rice to have that nutty golden color so I sauté it a few minutes longer.

I then sprinkle on my garlic salt and cumin along with my onions and cook until the onions begin to soften or turn tender.

Add the tomato sauce and broth. Stir to incorporate everything and bring to a boil. Once the rice begins to boil, TURN THE HEAT DOWN TO A SIMMER, cover the pan and set your timer for twenty (20) minutes. Do not open the pan during that time to stir or peek inside. You want the steam to do it’s magic and cook your rice.

When the timer goes off use a fork to fluff up the rice and you’re ready to eat.

Additional notes…There are many variations to Mexican rice.

• Often you will see it with a sprinkle of peas and carrots to add color, flavor, and texture.
• A variety of tomato products are used instead of the traditional tomato sauce (like I said earlier, I almost always use diced tomatoes and green chiles).
• If you don’t keep cumin in your pantry you can substitute taco seasoning but you’ll need quite a bit more.
• And speaking of cumin… you can find it in your spice aisle at the grocery store, but it’s cheaper in the Mexican aisle… don’t ask me why (or you can pick it up at the 99 cent store, sold in a bag in the spice aisle as well).
• If you choose to use water and add Knorr chicken bouillon to make your broth, keep in mind that adds sodium to the rice so, adjust the amount of garlic salt or just sauté garlic and omit the salt altogether. If you just use plain water you may need to add more salt to achieve the flavor you want.
• And I just wanted to note that rice generally cooks in twenty (20) minutes... whether you're cooking one cup of rice or three. At the very most you will not cook it longer than twenty-five (25) minutes.

Happy Eating!!

Testimony

In my early 20's I struggled with health issues. Declining health exacerbated my condition and progressed to the point where I underwent several surgeries which ultimately made it impossible for me to ever have children of my own. It was devastating at the time and I counseled with my (then) pastor to understand God's will for my life when I was in so much pain, both physically and emotionally. I wept for the children I would never have! Everyone who knew and loved me had the same words of encouragement, "The Lord has children in your future... just maybe not the children you expected." At the same time the Lord whispered in my ear, "I will restore what Satan has stolen from you."

Before Carlos and I were married we talked openly about our options and both agreed fostering and adoption were in our future. For years we have talked about it, but also knew we wanted God's timing as to when it would happen. We wanted to be stable in our marriage and have our home set up and all "our ducks in order" before we progressed. We held back and with each passing year we just felt like it wasn't time and we didn't have all the things we felt we needed in order to bring children into our home. But the Lord has always been in control and it is His perfect timing that has brought us to today. All of the obstacles and hurdles that we have had to overcome have only made us stronger and more passionate about fostering.

As my husband and I have prepared (as best we can) to be parents we have also grown in our faith and have had the amazing privilege of seeing firsthand the Lord's mercy and love unfold in our lives. Just over a year ago we moved into our current home, next door to my brother-in-law. With-in a few short months Lon was diagnosed with Cancer, and we knew the Lord placed us there so that we could be close to him. I believe with all my heart that Lon will be healed for the glory of God! That is my constant prayer with Lon's illness... that the Lord would make Himself known and heal Lon for His glory.

My brother Brad contracted H1N1 and went into respiratory failure around the same time Lon was diagnosed with Cancer. Brad was in a coma for quite some time, his organs were shutting down and his body was dying. The doctors tried to prepare our family for the worst. But we knew something they didn't. We had assurance from the Lord Most High that He was not finished with Brad and that He would heal him and return him to his family. I can not begin to tell you the number of times when God confirmed over and over to us that Brad would walk out of that hospital. It was a constant emotional roller coaster as every praise report seemed to be followed by some new set back. But when the Lord says He will do something He always keeps His word. Brad ultimately walked out of that hospital a living testament of God's healing grace.

Praise God!

The Lord is so good to us!! So many times He has intervened and made Himself known to us. During the course of my marriage He has made himself known over and over again. Even when that little whisper has come into my head saying I will never be a mother... the Lord has made it clear that He alone will choose the day and hour when I will hold a child in my arms. Each passing day He has revealed His desire to do a great work in our lives and draw these children close to Him... using us as a vessel.

I have a whisper in my ear that I believe comes from the Lord. In that voice I hear Him saying that He alone will fulfill our dreams of being parents. But that is just the beginning. What I truly hear Him saying is that what He has in store for us is beyond our wildest dreams. Being foster parents is just the beginning. And it brings me to tears of joy anticipating what He has planned for us.

It's been a long road for us and sometimes quite discouraging. But through it all the Lord has repeatedly confirmed and assured us that we are doing the right thing and are moving in the right direction. A direction that He has plotted out for us. We know the Lord has great things in store for us at church and feel He will use us powerfully in some sort of ministry or capacity. We anticipate great growth and prosperity this year. But most importantly... we feel the Lord is moving this year and will make Himself known! And I am excited to be in the midst of His moving!

The babies are coming

It's been a time of transition for my husband and I. We are certified foster parents and for the past few months we have been waiting on the Lord in anticipation for the children He will give unto our care. I guess you could say I've been "nesting" of sorts. It's not been easy though. The waiting is, at times, almost unbearable. But on Friday I received a very exciting call from our placement worker. There are three little boys who need a home. I don't know anything else about them other than they are brothers.

Now, I know without a doubt the Lord has a sense of humor. My husband and I have said all along that we wanted to take in girls (mostly because my husband says it'll spare him having to listen to me talk about recipes and cakes if I have little girls to share it with).

We have the kids room set up for girls with lots of dolls

and stuffed animals.

We have nothing for boys and yet as soon as our placement worker said she had these boys I, of course, said "yes!"

The next few days will be a challenge as we work together with county and our social workers to see if these boys will be able to be a part of our family. But, I know the Lord is in control and I fully trust His wisdom. Our hearts are prepared and the linens freshly waiting on their beds... Keep us in prayer!

UPDATE... Unfortunately, the three little boys were placed in another home, so we are still waiting on the Lord to add to our family. All in His timing!!

Chili and Cornbread

Today was a busy day for me. I have my menu planned out for the month, and was thankful tonight's meal was chili since I could just throw everything together and let it simmer for a couple hours while I finished my baking. I have several chili recipes that I use, but I like the simplicity and little kick of this one. I tend to use a little less meat than most people so please add the amount you prefer.

For this recipe I brown my ground beef (I use about a 1/2 pound but you may want to add more). If there is much grease I drain it off and then add 1/2 a diced onion. After the onion softens I add my seasonings... 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 a teaspoon of garlic salt, and 4 tablespoons of chili powder. I mix it together with my meat and onions then add 2 1/2 cups of tomato sauce (or I'll puree stewed tomatoes), and add 1 or 2 (depending on how thick or soupy I want it) cans of Rotel tomatoes with green chiles. I then add beans (at least 2 15 oz. cans bean of your choice). I used what I had on hand which was black beans and pinto beans. I also like to toss in about 1-2 cups of corn.

While my chili is simmering I make my cornbread. I prefer a sweet cornbread with a cake-like texture, similar to Marie Calendars restaurant, so I go with...

1 cup cornmeal

3 cups flour

1 1/3 cups of sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup oil

1/3 cup of melted butter

2 tablespoons of honey

4 eggs, beaten

and 2 1/2 cups of whole milk

Baked at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes... sometimes a little longer.

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Late last night I received a call from a friend letting me know a brother from church went home to be with the Lord. She asked if I would be able to make "something" to send over. It's the end of the month and my cupboards are looking a little scrawny, but I knew I could whip up something sweet.

I wanted to make several things, but in the end time won out and I only finished Tiramisu cupcakes and pumpkin bread.

To make the tiramisu cake batter I start with a white boxed cake mix. To the dry mix I add 1 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 egg, 1/2 pkg of instant pudding, and the ingredients on the cake mix box. Basically the reason for the extra ingredients is to extend my batter so I get more cupcakes.

To get the coffee flavor I want in the cake I add 1-2 teaspoons of instant coffee powder (I used espresso which is a little stronger... Also, if you're like me and do not drink instant coffee but prefer fresh brewed... you can run your coffee beans or grounds in the coffee grinder until it's quite fine), 1/4 cup of brewed coffee, and 1-2 tablespoons of coffee liqueur such as Kahlua.

I needed quite a few cupcakes since this was for a "Going Home" memorial service/dinner.

While the cupcakes bake, I whip up my filling and frosting. I use a simple mascarpone filling consisting of an 8 oz. container of mascarpone cheese, 1/2 cup confectioners sugar, and 2 tablespoons of coffee liqueur. I place the filling in the refrigerator to chill while I then make the frosting. My favorite frosting for this type of cake is a simple cream frosting (2 cups heavy cream, 1/4- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar) with a little coffee liqueur (2 tablespoons) thrown in for good measure. Since these cupcakes would be sitting out most of the day, and would not be refrigerated, I needed something with more stability that would not run the risk of spoiling or watering from exposure. I used a basic buttercream recipe for these cupcakes, but would still recommend the cream frosting instead.

I then fill a pastry bag with the filling and snip the tip off of the bag. I insert the tip in the cupcake and squeeze about a tablespoon of filling into the cake.

After wiping off the excess filling with a knife, I add a simple swirl of frosting onto each cupcake.

A sprinkle of cocoa powder (a sifter works great to sprinkle uniformly).

And a chocolate covered coffee bean.

And you have a tiramisu cupcake that is good enough to eat.

Which I did!

Asian Salmon

If you are anything like me, simple meals are often the best. My salmon looks wonderful and the taste is out of this world, but it's one of the easiest things I put together for dinner.

It requires just five ingredients... salmon, brown sugar, oil, garlic salt, and soy sauce.

I toss the wet and dry ingredients into a zip lock bag and squish it between my fingers to incorporate everything together before inserting my salmon and letting it marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours (sometimes overnight). You can turn the bag every so often to thoroughly coat the salmon.

Depending on your preference you can then spray a baking sheet covered in foil with cooking spray and lay your salmon on top to bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your salmon, or... you can do what I do. I place the contents of the bag in my favorite pan and cook the salmon on the stove top with the marinade and about 1/4 cup of water. As the salmon cooks the marinade evaporates some and makes a great drizzle to go over the salmon and rice.

Enjoy!!

Asian Salmon

• 3T soy sauce
• 3T brown sugar
• 2T oil
• salmon
• garlic salt, sprinkle on salmon to taste

And Christine just for you... if you're afraid your salmon will be too fishy, try squeezing some fresh lemon juice on the salmon before you place it in the marinade.

What's for dinner?

One of my strengths (I believe) is cooking. I love the excitement of planning a meal and seeing it manifested into something my husband enjoys. Not every meal is memorable. But last night we enjoyed one of our favorites... Salmon, carrot rice, and salad. Not only does it taste wonderful, but it's very pretty on the plate.


The meal itself is Asian inspired and can be dressed up or down depending on your preference.


I start with a pot of boiling water. I add my rice, butter, onion, ginger, carrot, cayenne pepper, and maybe a little salt. Sometimes I chop up some roasted peanuts or cashews and throw them in to really kick up the Asian feel of the dish.


I give the rice 20 minutes to cook, covered, and then toss in my cilantro.


I give it a quick toss with my fork and we have a beautiful carrot rice to lay our salmon on.

Carrot Rice

• 1 C rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 T butter
• 1/4 chopped onion
• 1 t minced ginger (or powdered)
• 3/4 c grated carrot
• 1/4-1/2 t cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1/8 c cilantro, chopped
• salt to taste

You may also choose to add chopped roasted peanuts or cashews to amp up the Asian taste.