Creamy Chicken Soup with Rice

Source: adapted slightly from Quiche the Cook blog

Ingredients:
1 small chicken breast, diced
3 medium-sized carrots, sliced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 Tbs oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cans chicken broth
~1 cup water
1/2 cup rice
1 teaspoon rosemary (I just shaked a few shakes - it was probably less than a teaspoon, but I don't really know)
1 teaspoon sage (I don't have sage, so I subbed marjoram - and it was, again, probably less than a teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoons flour
3/4 cup milk (or you could use cream)

Directions:
In a medium-large pot, heat the oil and cook chicken pieces (seasoning with salt and pepper to taste).  Once chicken is cooked through, remove from pan and set aside.  Saute the carrots, celery and onions in the residual oil and chicken juices until the onions become translucent.  Add the garlic and cook another minute.

Add the chicken broth, water, rice, diced chicken, rosemary, sage, salt & pepper and let the mixture come to a boil.  Continue to cook until the carrots can be pierced with a fork and the rice is cooked (10-12 minutes) (I actually let it simmer low and slow for a good long while - like an hour, but if you don't have that kind of time, a few minutes is probably fine).

In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and flour until there are no clumps.  Stir this mixture into the soup and stir until fully incorporated.  Cook another 2 minutes (or another hour if you have the time), or until it thickens slightly.

Notes:
Ever since I saw this recipe I couldn't get the poems by Maurice Sendak out of my head.

"In January

it's so nice

while slipping

on the sliding ice

to sip hot chicken soup

with rice."

In fact, as I made this soup tonight, I recited every month of chicken soup poems that I could remember (I did have to peek at the book a few times because I got stumped on April and June and July).

Let me just say, this soup is awesome.  I didn't really change a ton from the original recipe - mostly just upped some of the ingredients so we would have more to eat (and more leftover for lunch tomorrow).  Gregg, Cal and I all had second helpings tonight - it was just so flavorful and warm and hearty.  Served up with a fat slice of some crusty artisan bread (homemade, and oh-so-easy, no less) we had a magnificent dinner on a chilly January night.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Source: My mom

Ingredients:
2 lbs pork roast or boneless pork ribs, cut into 1 inch cubes (I used one fairly large pork chop - but it wasn't close to 2 lbs, I'm guessing)
1 20 oz can pineapple chunks (do not drain)
2 green peppers, cubed (I used one green and one yellow - but I should have used red since the pineapple is yellow ;) - also, I've made it with one pepper and one onion and that's yummy, too.)
1 cup beef broth
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar (I used a touch less than 1/2)
salt, black pepper, garlic powder and a dash or two of hot sauce
cornstarch mixed with water (to thicken) (I used 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch in a drizzle of water - probably could have used a bit more since it didn't get super thick; my most recent time making it I used 2 TB in 1/3 cup water, but that probably was too much because it got thicker than I was expecting.  1 TB is probably just right.)
1/2 - 3/4 cup vinegar (I used ~1/2 cup)
soy sauce to taste (I used a few shakes - I don't really have any idea how much it was; up to 1/4 cup tastes good to me)
steamed rice (to serve)

Directions:
Season pork with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Brown in stock pot on medium heat (I used a little bit of oil).  Cook until well browned.  Add beef broth, sugar, juice from pineapple, hot sauce and vinegar.  Simmer for about 20 minutes.  Add green peppers, pineapple chunks and desired soy sauce.  Cook until meat is very tender (this will take about 30-40 minutes).  Add more beef broth or vinegar and sugar while cooking if needed (I didn't need to the first time, but my most recent time I added 1 cup water as it was cooking).  Mix water and cornstarch together then slowly add to sweet and sour mixture.  Cook until thick.  Serve over rice.  Serves 6-8.

Notes:
I've made sweet and sour chicken dishes many, many times - it's one of our favorites and pretty regular in the ol' meal rotation.  But there was a pretty good sale on pork chops this week and instead of buying my usual chicken breasts, I bought pork instead.  Yum!  What a pleasant change!  Good stuff here!

Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole

Source: my mom, Peggy (I think she said it came from an old ward cookbook from years ago)

Ingredients:
1 cup rice (not cooked - yet)
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/4 - 1/2 green pepper, diced (optional - suggested by by sister) (I went with them)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 6 oz can mushrooms (optional) (I opted for the mushrooms)
1/4 cup pimento (optional) (I left these out)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup slivered almonds (optional) or cracker or bread crumbs (I went with bread crumbs)
1 1/2 cups light cream or milk (I used evaporated milk + 1% milk)
chicken broth (see directions)
3 cups cooked diced chicken (I used probably 2 cups for a double batch)
2 Tablespoons parsley

Directions:
Cook rice.  Cook onion (and green pepper, if using) in butter until tender.  Remove from heat.  Stir in flour.  Drain mushrooms, reserving liquid.  Add enough chicken broth to liquid to measure 1 1/2 cups.  Gradually stir into flour mix.  Add cream.  Cook and stir until thick.  Add rice, mushrooms, chicken, pimento, parsley, salt and pepper.  Place in a 2 quart casserole dish.  Sprinkle with almonds or crumbs.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Notes:
My mom always made a double batch of this casserole and froze one to have on hand to take to someone in need in the ward when she served as Relief Society President.  She even made it for us when she came to visit/help after Callie was born, and boy was it tasty then!  Our Relief Society President recently had a baby, so I decided to bring her this comforting, warm, delicious casserole as a dinner for her and her family.  I, too, doubled it, keeping one for us.  It comes together pretty quickly and it really hits the spot.  Another variation by my sister is to leave out the mushrooms and pepper and add broccoli instead.  Sound delish!

(Notes for me for the future: when I doubled the recipe, I used 1 can evaporated milk + 1% milk to make it 3 cups; mushroom liquid + 1 can chicken broth + water from boiling chicken to make it 3 cups.)

Bourbon Chicken

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe, via my aunt Nikie Elwood

Ingredients:
for the chicken:
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 Tablespoons oil (for pan-frying)
cornstarch (for dusting, optional)

for the sauce:
1 garlic clove (minced)
¼ teaspoon ginger (I used ground ginger)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup apple juice (I had pear juice so that's what I used)
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons ketchup
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
½ cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

Directions:
Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces, and if you choose lightly dust with cornstarch. Heat oil in your wok and fry chicken bits in batches until lightly browned. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

In a bowl combine all sauce ingredients. Pour into wok and bring to a boil. Add chicken bits back to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve over warm rice.

Notes:
My aunt Nikie submitted this recipe to an Elwood Family Cookbook that was compiled a few years ago, saying that it's her son Cardon's favorite weekday meal.  I finally got around to making it a few weeks ago, and I wish I hadn't taken so long to try it.  Totally yum.  But make sure you don't forget the brown sugar!  I did (that's what happens when I try to make dinner with a cranky baby) and it was definitely less than yum at first, so we had to sprinkle some brown sugar over our individual portions and kind of stir it in.  Crude, but it worked.  And next time I won't forget it in the first place.  Also, next time I think I might do like Nikie suggests and just skip the frying - it was messy and my skills with the corn starch didn't produce my desired crispy chicken anyway.

Hawaiian Meatballs

Source: here, via Pinterest

Ingredients:
1-1/2 lb lean ground beef
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup onion, minced small
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 can pineapple tidbits, drained, reserving juice
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 green bell pepper, diced

Directions:
Mix beef, graham cracker crumbs, onion, egg, salt, ginger and milk in a large bowl. Shape into 1" balls.
Heat oil in a large frying pan. Brown meatballs in oil. Remove and keep warm.
Mix cornstarch and sugar in a small bowl. Stir in reserved pineapple juice, vinegar and soy sauce. Stir until smooth and pour into frying pan. Cook until thickened.
Add meatballs, pineapple and green peppers and heat through. Serve over rice. Enjoy!

Notes:
We had some meatballs and rice in Logan at my parents' house over our Thanksgiving trip and it sparked a desire to, well, eat more meatballs.  :)  I remembered a recent, easy-sounding meatball recipe I had seen and pinned on Pinterest, so I checked it out and found I had everything I needed to make them.  They were so good!  We love and eat sweet and sour chicken quite often at our house, so it was a fun little switch-up to have those sweet and sour flavors with meatballs instead.  The graham crackers added to the meat mixture added a touch of sweetness that was really tasty.  I'll be holding onto this recipe for a repeat meal, that's for sure.

Rice Pilaf

Source: Laura Coleman, a sister of my very good friend, Christine McClung

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup uncooked rice (not minute)
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/3 cup celery, minced
3 cups hot chicken broth (I used 2 14 oz cans, so a little more than 3 cups)
1 Tablespoon parsley
1/4 cup slivered almonds (didn't have these, so just left 'em out)

Directions:
Melt butter then add rice, onion and celery.  Stir until brown.  Then add chicken broth, parsley, and almonds.  Bring to a boil for a minute or two.  Simmer, covered, on low for 20 minutes, till rice is cooked.

Notes:
I was looking for some sort of side dish to go along with our grilled chicken on Mother's Day.  I wasn't crazy about any of the potato options that I was coming up with, but I suddenly remembered rice.  Of course, rice!  Why not?  And then I remembered a long time ago, while visiting Christine's sister, Laura, in St. George, we made this yummy rice pilaf dish one evening.  I hadn't made it since, but I remember thinking it was so good.  A quick look at the recipe encouraged me that it was indeed quite easy to make and I had everything I needed to do so at the last minute (minus the almonds, which I'm sure would be great, but it was fine without).  The great thing about this was that I could make it all in my rice cooker with my handy "saute then simmer" mode.  Perfect!  It came out lovely and fluffy and totally delicious.  And I will for sure not let this recipe retreat into the dusty memory file again.

Teriyaki Meatballs

Inspiration Source (altered by me)

INGREDIENTS:
1 med-lg sweet onion, diced
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables
1 bag frozen meatballs (I used turkey)
1 can pineapple tidbits or chunks
1 recipe Teriyaki Sauce:
     1/2 cup soy sauce
     1 3/4 cups water
     1 tsp ground ginger
     1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
     1/2 cup packed brown sugar
     2 tablespoons honey
     3 tablespoons cornstarch
     1/2 cup cold water

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large frying pan or wok, saute diced onion in olive oil until soft. Add vegetables and cook for an additional 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.
2. In the meantime, in a medium bowl mix the soy sauce, water, ginger, garlic powder, brown sugar, and honey together. In a separate small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch into the 1/2 cup cold water. Set both bowls aside
3. Add meatballs and teriyaki sauce to vegetables. Heat on medium-high until sauce is boiling, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until meatballs are heated through/cooked, stirring occasionally. In last 5 minutes of cooking time, add your cornstarch mixture and stir well.
4. Serve over rice or couscous (I used couscous and prepared it with the drained pineapple juice - yummy!)

NOTES: I still haven't done a major stock-the-fridge grocery shopping trip after moving, so my ingredients are limited to what's in the pantry and freezer. Despite being simple, I'm pleased with how this turned out! The flavor of the sauce was one of the best I've ever had in the meatball department - not too strong/vinegary (like the Farrer's Swedish Meatballs), not too creamy/fattening (like my Stroganoff Meatballs), and not too traditional (like the Meatball Subs with marinara sauce that I was about to prepare).

Rice Cooker Teriyaki Chicken and Rice

Source: this site, via Pinterest

Ingredients:
chicken (I used a boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper, and browned in a little bit of oil directly in my rice cooker - but you can use whatever you like and/or have on hand)
2 cups rice (or enough for your family - we used 2 cups and that lasts for dinner plus a few lunches for the next couple of days)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup water + 3 cups water

Directions:
In a bowl, mix brown sugar, soy sauce, water and ketchup.  Stir until well blended.  Set aside.  Measure out enough rice to feed your family.  Pour it into a rice cooker.  If you don't have a rice cooker, you can still do this on the stove, it just takes a little more watchful eye.  Measure out the correct amount of liquid for your rice (the teriyaki sauce recipe above makes about 1 cup liquid, so I added 3 cups water to make 4 cups total liquid for my rice to cook).  If you want a stronger teriyaki flavor simply increase the amount of sauce you prepare and decrease the extra water accordingly.  Pour the teriyaki sauce in the rice cooker.  Add the extra water.  Dice the chicken and dump it in the cooker as well.  Set the cooker to cook and walk away.  (I also added frozen peas to the mix, though I think I'd like them better if I just stirred them in towards the end rather then letting them cook the whole time.)

Notes:
Just another quick little recipe I found on Pinterest.  Pretty tasty, though our rice was a little bit chewy, so next time I'll probably add a bit more water.  Love that rice cooker - makes dinner time a breeze!

Zucchini Rice Casserole

Source (via pinterest)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 cups diced zucchini and/or summer squash
2 red or green bell peppers, chopped
1 large onion, diced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese, divided
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces turkey sausage, casings removed
4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese
1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapenos (I used fresh jalapenos, finely diced)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Pour rice into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Stir hot broth into the rice along with zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and salt. Cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 35 to 45 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, whisk milk and flour in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until bubbling and thickened, 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add 1 1/2 cups jack cheese and corn and cook, stirring until the cheese is melted. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add sausage. Cook, stirring and breaking the sausage into small pieces with a spoon, until lightly browned and no longer pink.
5. When the rice is done, stir in the sausage and cheese sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup jack sheese on top and dollop cream cheese by the teaspoonful over the casserole. Top with jalapenos.
6. Return the casserole to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Notes: With the warmer weather, we've been eating a lot of light, low-calorie meals, but when the snow hit, I was ready for some good old-fashioned comfort food. This was perfect because while it tastes naughty, it's not as guilt-worthy as it seems. I've added a few notes to the recipe to remember next time"
- eliminate the cream cheese dollops on top. They were delicious, but really just unnecessary calories. Plus, they didn't melt like I expected, just remained firm chunks.
- The overall cook time was much less than expected because I didn't have to bake the rice/vegetables again to reduce the liquid like in the directions - when I took the foil off after the first 45 minutes, my rice was tender and the broth was all absorbed. So, start cooking the milk/cheese sauce and sausage about 15 minutes before timer beeps.
- Cook the sausage first and the milk/cheese sauce second. The sauce with thicken as it cools and it needs to be warm and pourable when you add it to the rice/vegetables.
- If you're feeding meat lovers, double the sausage (use 1 lb)

Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir Fry

Source: Our Best Bites, with modifications by me

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons cornstarch*
1/2 cup cold water*
1 20 ounce can pineapple chunks, drained and juices reserved*
6 Tablespoons ketchup*
2 Tablespoons soy sauce*
4 Tablespoons brown sugar*
2 teaspoon rice vinegar (we just had regular white vinegar and it was fine)*

3-4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs diced into 1 inch pieces
(you could also use pork tenderloin, or sliced boneless pork chops)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I substituted about 1 teaspoon ground ginger because I didn't have any fresh)
3 cups broccoli florets (I probably used more - just didn't really measure - plus, I like broccoli)
1/2 medium bell pepper, stemmed , seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch squares
1/2 medium onion, diced
2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced (I liked the pop of color the carrots gave)
hot cooked white or brown rice

* the amounts shown here are actually doubled from the original recipe - we like ours saucy! - so adjust to your preferences

Directions:
Start cooking your rice so it will be ready.

Combine cornstarch and water in a medium sized bowl and stir to dissolve.  Add the reserved pineapple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar to the bowl and stir to combine.

Heat 2-3 teaspoons of the oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken, salt, pepper, garlic, and ginger.  Stir-fry until the chicken is cooked and no longer pink, 3-4 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan and cover to keep warm.

Add the remaining 1-2 teaspoons oil to the pan and add the broccoli, bell pepper, onion and carrot.  Stir-fry over medium-high heat until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the broccoli is bright green, 3-5 minutes.

Return the chicken to the pan and add the pineapple chunks and sauce mixture.  Bring to a simmer and cook until everything is heated through and the sauce has thickened, 1-2 minutes.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over the hot cooked rice.  If desired, top with sesame seeds and chopped fresh cilantro or parsley.

Serves 4 (or more like 6 if you’ve got some kiddos in the mix) - (for us, it lasted for dinner plus lunch for each of us for the next couple of days - there was lots, which is NOT a bad thing!)

Notes:
We like our sweet and sour around here.  I loved the addition of the broccoli to this dish.  I also loved the ginger with the chicken.  And I REALLY loved the sauce - our other sweet and sour recipe was good, but it was really, really vinegar-y.  This one is not.  One day Gregg commented about his lunch of leftovers that it smelled like he had Panda Express sitting next to him at his desk.  Quite the compliment, I'd say.  :)

Sausage and Beans with Rice

Source: Peggy Elwood (I think she got it from a Quick Cooking magazine back in the day)

Ingredients:
2/3 cup chopped onion (I probably used 1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped green pepper (Again, I used a lot - closer to a cup - of a mixture of orange and yellow bell peppers - very fallish color pallete!)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 lb smoked sausage cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (16 oz) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups cooked rice (I think I put more like 3 heaping cups)
1/2 cup vegetable broth (I used chicken broth because that's what I had)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard (I just had regular yellow and it worked fine)

Directions:
In a large skillet, saute the onion, green pepper, garlic and sausage in oil until onion is crisp tender. Stir in the rice and beans. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, mix brown sugar, ketchup, vegetable broth and mustard and then pour over other ingredients. Stir to mix.  Heat all together and serve from the skillet.

Notes:
I love this meal for a few reasons: a) it's delicious, b) it's quick, and c) it's all in one pot (well, minus the rice cooking step, but I hear you can use minute rice if that's your thing).  Yum, yum, yummy, yum.

One Pot Southwest Chicken and Rice

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe (my new favorite place for recipes - she's brilliant!)

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely minced (I didn't use this much - my really huge clove was probably equal to maybe 2 normal size cloves)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn (I just used a can)
4 ounces cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Salsa and sour cream for serving (we got it out, but didn't even use any because the rice and chicken were so flavorful by themselves)

Directions:

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large pot, heat the canola oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chicken and cook until golden, about 3 minutes on each side. The chicken will cook more in a subsequent step. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.

To the pot, add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and cook until the edges are just slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring the mixture to a simmer.

Return the chicken to the pot. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook at a simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter or plate. Stir the black beans and corn into the pot. Add the cheese and cilantro. Season the rice mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the rice with the chicken, adding salsa and sour cream, if desired.

Notes:
I tried this in my rice cooker - worked like a charm.  I loved the one pot idea, and combining that with the rice cooker feature meant that I didn't have to heat up the house with the stove.  Lovely concept on a 95 degree day!  We both thought this dish tastes a lot like the tortilla soup that we made a ton of this winter - just in a thicker, non-soup form.  Mighty tasty.  And easy.  Win win.

Lime-Cilantro Rice with Pineapple

Source: Our Best Bites


Ingredients:
1 cup white rice cooked in 2 cups water
2 T real butter
Juice from 1 large lime or two smaller ones
1 can crushed pineapple, drained. 
½ – ¾ C chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions:

Cook rice. As soon as it’s done, toss in the butter and stir to melt. Add lime juice, pineapple, and cilantro. Stir to combine, and then add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

* You’ll want to serve this right away, if you don’t, the flavors tend to mellow a bit and you’ll probably need to add more lime juice because the rice kind of sucks it up. If you’re not quite ready to eat when your rice finishes cooking, just toss in the butter and keep a lid on it so it stays warm. Then right before you serve it, toss it all together.

Notes: Awesome! Can stand alone as a side dish, or add some extra flavor as a base for a saucy main dish. 

Cracker Barrel's Brown Rice

Source

Ingredients

1 lb onion
1 lb butter
1 lb canned mushrooms, drained
2 qts beef consomme
2 oz Warcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 28 oz bag of rice

Directions

Peel and chop onion by hand with hand chopper or French knife (1/4" x 1/4"). Into a large kettle or pot, place chopped onions, butter and mushrooms. Cook at a low simmer for 5 minutes or until the onion begins to turn clear. Add beef consomme, worcestershire sauce, and black pepper to a simmering mixture. Bring up to a rapid boil. Add rice to the boiling mixture and cover. Turn down to medium heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Check to see that rice is tender, turn off the heat and fluff rice well with spoon.

Notes: We were heading straight into a 3-4 hour traffic delay this evening, so we stopped at Cracker Barrel to wait it out and grab some dinner. This rice was one of my side dishes and I immediately fell in love. So much that the first thing that I did after getting home was to google the recipe. I was able to find the real deal from the CB kitchen's back-up cookbook. I haven't made it yet, but I expect that I'll replace the canned mushrooms with fresh (sauteed) and substitute the consomme with reduced beef broth. 

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

Source: Tasty Kitchen

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 5

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
4 cups cooked brown rice (I used white because that's what I had, but I'm sure brown would be delicious ... and healthy)
3/4 cup frozen corn (I just used a can of corn)
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 4 oz can diced green chiles
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used sour cream ... yeah, I'm apparently not the most healthy eater ever ;)
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2 Tablespoons fresh, chopped cilantro, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except for cilantro and mix thoroughly to combine. Make sure the yogurt (or sour cream, if you don't care about fat) and cheese are stirred in throughout the entire bowl. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Transfer to an oven-safe dish and top with extra cheese if you would like. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through. Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Notes:
This was a yummy, easy dish to put together.  And while it wasn't super saucy (actually it wasn't really saucy at all) Gregg said he liked it.

Rice Cooker Spanish Rice

Source: a compilation of a few different recipes from my mom, my rice cooker instruction manual, and this place on the great internet

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cups rice, uncooked
1 1/2 - 2 cups water
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz can Mexican style stewed tomatoes, with juice
1/4 cup salsa
1 4 oz small can diced green chiles
2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp cumin
shredded cheese, to top with if desired

Directions:
Brown hamburger and onion (if you have a fancy-dancy "saute-then-simmer" mode on your rice cooker, you can do it right in the rice cooker.  If not, just use a frying pan on the stove) and season with garlic powder.  Then add rest of ingredients.  Stir.  Then let your rice cooker do it's magic (just set it to run as you would normally cook your rice).  If it's not quite done when the cycle is through, add more water and let it cook a little longer.  (We started with 1 cup, but had to add an additional cup and let the machine do another "white rice" cycle.)

Notes:
This is the first thing I've attempted to make in my brand new birthday rice cooker (even before just regular rice!) and I thought it would be kind of fun.  I love how super easy it is to just throw it all in the pot and leave it, but we found that it does take longer than just one cycle on our "white rice" setting (~ 1 hour cook time ... we're also still experimenting with the "saute-then-simmer" setting on this new machine).  But it sure smells heavenly while it's cooking (the young men who came to the door while we were putting it together commented on it) and (my favorite part) there's no boiling over on the stove!  Oh, and it tastes pretty darn good, too.