Arroz a la Mexicana (Mexican Rice)

This is an easy recipe for rice.  I know that there are packaged rices that are really good, but for our traditional Christmas Eve dinner I prefer to go with "scratch-made."  For years I have finagled the process because I didn't have a Dutch oven.  I would use a cast iron skillet and then transfer the mixture into a stone bowl and flip a round stone baker over that for a lid and bake it.  This year I finally bought a Dutch oven and oh my it is so much easier now!  Love my Dutch oven!  But I digress, this is about the rice...

Ingredients:

2 cups salsa

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups white rice, uncooked

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a 3-quart, oven-proof saucepan or small Dutch oven (with lid), heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the rice and cook, stirring regularly, until the rice is chalky looking, about 5 minutes.  If some kernels brown, it's okay.

2.  Add the salsa--I use this recipe or just use any roasted tomato and jalapeno salsa--and stir for a minute as the salsa sears and reduces a little.

3.  Add the broth and a teaspoon of salt.  Bring to a boil, stir once, scraping down any rice that is on the sides of the pan.  Cover tightly and bake for 25 minutes.  Rice is done if you can bite into a grain and it is nearly cooked through. 

4.  If rice is ready, cover and let stand out of the oven for 5-10 minutes longer to finish cooking.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro over the rice, then use a fork to fluff rice and fold in the cilantro.

Okay, here is a picture of my new Dutch oven.  Isn't it pretty?  Better Homes and Gardens at Walmart....

Source: Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen.

Gingerbread Cookies

Gingerbread is not just for Christmas anymore. These soft in the middle and crisp on the edges cookies are scrumptious anytime. If you're in a hurry, these will work without chilling them just roll, bake, and go.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup Sorghum Molasses - if you don't have this use 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp regular molasses

2 eggs

4 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 Tbsp powdered ginger

2 tsp cinnamon

4 cups all purpose flour

Extra granulated sugar for rolling balls of dough in

1. Cream butter, shortening, and sugar

2. Add molasses and eggs and beat well

3. Add remaining dry ingredients

4. Chill dough for 30 min or more (if you have time)

5. Roll dough into desired size balls and roll in sugar

6. place on ungreased cookie sheet

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes depending on size of balls don't over bake

8. Cool on wire rack

9. Store in covered container - makes 6 dozen cookies

Source: Lion House - with a few changes

Basil & Lemon Shortbread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 T. fresh basil, chopped (or 3 1/2 T. dried basil)
2 T. grated lemon zest, divided
2 3/4 cups flour
pinch of salt
Lemon Glaze

Directions:

1. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add basil, lemon zest, flour and salt. Gently stir until combined.

2. Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour. On a floured surface, roll chilled dough to 1/3 inch. Cut out circles or rectangles, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

3. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Cover with lemon glaze while cookies are slightly warm.

Lemon Glaze

Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar
4-5 drops pure lemon essential oil or lemon extract
2 t. (or more) water

Directions:

1. Gently whisk all ingredients together until all lumps are gone. Drizzle over cooled basil cookies. Store cookies in an airtight container.

Ham, Cheddar and Red Onion Bread Pudding

That's right, it's a savory bread pudding! You could serve this during a brunch or have it for dinner. I served this to some kids I was babysitting, and they gobbled it up and asked for seconds (they did pick out the onions, but hey, I still count it as a win)! Here's the recipe:

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Oil for the dish

4 large eggs

1 1/2 C. whole milk

1 T. Dijon mustard

1/8 tsp freshly grated or ground nutmeg

2 tsp. Kosher salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 12 oz. loaf French or Italian bread, cut into 1-in. pieces

1 small red onion, cut into 1/4-in.-thick wedges (go ahead and leave the layers together, imagine you are slicing an apple)

1 crisp, tart apple, cut into 1/4-in.-thick wedges (the original recipe calls for a red apple like gala or braeburn, but we found it to not have much flavor after baking, so try a tart apple like granny smith.)

4 oz. sliced ham, torn into pieces (I bought a packaged ham steak, so the ham was nice a thick)

2 C. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 2 1/2- 3 quart baking dish.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, nutmeg, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.

3. Add the bread and let sit, tossing occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

Before soaking:

After soaking:

4. Fold the onion, apple, ham, cheese and the rest of the salt and pepper into the bread mixture.

5.Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Cover with foil or lid. Bake 30 minutes then remove foil or lid. Bake another 15-20 minutes until set (a knife inserted in the center comes out clean) and top is browned.

Source: adapted from Women's Day Magazine

D.I.Y. Foaming Hand Soap

This method of refilling your soap helps reduce and reuse since you'll use less soap over time and can use an old bottle.

Ingredients:

foaming soap dispenser

water

liquid soap

1. Add water to the soap dispenser, about 3/4 full. Keep in mind the size of your container and the size of the pump when the top is on.

2. Add several pumps of soap or 1-2 squeezes of a large refill container to the water, enough so that once shaken (see step 3) it's the same watery consistency as it would be if you bought the foaming hand soap as is.

3. With one hand covering the top of the bottle, shake it so the water and soap mix. You don't want to put the top back on before shaking because if water gets in the pump, it won't make foam anymore.

4. Screw the top back on and test your soap. It may take a couple pumps to get the right foaminess. (Did you know foaminess is a word? I looked it up to make sure it didn't need quotation marks.) If it's still not quite right, adjust soap and water as needed (this part may take some experimenting).

When I first starting using this method, I stuck to clear liquid hand soaps. After experimentation I've found it also works with the moisturizing type with a pearly sheen appearance (as pictured), but these soaps do make it a bit harder to get the right soap:water ratio since they're thicker--so be careful not to add too much.

Source: Myself, basically. Years ago my mom bought some soap pumps from Pampered Chef that caused liquid soap to foam. All you had to do was add soap to a certain line, add water to the top line, and shake. (Yes, my instructions have you put the water in first...I think it sort of "pre-mixes" the solution for you.) So I figured I'd try it on an empty Bath and Body Works dispenser one day, and it worked!

Scones

2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/3 cup brown sugar-packed
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (that's 1 stick)-and it has to be butter. No margarine.
1 beaten egg yolk
8 oz. sour cream
Mini chocolate chips (I have always used regular chocolate chips), amount desired

Mix together the flour, cocoa, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2-In another bowl cream the butter, egg yolk, and sour cream.
3-Add the two mixtures together and mix.
4-Add chocolate chips & fold those in.
5-Drop by 2 tablespoons on a lined cookie sheet.
6-Bake 375 for 10-12 minutes.

Source: A patron at the library that my sister worked at during school.

Grandma's Banana Bread

I'm a simplest when it comes to Banana Bread. No spices, nuts, or chocolate. Just bananas. This recipe is a winner. It's my grandmas, probably my great-grandma's. You can't go wrong with a recipe that has been passed down generations.

Grandma’s Banana Bread 

Ingredients
1 stick margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 large mashed ripe bananas
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Directions
-Cream margarine and sugar, add eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy, add mashed bananas.
-Mix the flour, salt, and soda together and add to the banana mixture. Mix well.
-Bake in sprayed loaf pan at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. Mini loaves take about 30 minutes.