Times Are Changin'

I have subscribed to Martha Stewart's "Everyday Food" magazine for years. I can always count on great flavor and relatively easy recipes. I was intrigued by the title of their most recent issue "Shop Smart, Eat Well, Save Money!" With all that is going on in the world today, it is nice to see these magazines focus on what is really important to many of their readers. So, I anxiously flipped through it, hoping to acquire some fantastic tips that would save me thousands! But guess what...after reading, I felt like I was already a step ahead. Don't get me wrong, they had some great stuff in there, i.e. they talked about cutting meat out of one meal a week, because veggie meals often cost less, and cooking whole chickens and using the meat for three different meals. The cool part was, they essentially promoted FOOD STORAGE! Hello! They had a whole section on dried beans and how much money you can save by cooking them on your own rather than buying them canned (we will talk a bunch about beans in the coming months). They also focused on Rice and how great it is because it can store so long. Yahoo! See, we are not weird...just a little ahead of the curve!

Here are a few of their tips...

• Plain cooked rice will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator; always add a splash of water and reheat completely before serving.


• Long-grain rice has a lower starch content then the short-grain variety, giving it a delicate texture and fluffy, distinct grains when cooked.


• Serve the rice as an accompaniment to stir-fries, stews, and curries. It can also be the main ingredient in dishes like Ham Fried Rice and rice pudding. We even found that it makes a great risotto.

For Perfectly Cooked Rice...

In a 2-quart saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, bring 1 3/4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil. Stir in 1 cup long-grain white rice. Return to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover, and cook until rice is just tender, about 15 minutes. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Now for a little something tasty...

MUSHROOM RISOTTO

2 T butter

1/2 t dried thyme

10 oz button mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

coarse salt and ground pepper

1 C long-grain rice

1 can (14.5oz) reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 garlic cloves, sliced

1/4 C grated Parmesan

1. In a deep, 9-inch microwave-safe dish with a tight fitting lid, combine butter and thyme. Microwave until butter has melted and thyme is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Microwave until mushrooms have released their liquid, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plate.

2. In the same dish, combine rice, broth and garlic, season with salt and pepper. Cover, and microwave 9 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water, and microwave until rice is tender, 9 minutes more.

3. Stir in mushroom mixture; microwave until risotto is heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in Parmesan. (If the risotto is too thick, add water as needed.) SERVES 4

~Everyday Food, April 2009

A Tasty Side Dish or Two...

Now if I was cool, I would have beautiful pictures showcasing these recipes. That way you just couldn't resist making them for dinner tonight, right? But, I have nothing to show for myself, so just read the ingredient list and start to salivate...and think how quickly you will be able to rotate your rice!!
P.S. How easy would it be to make some of these dishes if you planted yourself a small little herb garden this spring/summer! Dill? Mint? Parsley? So tasty and so economical!

Lemon Rice with Pinenuts
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup pinenuts, toasted
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried dill
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried mint
salt and fresh ground pepper

In a large saucepan, heat chicken broth and rice to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. In medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook 5 minutes. Add reserved cooked rice, toasted pinenuts, lemon juice, dill and mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat thoroughly and serve immediately.

Savory Rice
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cups sticky or long grain white rice
1 tablespoon parsley
5 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
5 cups water
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms

Brown onion in butter. Combine with remaining ingredients in rice cooker or sauce pan. Simmer for 20 minutes or until liquid is gone.

Long or Medium Grain...that is the question!

The second most prevalent item in my food storage is Rice. It is one of the most versatile and consumed grains on the planet. Long Grain White Rice can be stored for up to 30 years if kept in an environment of 40-60 degrees F. That is fantastic!

But with so many varieties, what should you store...?

Many people ask me if they should store brown rice. Brown Rice is definitely superior to white rice in regards to health benefits, but its shelf life pales in comparison. Brown Rice can only store up to a year because the outer shell of the hull contains oil, which can become rancid. If your family prefers brown rice, store it in the freezer to extend the shelf life.

Long Grain White Rice will store the longest...but I also store Medium Grain to have a little variety.

What is the best way to store Rice?

As a general rule, if you remove the oxygen from the stored food, the shelf life will be improved considerably. For that reason I store my rice in two ways. I dry pack half of my rice, so I can safely assume it will be useful to me for a long time. Each #10 can is packed with an oxygen absorber to remove all of the oxygen..."Oxygen absorbers perform their action through a chemical reaction process. They contain iron powder and salt which reacts with the oxygen in the air causing the iron powder to rust. When all the iron powder has oxidized, the oxygen absorbers are "loaded" and the absorbing action stops. Remove the oxygen from an active absorber and the chemical reaction stops (such as resealing in an air tight bag). Put them back in the air and the reaction starts again until the iron is gone. " By having some of my rice stored in small cans, I am able to leave them in an oxygen free environment for a longer period because I am only accessing a limited amount at a time.

I also store rice in 6-gallon buckets. This works well for me because

I like to store my rice in smaller plastic containers in my kitchen. To make this process easy, one of my buckets has a Gamma Seal lid on it which can be opened and closed easily when I need to access the contents. One thing to remember...once a bucket/can is opened, the oxygen absorber is no longer effective so it is important to go through the rice within a 3-5 year time frame. With the ease of using rice in everyday cooking, I have yet to have a problem with rotation.