Baked Brown Rice (Monica)

1 1/2 cups short grain brown rice

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter or oil

3 cups boiling water 

Add-ins: sauteed minced carrots, minced bell pepper, parsley flakes 

Heat the water in a kettle. Preheat oven to 400. 

Saute veggies in olive oil until bright and soft. 

Place rice in 8×8 pyrex (for double recipe, use 9×13 pan and increase baking time to 1 hour and 20 minutes), and add butter and water. Mix salt and veggies in. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.

Huevos Rancheros, Ham Hash, Refried Beans, Salsa, and Mexican Rice

Ham hash:
ham steak
golden potatoes
white onions

Cube ham steak and remove connective tissue and excess fat. Leave some fat for frying. Dice onions and potatoes. Pan-fry in Dutch oven until browned. Add olive oil if needed. Salt to taste. Set aside while cooking the Huevos Rancheros.

Huevos Rancheros:
corn tortillas
refried beans
fried eggs
salsa
queso fresco

Prepare refried beans and salsa in advance. Heat the salsa on low in a saucepan. Heat corn tortillas in a frying pan, with or without oil. Keep warm by wrapping in foil in a warm oven. Fry eggs, and crumble queso. Assemble tacos/tostadas beginning with the corn tortilla on the bottom, then spread a layer of refried beans on it. Place a fried egg on the beans. Top with a generous amount of hot salsa, and sprinkle queso and chopped cilantro on top. The ham hash is a traditional side. Mexican rice could also be eaten on the side.

Omit ham and bacon for meatless.

Refried beans:
1 1/2 cups dry beans (pinto or black, as desired)
3 cups of water
1-2 teaspoons salt
1/2 white onion
bacon fat
cumin to taste

Add the beans, water, and salt to the Instant Pot. Use the bean setting, and turn off to let cool until the lid can be removed without switching to "vent". Remove the excess liquid and save. Dice the onion and saute in the Instant Pot with the bacon fat. Add the beans and blend/mash with a potato masher, blender, or food processor. Add the excess liquid as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Mix in a dash of cumin and salt as needed to taste.

Salsa:
2 15-oz cans of good quality diced tomatoes, such as San Marzano or fire-roasted tomatoes
1 1/5 lemons (can use limes, but if fresh fruit is unavailable, use a smaller quantity of vinegar rather than jarred juice)
1+ jalapenos (use at least one without adding the seeds for mild, but don't omit, or the flavor of the salsa won't be right)
1/4 t minced garlic
2 T minced white onion (fresh)
2+ teaspoons salt
fresh chopped cilantro (reserve some to top huevos)

Add one can of tomatoes to a blender, and squeeze in the lemon juice. Dice the jalapenos, and add with the garlic and onion. Blend and add 1-2 teaspoons of salt. Taste for acid and salt balance. If the flavor of the salsa is bland, add more salt and taste again. If still bland, add acid, and taste again. Keep going until it tastes good. If it tastes acidic, but the flavors aren't distinctive, just add salt until the taste is right. A lot of salt is needed to balance the sweetness of the tomatoes and bring out the flavors- don't hold back. Add the second can of tomatoes and balance again. By adding the second can towards the end, there is a buffer if you add too much salt or acid and the salsa doesn't get overblended unless you want a smooth rather than chunky salsa. Add chopped cilantro if desired. The salsa can be made a day ahead to let the flavors blend more.

Mexican rice:
1 cup long grain white rice
2 T oil
4-8 oz canned tomato sauce (can use tomato paste, but keep in mind it is more concentrated)
2 cups warm water
1 t chili powder
2 t calde de tomate tomato bouillon
1 t minced garlic

Mix the warm water, tomato sauce, and tomato bouillon so that it is ready to add to the rice.

Brown the rice in oil in a nonstick saute pan with a lid, stirring constantly. When golden, add the liquid, chili powder, and garlic, and bring to a boil while mixing. When it is boiling, remove from heat, and put the lid on the pan. When the burner has cooled to low/simmer, put the pan back on the burner. The rice should cook with the lid on for 20 minutes. 

When the 20 minutes is up, remove from the heat, and fluff. If desired, add peas and finely diced carrots, or tomatoes. Finely diced onions can also be browned with the rice. Allow to sit 10 minutes, and then serve. The key to the restaurant flavor is the tomato bouillon.

Vegetable Gratin

1 large onion
1 head of garlic
1 small eggplant
1 zucchini
2-3 tomatoes
Oregano
Basil (dried or fresh)
Salt
Pepper
Grated cheese of choice

Roast garlic cloves in advance. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut onion in half and slice; saute with a dash of olive oil. Spray an 8"x8" glass pan, and spread the onions and garlic cloves on the bottom. Slice the eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes thinly, and arrange in layers on top. Sprinkle very generously with spices. Cover with a lid or foil, and bake for 1 hour. Check to make sure it isn't drying out, and if it is, sprinkle water on top until wetted.

Add the cheese and broil to finish. Serves 4.

Applesauce

apples
water
cinnamon (optional)

Chop apples. Put in a saucepan with some water over medium heat on stove. Cover. When apples start sticking turn down to low and stir regularly. Make sure there's enough water, but not much is needed because the apples release their water. When the applesauce is the desired consistency (Dad likes his chunky), add cinnamon to taste. Serve hot or cold. Good luck waiting until it's cold.

Seared carrots

Carrots
Olive oil
Rosemary
Thyme
Other herbs & spices
Salt
Pepper

Wash and slice carrots. Make sure they are as dry as possible to help prevent the oil from splattering. Finely chop herbs.

Pour as thin a layer of olive oil as possible in a cast iron or not-nonstick pan. Heat the pan to medium-medium/high heat on the stove, add the herbs and spices, and then add the carrots. Do not use your hand to drop the carrots in or the oil may splash or splatter on your hand. Make sure all the carrots have a surface in contact with the bottom of the pan ( don't crowd the pan!), and then resist the urge to check or stir the carrots for a few minutes. You want the hot pan to brown the carrots. After several minutes flip the pieces over and do the other side. Remove when cooked to the desirable consistency, and drain any excess oil with a paper towel. Enjoy as soon as possible!

Rice

6 side servings: 3 cups dry rice, 6 cups water.

Put water and rice in saucepan or iron pot, specifically a pan with a lid. Bring to boiling, reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes WITHOUT removing lid.

Green Bean Cassarole

• 1 bag frozen green beans
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 big container of fried onions
• ½ cup milk
• 1 t soy sauce
• Dash pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Mix green beans with cream of mushroom soup, ½ can of fried onions, milk, soy sauce, and pepper. Place in 7x11 pan, and sprinkle the other ½ can of fried onions on top. Bake in oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes.

Mitch's Salsa

• Fresh tomatoes
• Cilantro
• Onion
• Limes
• Salt

Finely chop onions and cilantro. Dice tomatoes and add to onions and cilantro. Smash the mix together by hand to get juice from tomatoes. Add much lime juice and salt (more salt than seems appropriate).

Barbequed Fries

• 6 potatoes
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 t garlic salt

Partially cook potatoes in the microwave. Slice 1/8ths lengthwise with peels still on. Mix olive oil and garlic salt in a bowl and roll potato slices in oil mixture. Barbeque.

Rice Pilaf

1 cup Basmati brown rice (1 unit rice/2 units water)

1 small onion (1 onion/cup of rice)

Brown rice and onion in butter. Preheat oven to 350. Brown slowly. Put in casserole dish, add 2 cups boiling water, cover, and put in oven for 1 ½ hours. Remove, add fresh ground pepper and a little salt (less if salted butter used to brown).

Mashed Potatoes

• 5-lb bag potatoes
• 1 ½-2 cubes butter
• Milk
• Sour cream or cream cheese
• Salt and pepper

Peel potatoes, cut into uniform pieces, and place in a large pot. Cover with water. Bring to boil, and boil until the potato falls apart easily when poked with a fork, 30-45 minutes. Drain and mash. Mix butter, milk, and cream in until desired consistency is reached. Salt and pepper to taste. Remember, if using gravy, do not over season. (See Aunt Jane’s roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for a gravy recipe.)

Note: also very good with cheese melted in.

Garlic Red Potatoes

• 5-lb bag red potatoes
• ½ cup butter
• 2-3 cloves garlic

Wash and cube potatoes, and place in pot. Fill with water until potatoes are covered. Boil until potatoes are soft (but not so soft that they fall apart, such as for mashed potatoes), about 20 minutes. Mince garlic, being sure to smash the garlic well to release the juices. Melt the butter in a small glass measuring cup; combine garlic and butter. Drain the potatoes, and mix with the garlic and butter.

Garlic French Bread

• Loaf of fresh French bread
• ½ cube of butter, very soft
• 2-3 cloves of garlic

Slice French bread long ways. Mince garlic, being sure to smash well to release the juices. Fold into soft butter, and spread on both sides of the bread. Place the bread on a baking sheet buttered side up, and brown under broiler. Watch the time! When finished, remove, put sides back together and slice, holding the bread together with an oven mitt.

Baked Potatoes

• 6 large potatoes
• Butter
• Salt
• Sour cream
• Bacon bits
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Chives and/or green onions
• Steamed broccoli (good way to use up leftover steamed broccoli)

Wash and cut out eyes of potatoes, stab repeatedly with fork or knife, place on a baking sheet and bake 1 hour in oven at 375 or 10-15 minutes in microwave. Serve ingredients separately.

Twice-baked Potatoes

• 6 large potatoes
• Butter
• Milk
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Sour cream
• Bacon bits
• Chives or green onions
• Salt and pepper
• Any other ingredients of your choice

Preheat oven to 375. Wash and cut out eyes of potatoes, stab repeatedly with fork or knife, place on a baking sheet and bake 1 hour in oven or 10-15 minutes in microwave and then 5 minutes in oven to make skin crispy. Take out, and slice off the top of one long side. Scoop out potato, taking care not to tear or poke holes in the skin. Combine potato innards in a mixing bowl, and add milk and butter if desired. Beat until potato is mashed. Add everything else you think would be good and mix well. Scoop back into the potato skins, sprinkle cheese on top, and brown under the broiler.