The Easiest Way to Make Rice

I used to be pretty comfortable in the way I made rice. You know, measuring the rice, measuring the liquid, etc. But I would find that whenever I made bigger batches of rice, for some reason or another, it wouldn't cook right. I would end up with rice that was crunchy and inedible.

I was sharing my issue with my mother-in-law one day when she taught me this little trick, and now I pass it on to you!

 

1. Pour desired amount of rice into a saucepan. (No measuring needed! Unless you really want to for some reason!)

2. Add enough water to the pan so that the level of the water (from the surface of the rice) reaches the first knuckle on your index finger.

3. Heat water on the highest setting (high for stainless cookware, or medium for non-stick) until it begins to boil. (MIL insists you should not stir it at this time at all, but I'm a stirrer and I've never noticed any issue).

4. Turn the heat down to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

5. Remove from heat, then fluff with a fork or whatever utensil you happen to be using!

It doesn't seem to matter what size pot or pan you are using, for some reason, you get the right amount of liquid every time.

Now I can make Jambalaya without crunchy rice (and I can do so without using measuring cups)! Thanks, MIL!

What cool kitchen tips have you come across lately?

Real Hot Cocoa

Okay, so I think you all should know that despite living in a hotter than you-know-where "warm" climate (it was well into the 90's a couple days ago!), I like warm foods pretty much anytime. Like hot tea, hot cocoa and soups, etc. (Just consider yourself warned for when I post a chili recipe in July! :P)

At any rate, I thought I would post this recipe before it gets too warm for all of you who live in a reasonable climate!

I wanted to do this because I'm trying to move away from refined sugar and other junky stuff, but I don't want to give up the chocolate creaminess of hot cocoa (yet). But I don't like what I see when I read the ingredients on the instant hot cocoa. Let's review them shall we? (Taken from a popular commercial brand of hot cocoa mix with marshmallows):

Sugar, corn syrup, modified whey, cocoa (processed with alkali), hydrogenated coconut oil, marshmallows (sugar, corn syrup, modified corn starch, gelatin, artificial flavor), non-fat milk, calcium carbonate, less than 2% of salt, dipotassium phosphate, mono- and diglycerides, artificial flavor, carrageenan.

Ick! So here is my version for a single mug of hot cocoa that is not much more complicated than opening that single-serve packet and heating the water. It literally takes me about two minutes to make this. (Adapted from my Betty Crocker cookbook):

2 oz water

½ TBSP cocoa powder

a pinch (or maybe slightly more) of Kosher salt

TBSP raw honey (you could use more or less depending on your desired sweetness)

¾ cup of coconut milk beverage (You can use whole milk, almond milk or whatever else you drink- rice milk probably wouldn't work so well in this)

Add water to small saucepan and whisk in cocoa powder over medium high heat. Once the mixture is hot, add the salt and honey and whisk until blended. Add the milk of your choice, and continue to whisk the mixture until it reaches the desired temperature. Top with some marshmallows (don't tell anyone- the ones pictured are just regular ol' marshmallows- but you probably have some organic marshmallows on hand that you could use) or real whipped cream. Enjoy!

Easy! Good and good not so bad for you!

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