Baked Costa Rican Rice

A few years ago, a friend brought this Costa Rican rice "casserole" (for lack of a better word) as a dish to pass for a Mexican dinner on a hot summer evening. I immediately fell in love with it! And then I changed it up to suit my tastes! The flavors of warm spice, fruit and creamy rice are saving my sanity as I await Spring weather in Michigan.

We are on the "cusp" of Spring here in Michigan. The calendar clearly says it is Spring and the temperatures are a balmy 22 degrees with consistent snow flurries. It sort of reminds me of the movie "The Shining", except the entire population is slowly going crazy. We YEARN for sunshine and warmer temperatures, a day to be outside without boots and hats. The weather has become a constant source of conversation, frustration, and in my case, over consumption of food and beverages. Ugh.

Baked Costa Rican Style Rice

1 cup long grain rice (We like a blend of white, brown and wild rices, Lundberg makes a great blend)
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup orange juice
1 lime juiced
zest of 1 lime
2 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp sugar
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
1 15oz can black beans drained and rinsed
2 cups chopped fresh pineapple (I have used canned Tidbits)


Preheat oven to 400

Cook the rice in chicken broth according to package directions.

In a small bowl, combine orange and lime juice, olive oil, zest, garlic, sugar and cilantro. In a large bowl, combine rice, beans and pineapple, stir to combine. Pour juice blend into rice mixture and gently combine. Salt & pepper to taste. Turn out into a casserole dish and bake 20 to 30min.

We also love to add strips of chicken that have been coated in spices and grilled or baked! (The spicier the better!) I usually brush a couple flour tortillas with a bit of melted butter and pop them in the oven to get crispy during the last 5 minutes or so of baking.

This is a great weeknight dish to use up leftover chicken, rice and the last bit of orange juice in the carton! The last time I made it, I had a handful of leftover red quinoa that I added and it was delicious too!

I hope you enjoy trying this and it's Spring where you are.....



STILL working on photos.....

Macaroni & Cheese....a cheesemongers favorite recipe

As promised....Mac & Cheese. 

1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1/2 lb. good quality cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 lb Vlaskaas (or other aged gouda cheese), grated
1 lb sour cream
1 stick butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.  When fully drained, mix with sour cream until pasta is evenly coated.

Mix together melted butter, eggs and milk.

In a large casserole dish (larger is better for this dish) place 1/2 of the pasta, cover with 1/2 the grated cheeses and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Layer the remaining pasta and cheese.

Pour egg/milk/butter mixture evenly over the pasta/cheese.  Cover dish with foil or tight fitting lid and bake 35 minutes.   Remove cover and bake an additional 15 minutes until golden brown.

Devour, repeat.

Happy New Year!

A whole new year.

So sorry for being out of touch during the holidays.  I was limiting the areas of crazy in my life.

We had a great holiday with all of ours girls home, lots of food, work, twinkle lights, laughs and even a bit of lounging around.

I've been catching up on end-of-the-year stuff, new cookbooks and novels, STILL potty-training little Henry and may even get my Christmas cards sent out before February :) 

I also had to do a bit of soul searching as to how I would move forward in 2013 with various things, this blog included.

Over the last years I've been sharing all sorts of weird stuff from my pups to a disease called PLEVA to ridiculous political bs going on in our small town, to furniture refinishing.....

So I'm thinking of stream lining a bit.  Just doing food? I don't know....I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Happy New Year!

Pate de Campagne

A Smartpen adventure....

Beaujolais Wine Fondue

If you happened to stop into The Boulevard Market today you were in for a special sampling of Beaujolais Wine Fondue!!

A really easy and fun appetizer or dessert that's a little "fancy" and suits the holiday season beautifully!  (Sorry, still no pics, I need to buy more space and I haven't done it yet!)

We just Beaujolais Nouveau  since it is so trendy right now (and there was an extra cup hanging around :))  I also think the Beaujolais is nice since it's fruity and light.  You could easily use any wine you want, including white!  We paired our fondue up for dipping with a Cranberry/Raisin Focaccia bread and Cubes of Quicke's Farmhouse Cheddar from England.  BIG HIT!!  Hope you'll try it out!

BEAUJOLAIS WINE FONDUE
2 cups dry wine
1 cup sugar
6 teaspoons dry pectin

Combine wine and sugar in a large saucepan over high heat.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and allow to reduce about 25 minutes or until approximately 1 cup of liquid remains.  Stir in pectin and boil 1 minute, then remove from heat.  Allow to cool to warm and serve!

BTW; this would be AMAZING over ice cream.....
  

The Boulevard Market 2012 Holiday Catalog

The Boulevard Market 2012 Holiday Catalog