The weather has turned cold in the Carolinas alright! We even got snow on Christmas day! Amazing. That was the first snow on Christmas we've had since moving here 16 years ago. Actually, the whole area hadn't seen snow since 1947!

So what's good when there's snow and it's cold outside? Why soup of course! And what better soup to stave off the cold than something that sticks to the bones like this chicken soup with rice!

Click here for the recipe for Arroz Caldo or Chicken Soup with Rice

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Fried Rice is what we make when leftovers are starting to pile up in the refrigerator. For our weekend brunch, it's common for me to make fried rice out of whatever leftover is still in the refrigerator. See, I end up accomplishing two things at the same time. I recycle leftovers while cooking a good weekend brunch for my family and I clean out the refrigerator of leftovers, readying it for another week!

This version (photo above) is made of leftover pork adobo. I had less than a cup of meat, not enough for five people, and I didn't want to simply toss it out. The gravy was so flavorful, it would have been a shame to throw it out! So I used the small amount of meat and gravy left to flavor some leftover rice by making the fried rice above. I threw in some peas for color and you'd never know it was made of unwanted bits and pieces!

If you need a recipe, try out this one for Leftover Fried Rice.

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This is suman, glutinous rice wrapped in banana leaves, that is consumed as snack and one of the memorable treats from my childhood. I remember my grandmother making this for us during special occasions like birthdays and holidays. Suman is most commonly eaten as a snack and served with something sweet.

My girls and I like to pair it up with a perfectly ripened, sweet mango. I wish I had a better photo, but my daughter had devoured her serving of suman and mango before we could take a good photo.

Click here if you want to know how to make suman.



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This is one delicious rice! While the title says spicy, it is not the burn your mouth kind of spicy, but rather the aromatic, take you to heaven kind of spices. We paired up this golden rice with a Lamb Curry and it was to die for!

Click here to get the recipe for Spicy Marigold Rice.



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Even as we prepare for the next round of Lasang Pinoy, we still are churning rice from our kitchen! Here is something Jade cooked up, Vietnamese Style Fried Rice.



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We are still in a rice eating mode even after the month long round of rice dishes for Lasang Pinoy. While cleaning up the fridge, we fried up this: Left Over Fried Rice

BTW, have you heard the news about meat and milk?

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What a way to start the new year! December was the month to Rice to the Challenge for Lasang Pinoy, a monthly food blogging event to showcase Filipino cuisine. I was designated host of the event and I just posted the round up of the different entries. Visit my Cooked from the Heart kitchen to see all the entries.

For my own entries, I tried out three rice dishes that I love but have never cooked before:

Totong Balatong, Kutsinta and Puto.




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Commonly called ginataang totong (click on the link for the recipe), this is another coconut milk infused dessert with rice and toasted mung beans. Generally served as dessert or an afternoon snack, this is one of my entries for this month's Lasang Pinoy 22 - Rice to the Challenge.

I'm hosting LP this month, so make sure to submit a rice recipe if you have one. The deadline is today, but you know me, if you have one you're just rearing to submit, ignore the deadline and send it on anyway.



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I was really hoping I would have the new site set up by now, but I just haven't found the right template or header design yet. I do like the three column design though. Anyway, since I'm still here, I thought I would post the girls' new obsession, their own maki sushi!

If you'd like to try your hand at rolling your own sushi, the California Roll is one of the easiest to make and also pleasing to most palates. For one, it doesn't have any raw fish for those who are still squemish about eating raw fish. My girls don't have that problem though, they love sashimi! I just haven't found any sashimi grade fish around our area. So California rolls and Shrimp sushi it is.

SUSHI RICE: start by cooking your desired amount of rice for sushi. While the rice is cooking, mix in a small bowl: rice vinegar, salt and caster (fine) sugar. If you noticed that I didn't give any proportions, that's because the amount of the seasonings will depend on how much rice you are using. As a starting point, for two cups of cooked rice I will probably use about three tablespoons of vinegar, a pinch of salt and maybe a half a teaspoon of sugar.

When the rice is cooked, transfer it to a bowl or large plate and stir to fluff it up. Drizzle the vinegar mixture over the rice and fold it in gently so as not to mash the rice. You can use a fan while your are mixing so that the rice will cool off faster and it will develop a slight sheen to it. When it is cool enough to handle, you can start making your sushi rolls.

The basic ingredients for these California Rolls are:
Nori(seaweed)
Crab Sticks
Carrots, cut into matchsticks
Cucumber
Wasabi (Japanese horseradish)

Here's a good place to learn how to roll your maki sushi, with step-by-step photos. Visit Sushi Day for a daily dose of sushi.

The thing about being under the weather is, you turn into a big baby and start to want all the comfort foods your mommy gave you when you were sick. That's been the case in our kitchen lately what with one of us getting the cold one right after the other with moments of overlap in between cases. So lately there haven't been any new experiments in our kitchen. We've fallen back to old comforting favorites like sinigang or 'sour soup' as the girls like to call it, rice porridge or lugaw, and lots of soft rice dishes like the malagkit na bibingka below. This is the Southern version of our rice cake, the rice pudding.

We've made this at least twice since I've been sick. Mainly because the girls have been doing some cooking for me while I rest. Aren't they just wonderful? I loved being pampered. The drawback though is with my novice cooks, sometimes put a little too much water on the rice and we end up with very sticky rice that is not exactly gruel but close to it. I don't want to discourage them from cooking, so rather than cooking a new pot of rice and discarding the sticky rice as my aunts used to do when I was growing up, we grudgingly eat it anyway. Of course, none of us end up eating much of it as we all still prefer perfectly cooked and fluffy rice. What to do with an almost full pot of rice? Rice pudding!

Most rice pudding recipes, especially the Southern versions include raisins, which I love but my family hates. So this version is as plain as you can get. If you are feeling more adventurous though, this rice pudding is very receptive to just about any topping you can think of including fresh fruits. Try it with some very ripe peaches, strawberries, or blueberries and you'll be in heaven.

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups cooked rice, soft
2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
dash of salt

1/2 cup cream or milk
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla

1 Tbsp. Butter

Combine the rice, milk, sugar and salt in a pot and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionaly to keep from sticking. When it comes to a boil, keep stirring and cook until it starts to thicken. In a bowl, combine the egg, cream and vanilla and mix well. Add this mixture to the rice, stirring to blend in thoroughly. Add a tablespoon of butter, mix and remove from the heat. Let it cool, it will thicken some more as it cools. Can be served warm, but better when completely cooled or slightly chilled.

You can't go to the Philippines and not eat rice cakes. We had our share of just about every way rice can be made into cakes.


Filipino Cookbooks

Some commenters to the last post on Baked Chicken with Wild Rice asked what wild rice is, so here is some information about this grain.

According to this source, wild rice (Zizania Palustis L)is of the grass family and is native to North America. It is known by many names: indian rice (by early English explorers), folle avoine (by the French), Canadian rice, squaw rice, water oats, blackbird oats, and marsh oats. Wild rice has high protein and carbohydrate content and would be perfect for someone in need of fiber or quality carbs in their diet. I like it because of the nutty flavor and the different texture from the usual white rice.

For additional information, click on the photo above or visit http://www.wildrice.org/.

If you would like to try another wild rice recipe tested In Our Kitchen, try our Wild Rice and Mushrooms recipe that we had as a side dish for Thanksgiving.

This is another simple, easy one pot meal that we tend to come up with during the week when we are all busy with work and other school day activities.

INGREDIENTS:
1 chicken, cut up
1 TBSP oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups of Wild Rice & Basmati Rice Mix
2 cups water or chicken broth
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a skillet, heat oil and saute' onions and garlic until fragrant. Add the rice mixture and stir in the oil for a minute or two. Season with salt & pepper. Pour the sauteed rice mixture into a baking dish and layer the chicken pieces on top of the rice. Season the chicken pieces additionally with salt & pepper. Add the chicken broth to the pot and cover with a lid if it has one or with aluminum foil. Bake in the oven for 1 and 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F. Check after an hour in the oven to make sure it hasn't dried out. If it seems a bit dry, add more liquid.

Here is a quick and easy weekday dinner, serve with vegetables of your choice.

As promised, here is another easy recipe to go with Cinco de Mayo Pork Roast or any other meat dish. It also stands well alone, if you are on a vegetarian diet like the Clone. I don't know what it is, but she has been on a self-imposed vegetarian diet lately. She doesn't eat any of the meat dishes we cook, just the starches and vegetables. However, she makes exception for chicken nuggets that come with a toy. Go figure!

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 cloves of Garlic, chopped
2 cups of long-grain rice
1 can black beans">Black Beans
Salt & Pepper to taste
Water

Heat the olive oil and sautee the chopped garlic until it is fragrant. Add the rice, and stir until all grains are coated with oil and slightly browned in some parts. Add the drained black beans and about two cups of water. Season with salt and pepper and let it come to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, cover and let it cook for about 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked.

One of the first memories we probably all have as children are sweets. I am no different. Birthday cakes were a big hit, but charcoal baked bibingkas were in a class all their own and evoke their very own special moments. It is a treat borne out of necessity, for I doubt that conventional ovens as we know them now were readily available back then. The ingenuity of foodies should not be estimated though for we will find a way of doing things to attain the taste that we want. Sort of like the original mission of Lasang Pinoy, literally translated 'tastes like Pinoy'.

Click here to read the rest and the recipe for Bibingka...

Here's another simple and fast weekday meal which is a step better than the usual pork chop. This recipe uses pork loin cut into cutlets. This cut has less fat and cooks much faster than the bone-in chop variety. This whole meal can be prepared in less than an hour. What I do to save time is to wash and cut up the pork loin prior to freezing so that it's ready to just batter and fry up when dinner time comes. Paired with garlic fried rice made from left over rice and steamed broccoli and you have another quick, easy and nutritious meal.

To make the fried pork loin, simply moisten the cutlets in beaten egg, dredge in bread crumbs seasoned with garlic powder, salt, pepper and dried basil; and pan-fry until they are golden brown. Very simple!

This is a very simple recipe but very flavorful and different way of serving rice, a good accompaniment to grilled meats like the joojeh chicken above.

2 cups jasmine or long grain rice
4 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water or chicken broth

In a pan, melt the butter and add the rice; stir until the rice gets slightly browned and smells toasted. Add the salt and liquid, stir and cover until it comes to a boil and turn it down to low. Do not lift the cover. Let it cook on low heat and covered for 20 minutes. Fluff up the rice before serving.

In the wake of the very successful Lasang Pinoy event, I now have a long list of must try recipes. One of the posts that tickled my tastebuds, is a post from WatsOn about foods cooked with coconut milk. It reminded my of my mom's guinataan. She cooked some while I was in California last month, and it was really delicious. Unfortunately, the next night, on the second go round of it, she forgot about it being on the stove heating, and burned the bottom, ruining our second helpings. WatsOn's post about coconut milk just made me crave it again, so I thought I've make us a batch this past weekend. So pareng WatsOn, this one's for you ;-)

Continue for the recipe...

The girls aren't too crazy about stuffing, and I still had a bit of stuffing in the freezer from our trial run, so we had this instead. It was pretty good!



2 1/2 cups of Wild Rice Blend (mixture of American Basmati, Wild Rice, Brown Rice, and Red Rice)
6 oz. Crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a pan and sautee the onions and garlic until fragrant. Add the musrooms and cook until they are just starting to brown. Add the rice blend and stir to coat rice with oil. Add the chicken broth and cook at medium heat and cover. Cook for 10 minutes, then lower heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until you are ready to serve.

Want the recipe for this Arroz Caldo? Visit the new Westernized Kusina of filipinas who have banded together to share recipes, tips, and ideas as they adapt Filipino recipes to their new environs and also to showcase their takes on local recipes wherever they may be living now.