Heather says: Winter is officially here and eating seasonally in the winter can certainly be difficult. Well, difficult if you like variety that is. For the most part we’re reduced to vegetables that store well, like squashes and potatoes, along with hardy vegetables from the brassica genus: brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard greens, etc. I’m not…
The Gentle Boil Method for Cooking White Rice
Heather says: For whatever reason cooking white rice seems to frustrate some people. My favorite way to cook rice is to use a 2:1 ratio, water to long grain, white rice. I add a small amount of salt to the water, bring it to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low. I then…
Hoppin’ John
Heather says: In my corner of the south, Hoppin’ John is a traditional New Year’s dish believed to bring good luck. I’m not superstitious, but some traditions, like this one appeal to me. Every year on New Year’s Day we serve Hoppin’ John, collard greens, and cornbread. Hoppin’ John is a nice, flavorful version of…
Cereal, Homemade Granola, a Holy Cow it’s That Easy? Recipe
Heather says: Now that’s summer is nearly here, we’re switching to a cooler morning option, homemade granola cereal. It is a bit more expensive than plain oatmeal version, but the recipe is dead easy and significantly cheaper per serving than store bought granola, even with the nuts. It takes less than five minutes to mix…
Soak Rolled Oats for Better Oatmeal
Heather says: Did you know the package directions for oatmeal (rolled oats) used to include directions for soaking? Eventually these directions were removed as it’s not critical if your goal is to have hot, edible cereal and many consumers are only interested in convenience. Soaked oats give an entirely different character to your morning breakfast…
Freezing Rice, A How To
Dear Home Ec 101, I would like to know if it is possible to freeze cooked rice. I would like to cook a bigger batch and freeze single servings. Cooking a single serving for lunch just takes too much time, but I really don’t like the quicker cooking alternatives. Also, we frequently have stir fry with…
Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Heather says: This creamy soup is quite rich, perfect for a chilly evening spent calling Midwestern family and asking, “Hey, how’s the weather up there?” (It was -2F yesterday, sorry about that) Yields: approximately 8 cups of soup Ingredients: 5 cups chicken broth 1 cup wild rice (If you aren’t a huge fan of…
Fried Green Corn
Heather says: I was browsing through some of my hometown blogs and stumbled upon this entry at A Yankee in a Southern Kitchen. It was the perfect use for the abundance of Silver Queen corn I picked up the other day. Don’t be fooled by this absurdly simple recipe, it tastes of summer. Ingredients: 5…
Chicken Bog Recipe
Heather says: Do you ever have a snippet from a TV show stay with you for eternity? That’s all I can think whenever I make chicken bog. Now that you’ve had a peek into my twisted little mind, let’s talk chicken bog. At first glance, some long time readers may say, “But Heather, that looks…
Rice and Peas
Heather says: My family enjoys this simple dish, it goes well with most standard chicken recipes. Oddly enough, my kids who are not overly fond of peas do not mind their presence. Get the printable shopping list. Ingredients 1 TBSP butter 1 small onion diced 1 cup uncooked long grain rice 2 cups chicken stock…
Ground Beef and Cabbage Skillet
Heather says: File this meal under pretty good comfort food. Mr. Heather filed it under “should make again” but he’s from Minnesota and used to consider “hotdish” its own food group. Relax, I’m just teasing to pick on my in-laws. Everyone say hi to Nan and Gramps. Back to the food, it’s important to remember…
Cornbread, Plain Recipe
Dear Home Ec 101, Do you have a good cornbread recipe or tips on baking cornbread? I generally use a corn meal mix and it always comes out too dry and “crummy”. I like for the outside to be crisp but for the inside to be soft and to stay together instead of falling apart…
Save money and time DIY oatmeal packs
Heather says: Try making your own oatmeal packets. There’s no need to worry about measuring or digging for sugar and spices first thing in the morning. If you are cooking for one, add as listed to a baggie. Otherwise multiply the amounts by the number of servings you require. Use the cheap fold over baggies*…
Rice: it’s not just for throwing at people at weddings anymore
Dear Home-Ec 101, I need help cooking rice. I can’t do it-brown rice, white rice, minute rice, not-minute rice. I just can’t seem to get it to the right texture. Help me? Signed, Riceless in Reno Ivy says: Rice can be tough. I cannot begin to tell you how much rice I have messed up…
Extreme Makeover: White Rice Edition
Dear Home-Ec 101, Is there any way to keep rice good in the fridge? I love that nice and sticky rice they give you from take-out Chinese places, and I’ve never been able to recreate it, so I usually keep it in the fridge for the next day or so. When I heat it back…