Rice and Potatoes: Updates and More

Hello, Darlings

This morning, I have several recipes to post. As you know last year I bought a 1200 watt microwave oven, because a 1000 watt oven was unavailable. Since then, a few of my popular recipes have had to be adjusted to the newer heat settings.  For example the list for baking potatoes in my post, “Did You Know That You Can Nuke Your Potatoes?” was created for 900 to 1000 microwave ovens.  With a jumbo potato you would normally microwave it for 10 to 12 minutes on high, but with a 1200 watt microwave oven that same jumbo potato would only need 9 -1/2 minutes of cook time, so reducing the cook time for my older recipes I have posted on this website is a must.

However, this morning the following recipe "1200 Watt Microwave Oven Rice" is an update for the recipe printed on most rice packages where you would microwave a cup of rice in a 1000 watt microwave oven with 1-1/2 cup of water at a setting of 5 minutes on high, then again for10 minutes on the 50% or number 5 setting. Whew! What a sentence.

Well, with a 1200 watt microwave cooking rice became another learning curse … I mean curve.

So said, I now present my new microwave rice recipe to life easier, the “1200 Watt Microwave Oven Rice”.

1200 Watts Microwave Oven Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup rice

1 ½ water

Direction:

1. Add water and rice into 2-quart glass casserole dish
2. Place dish partially covered in microwave
3. Set cook time for 5 minutes; don’t worry if after this time the water level appears to be all gone, it’s not, so then,
4. Set power level to 5
5. Cook 6 Minutes

 

Once the rice is done, fluff with a fork and cover with a paper towel and glass lid to absorb the extra moisture.

This next recipe is a microwave variation for the popular Vigo Yellow Rice. I am a rice lover and if it wasn’t for the number of carbs that rice contains, I would eat it every day. Alas, when I do give in to my craving, I not only eat it with dinner but with breakfast and lunch as well. And, I had a yesterday I had a craving, but I was out of the regular rice I normally cook. However, I decided to cook some yellow. Normally, you cook the whole package of Vigo Yellow Rice as a main ingredient in another recipe such as Red Beans and Rice with Sausage or Shrimp Fried Rice.

As with my 1200 Watts Microwave Oven Rice recipe, the Vigo Yellow Rice can be microwave in a similar way and smaller amounts. I mean, why cook rice, any rice for an half an hour or more on the stove top. Stove top cooking has its day in my home also, but if I can do it easier and quicker … let’s nuke.

1200 Watts Microwave Oven Vigo Yellow Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup rice

1 ½ water

Direction:

1. Add water and rice into 2-quart glass casserole dish
2. Place dish partially covered in microwave
3. Set cook time for 6 1/2 minutes
4. Then Set power level to 5
5. Cook 6 Minute

Once the rice is done, fluff with a fork and cover with a paper towel and glass lid to absorb the extra.

This final recipe is for microwaving sweet potatoes on 1200 watts. Like cooking regular potatoes this recipe was a bit tricky at first, but I learned quicker with it,  than with microwaving the regular potatoes. So here it is my... "1200 Watts Microwave Sweet Potatoes" recipe.

1200 Watts Microwave Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato

Nutmeg

Cinnamon

Villa flavoring

1 -2 pads of butter

 

Directions

1. Clean and pat dry sweet potato
2. Use fork to add vent holes
3. Place sweet potato in microwave and cook on high for 7 minutes
4. Test for tenderness
5. Cut open in the middle and a sprinkle of each of remaining ingredients
6. Cook an additional 3 minutes
7. Repeat direction foe any additional sweet potato

Note: For medium sweet potatoes, I suggest reducing the cooking time by two to three minutes, and checking for doneness before adding more ingredients. By now you should be a pretty good judge of how much more or less cooking time will be needed to finish the potatoes. However, since it is just me and my husband, Stan, I cook the potatoes one at a time. Twenty minutes in the microwave versus one hour in the conventional oven. You choose.

Well, that’s all for today, and I do hope you find these recipes helpful and delicious.

Click links to download PDFs.  I realized that I left the s off of watts in the PDF copies of these recipes, but I know my old grammar professors would forgiven this once.

Until next time,

Chow, Darlings

Air Fryer Goulash (Gulasch) Quick and Easy

 Hellooooo, Darling

Evelyn here with another of my quick and easy recipes for the Big Boss air fryer. Today it is Golasch made using the Knorr Gulasch seasoning mix, a chuck roast and a few vegetables. I call it, you guest it.

Air Fryer Goulash (Gulasch)

Ingredients

    2.2 lb chuck roast

   1 whole onion chopped in two quarters

    2 bell peppers, one red and one orange and sliced lengthwise, then halved

    1 can stew tomato

    5 stalks of celery cut in large chunks

    1 2/3 cup of water

    2 packages of Knorr Goulash seasoning mix

    Cooking spray for air fry rack and bowl

 

 

Instructions

1. Prepare pasta, I prefer fettuccine, drain and aside
2. Stray air frying bowl and lower rack with cooking oil.
3. Place frozen chuck roast into a gallon baggie, add one package of the Knorr Gulasch seasoning mix. Seal baggie and shake it until roast completely covered
4. Remove from roast from baggie and place on lower rack in the air fryer
5. Cover air fryer with lid and set temperature 400 degree. Cook roast about 20 minute, or until seasoning brown and roast is rare.
6. Meanwhile, cut up the onion and bell peppers as listed above.
7. Remove roast from air fryer and cut into chunks, set aside in a covered bowl
8. Then add the remaining package of Knorr Gulasch seasoning mix, the onion, water, celery, stew tomatoes, and bell pepper to air fryer bowl and cook until the seasoning creates a nice thick sauce. About 20 to 25 minutes; stirring often so not to burn vegetable tips.
9. While Gulasch is cooking, make side salads of choice and  refrigerate
10. When Gulasch seasoning mixture and vegetables are cooked to the desired doneness, stir in chuck roast chunks and cook an additional 3 to5 minutes.
11. Serve Gulasch on top of fettuccine.
    

A Widescreen Online Review Plus Recipe

When shopping for the Knorr Goulash seasoning mix, you might comes across the packages written in German. If so, then just follow the recipe above and you will be alright.

Download the recipe here.

Evelyn’s Butter Pecan Ice Cream Made with Junket

 Hello, Darlings

Evelyn here with an MAJOR UPDATE.

If you downloaded the previous version of this recipe, discard it, or add the changes in line 2 to it. I realized when I went to make some chocolate ice cream that I was using the smoothie setting on the Instant Pot Ace Blender that I own. By the way, the  Instant Pot Ace Blender that I use is not the same as the Instant Pot Ace 60 Cooking Blender, which from what I have heard makes ice cream. However, with it you have to place the ice cream in the freezer it firm it up. With my method you have two choices, soft serve for cones or if you want it firmer, like store bought ice cream,  place it in the freezer for 30 minutes. 

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 Hello, Darlings

Who doesn't love homemade ice cream? Well, recently I bought a ice cream maker, because I missed the flavor and taste of the ice cream that my grandfather use to made using a bucket, ice, salt, chocolate and fresh fruits . Today, we are more advance. While you can still use this method, and there are many machines to help you make it, today there are new products that I believe will change the way ice cream has been made from the past. With these machines you can eliminate the use of ice and pre-freezing the ice cream pan.

Let's face it, I love cooking and making things that are quick and easy, and the COWSAR's  ice cream maker allows me to do just that. As for the ice cream mixture itself, I like the taste and smoothness of the Junket brand ice cream mixes. Remember, lazy me, "quick and easy", that's my motto.

To prove my point, below is my recipe for my favorite ice cream, Butter pecan.

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Evelyn’s Butter Pecan Ice Cream Made with Junket

Makes 1 quart

Ingredients

1 tbsp unsalted butter

½  cup Praline Pecans halves, sliced

1-1/4 cup lactose free whole milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

1-1/2 to 2 tsps Pecan extract

1 package Junket Simple Vanilla Ice Cream Mix or the Very Vanilla Ice Cream Mix

 

Equipment:

COWSAR 1.3 Quart Ice Cream Maker (has its own freezing compressor)

An Instant Pot Ace Blender or a regular blender

Air tight ice cream container

 

Instructions

1. In a medium non stick skillet melt butter. Add the sliced pecans. Cook over low heat until pecans are warm and well coated. Remove from heat, strain and reserve pecans. Discard remaining butter or if making ice cream in the morning, fry a couple of eggs for breakfast.
2. In the Instant Pot Ace Blender or a regular blender combine the Junket Very Vanilla mix, milk, heavy cream and Pecan extract. If you are using the pulsing blender, select the ‘Smoothie’ setting and run the setting twice, or if using a regular blender, blend the mixture until it is dissolved well, about 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Turn the COWSAR 1.3 Quart Ice Cream Maker on. Pour mixture into the bucket and press the Ice Cream Function button, and then prep for the dinner meal, go read a book, watch a little TV or do chores.
4. Five minutes before the ice cream cycle ends add the sliced pecan. If the machine stops before you finish your chores, the Insulation Program keeps the ice cream solid for 20 minutes after the ice cream function has stopped.
5. Serve, or if eating later, transfer ice cream to an airtight container and place in the freezer. I found that letting the ice cream age a few days increases the flavor.

 Enjoy!

 Download the Recipe here.

 

A Widescreen Online Review Plus Recipe

 P.S. The reason for the lack of photos or the use of generic photos is that we ate the meals before I thought of shooting photos. It happens.

Evelyn’s Homemade Pizza Sauce Revision

 Hello, Darlings

Is it hot enough for you? Being retired as I am, and at home must of the time, I don't get to experience many of the weather variants that Florida has to offer. However, I digress from the purpose of this entry.

For several years now, I have made my own pizza for various reasons, such as rise in prices, poor quality and smaller quantity. Remember the Arby's commercial: "Where is the beef?" Well, according to the news and consumer complaints, the former is the bane of many fast food restaurants today.Just yesterday as I was returning home from one of my rare errands, I was surprise a Checker's fast food restaurant was closed, and further surprise from my husband that the restaurant has been closed for about a year.

Nevertheless, today entry is entitled, "Evelyn’s Homemade Pizza Sauce Revision". It is delicious and super easy to make, and I hope you will give it a try.

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GENERIC PHOTO

Ingredients:

• 8 oz can Tomato Sauce
• 1/2 of a 6 oz can Tomato Paste
• 1/4 tsp Brown Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
• Pinch Red Pepper Flakes

Directions: 

1.  Combine the can of tomato sauce and half of the can of tomato paste in a microwave mixing bowl, or a glass measuring 16 oz. cup.
2. Stir in the brown sugar and spices.
3. Place mixture in microwave and cook for 2 to 3 minutes; let sit while making pizza crust and prepping toppings.
4. This sauce tastes the best if you can let it set for an hour or so before using it to let the flavors mingle.
5. Spread on pizza crust and top with your favorite toppings, and bake as needed.  
6. This recipes makes enough for one 12" pizza baking in a Betty Crocker's pizza maker for 9 ½ minutes.

Adapted from: TheMakeYourOwnZone.com

 Download the recipe here.

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