Common Cuisine |

This is also known as Arroz con Leche, although when I lived in Guatemala I was taught to call it Orchata. Whatever the name, it is warm and heavenly.

• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 tsp vanilla

Bring milk and water to a slow simmer in a large pot, over medium to low heat. Stir in rice, then add cinnamon, salt, vanilla, condensed milk, and raisins. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until rice is softened, about 20-30 minutes.

Serves 8.

For this dish, you can substitute any vegetables you have that you want to use up. You can use any cream soup you have on hand instead of the broccoli; or you can use broccoli cheese soup for a cheesier flavor.

• 2 T olive oil
• 1-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
• 2 cups frozen cut up broccoli
• ¾ cup sliced carrots, either 2 regular or a handful of baby carrots
• 1 cup milk
• 1 can condensed cream of broccoli soup
• 1 ¼ cups uncooked quick-cooking rice

In large skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken in oil until no longer pink. Remove from skillet.

Add vegetables and cook until they turn bright colors and just begin to get soft (still crunchy).

Stir in soup and milk. Return chicken to skillet and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Add rice. Cover; remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes while you set the table, then fluff just before serving.

Serves 4 as a main dish.

Wow, I’ve finally joined the ranks of those who don’t burn their rice. It’s only been about 10 years, but now I have one, and since I saved it from being my daughter’s drum last week, it is still part of my kitchen. What a novel concept to measure in the proper ingredients, plug the machine in and walk away. I can’t wait to get started with sushi now that I have a way to make predictable rice!

So the model I got only makes 3 cups, which is how much I usually make for our small family. It’s nothing fancy, but I think that for the small price I paid for it, it’s good enough for what I need. If we turn out to use it more than it can handle, then I will consider it worth my while to get a bigger and better one!

I’ll let you know in the long run how it turns out, but in the meantime, consider me a happy cook with an inexpensive, simple new appliance that will remove one more step from my crazy life. I can dig it.

Before beginning, start your rice. Cook 1 cup of white rice with 2 cups water, loosely covered, in the microwave for 17 minutes, stirring twice.

Choose one Protein:

• 1 pound fresh or frozen medium shrimp in shells, thawed, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound boneless pork, partially frozen and thinly sliced into bite-size strips
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound beef top round steak, partially frozen and thinly sliced into bite-size pieces

Choose one Vegetable 1:

• 8-10 baby carrots, thinly bias (diagonally) sliced
• 1 cup broccoli flowerets
• 1 cup fresh asparagus cut into 1 inch lengths
• ½ cup cauliflowerets, thinly sliced

Choose one Vegetable 2:

• 2 cups chopped Chinese cabbage
• 1 cup fresh pea pods, halved lengthwise
• 1 cup fresh mushrooms thinly sliced
• 2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges and seeded

Choose one Crunchy Ingredient:

• 1 8 oz can water chestnuts, drained and thinly sliced
• 1 cup walnut pieces
• 1 cup dry-roasted peanuts
• 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

Include all the Basics:

• 1/3 cup cold water
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp dry white wine (optional)
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• ½ cup fresh bean sprouts

Prepare your choices from Protein and Vegetables 1 and 2; set aside. Stir water into cornstarch; stir in soy sauce and wine. Set aside.

In covered saucepan cook Vegetable 1 in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Drain well; set aside. Preheat wok or large skillet over high heat; add cooking oil. Stir-fry garlic in hot oil for 30 seconds. Add green onions and stir-fry 1 minute.

Add Crunchy Ingredient and bean sprouts. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from wok. Add Vegetables 1 and 2. Stir-fry 1 minute. Remove from wok.

Add more oil, if necessary. Add half of the Protein to wok; stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes until browned. Remove Protein. Stir-fry remaining Protein 2 to 3 minutes. Return all Protein to wok. Add Crunchy Ingredient and bean sprouts.

Stir soy sauce mixture; stir into wok. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Return Vegetables 1 and 2 to wok; cover and cook 1 minute more.

Serve with rice.

Serves 4 to 6.

For some reason this dinner is a favorite in our household simply because of the name. It actually goes by a different name in our house, but what’s in a name, really? The kids love it for the novelty value. I think it’s the soy sauce that gives it the interesting twist.

• 1 medium pumpkin
• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup chopped celery
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1 (4 oz) can sliced mushrooms
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups cooked rice

In a large skillet, brown ground beef with salt and drain off fat. Add celery and onion and cook until vegetables begin to soften a little bit.

While that is cooking, preheat oven to 375. At a diagonal angle from outside edge toward center, cut a 3-inch hole around stem of pumpkin and remove top. Remove seeds and pulp. You can discard the seeds or save them for roasting later.

In a large bowl, stir together beef mixture, soy sauce, brown sugar, mushrooms, soup, and rice. Pour mixture into pumpkin and replace lid. Place pumpkin on greased baking sheet and bake for about an hour until pumpkin is soft.

Serves 6 to 8.