Well, here I am having gotten caught up in daily life and haven't posted to my blog.  I started the blog with the menu plan and now cannot find it.  Bummer, that was a lot of work, too.  I will have to restart it.  Until I get it finished, I will leave you with a basic recipe.  It's so simple that some of you may think it not worthy to post, but I did say I would post recipes.  So, here goes. 

I decided to begin with a staple used in a large part of the world - rice.  As noted in my pantry blog, there are several kinds but this recipe holds pretty well for all kinds save the arborio or risotto.  That has a recipe all its own.  So, whatever type of rice I'm going to prepare - whether it be jasmine, basmati, sushi, brown or glutinous (sweet) I use this recipe:

2 cups of rice, rinsed and drained
2-4 TBS of oil*
3 cups of liquid**
Seasoning***

1.  In a 1.5 to 2-quart saucepan spread the oil over the bottom and heat over medium-high heat.

2.  Add rice and stir to coat as much of the rice as possible with the oil. (*NOTE: depending on what type of meal the rice will be a part of, you might want to use different oils for different cuisines.  Such as canola with a splash of toasted sesame for Asian meals, olive oil for Italian, Morrocan, Spanish or American fare or just canola, sunflower or other for a bland rice.  Experiment to see what you like best.) 

3.  Toast the grains until slightly golden.

4.  Add the liquid slowly as the pan and contents will be hot.  (**NOTE: I like to use chicken stock instead of water or, if I do use water, I use chicken bouillon - 2 cubes or 1 TBS for 3 cups of water.)

5.  Bring the liquid and rice to a boil and lower heat and simmer for about 3 minutes while watching.

6.  Add seasoning.  (***NOTE:  See note about liquid. If you use bouillon, you may not want to add any more salt.  Again, depending on what you will be pairing the rice with in the meal will dictate what spices/herbs you use.  For most cuisines, I like to add about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic powder and about 8-10 grinds of freshly ground black pepper from the pepper mill and AFTER tasting salt to taste.  If I'm making Spanish or Mexican food, I'll put in about 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground toasted cumin that I have in another peppermill I keep on my counter and perhaps 1/2 teaspoon of aromatic smoked sweet paprika.  Again, experiement with the spices.)

7.  Lower heat to low, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.  (NOTE:  If using brown rice or black glutinous rice, you want to give it 30 minutes before checking.  These have their bran coats on and need more time to cook.) 

8.  Check the rice with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula and make an "X" in the rice.  If the water is completely gone and the bottom comes away, it is ready.  Fluff with a fork to separate.  Some people (like me) like to cook the rice until the bottom is lightly golden and slightly crunchy and this may take about 3-5 minutes longer.  White rice should be ready within 15-20 minutes.  Brown rices may take as long as 30-60 minutes.  If there is considerable water in the rice when you check it, add about 5-10 minutes to your cooking time and do this each time you check and there is water in the pot.  Just make sure not to raise the temperature too much or it will burn.

This should make 4-6 servings.

Thanks for supporting me.  My lunch is over and I'm off to work some more.  Have a great Easter!!!

Working Stiff

Well, my status of unemployment has ended as of January 9th.  I received a call from a firm I worked for about 6 years ago asking if I was interested in the Office Manager position that just opened up.  Although being off for a couple of months was nice as far as not having to be somewhere, it sucked when I had to call and inquire about job positions only to be told there weren't any.  I was just about ready to go outside my comfort zone of the familiar and actually applied for a job in another state working for the Department of Agriculture.  Seeing as how I've not received so much as an acknowledgement for the application, I feel reasonably sure that I was not even in the running since I've not heard anything in about a month. 

The good thing I've gleaned from this experience is that I realize now what is most important in the way I spend my money and have goals to retire my debt by September of this year, save enough to dig the water well on our property, save up for the new roof and help my husband to retire his debt perhaps by the end of next year or shortly thereafter. 

I've been trying to follow the Nutrisystem guidelines while cooking meals myself and have, over the past week, been eating salads for lunch with a small portion of entreé with protein snacks and fruit and drink up to 2 liters of water a day aside from my 2 mugs of coffee.  I've also been doing my rehab exercises on my sprained foot and seem to be improving there. 

Additionally, I've been working on the simplification issue - one room at a time. 

Until later...have a good one!

The New Year

Still working on that menu plan.  Planning to put it up for next week if I can decide what the meals will be.  I've already been trying to eat more healthfully and will definitely try some of the recipes that my sister has presented.  Already we have been eating less meat and more vegetables.  I am also trying to increase my water intake, but for some reason I find it hard to drink so much water.  I have been walking the dogs everyday and physical therapy on my ankle is making improvements. 

After making numerous calls to firms only to hear that there are no openings for the past 2 months, I've received a call and been offered a job with a firm I respect.  I have worked with the firm in the past and was sad to have to leave when the firm broke up at the time.  As soon as the position opened, they called me to see if I was interested.  Having someone seek you out feels good and helps to renew faith in myself.  I think by having had to cinch my belt a few notches financially will help me manage finances a bit differently this time round. Now that I have a better picture of my long-term goals, I think it will be easier to make things happen without so many distractions, ie, spending money on unnecessary things. 

Independent of finding gainful employment, I've started "spring" cleaning and working toward that simplification of my life I spoke of earlier in my blog.  My plan for that is to work on the house one room at a time until I get the whole house done.   It is somewhat liberating getting rid of things you no longer need or use. 

Speaking of spring, I've started receiving seed catalogs and am gearing up to working in the garden more.   I have some peat pellets to start vegetable plants by the 15th to be ready by March 15th to plant in the garden.  Here's hoping that this gardening year will be a productive one. 

I'm also hoping this year will be much better all around than the year past.  I can say that so far it is already much better.  If you are reading my blogs and are in a similar situation, just keep a positive outlook and hang in there!