I'll tell you a little secret: I like garlic. Errr...well...perhaps LOVE garlic is a better way to put it. 44 clove garlic soup? I haven't tried it yet but I've got the recipe and as soon as I lay my hands on that much garlic at once I am going to make it. Salad dressing? That stuff's not dressing if garlic isn't at least number four on the label. Garlic powder? That stuff isn't garlic. Only garlic is garlic and that is what I am looking for.
And rice pilaf? Rice pilaf has GARLIC. Four whole cloves. (At least the way I make it it does.) Bonus: It is dead easy to make and dead easy to change up without worrying that things will go wrong. Don't have carrots? Use celery. Don't have craisins? Use raisins. Don't have apple juice? Use water or wine. I even used white grape juice once. You can even leave out the garlic, but you should be aware that this would make me very sad.
What are you waiting for? GET TO IT. This pilaf is begging to be made!
3/4 cup long-grain rice
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups chicken stock (I tend to make mine with bouillon)
1/4 cup craisins (or raisins, or dried cherries, or whatever you want to experiment with)
1/4 cup carrots (or celery, etc)
1/4 cup apple juice (or water, etc)
Generous amounts of dried or fresh herbs (basil, thyme, and oregano work well)
1/2 cup nuts (unsalted cashews, walnuts, etc)
Prepare chicken stock, garlic, and all of the chopped vegetables for addition to the pilaf. Doing the prep ahead of time is critical in this recipe because it moves pretty fast. In a 3 quart saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Toast the rice and the garlic in the melted butter for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add chicken stock immediately. Add craisins, carrots, apple juice, and herbs of your choice. Stir well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Stir in nuts. Serve. Makes enough for two large supper servings or four to six smaller side dishes.
I am certain that all of you, being intelligent and creative people, could come up with a myriad of kitchen disasters to haunt my nightmares. Burnt pies. Dough on the floor. One ingredient mysteriously goes missing and there is no time to go to the store because you promised this to somebody YESTERDAY. But this. This beats them all. Because it happened. Actually, they happened. On the same day. At approximately the same time. I'm surprised I lived to tell about it. What happened?
The refrigerator croaked. Our water main broke.
Yes, that was my Tuesday. After much coaxing, several arguments with certain parties, and one kind repairman, the refrigerator was resuscitated. (Actually, the wheezing noises it was making as my milk spoiled really did make it sound as though is was coming back from the dead.) Seems that refrigerators weren't made to withstand temperatures above 80 degrees in non-air conditioned houses for extended periods of time. The fact that I use the stove, which sits immediately beside it, at regular intervals can't be helping the poor dear's health either.
The water main line? Oh, that was the gas company's fault. Seems we had a leak down the street, and they hit the line digging up the leak. According to one neighbor, they do this every time they come out here. How did I discover that the water was off, you ask? Well, see, err...it's kinda embarrassing but I flushed the toilet and it just sort of...gurgled...and halfheartedly did its thing and then I turned the handle on the sink and stared dumbfounded at it as it did nothing but putt putt putt-ed. I would still be stuck in there if it weren't for a little thing called bottled water. Most expensive hand-wash ever.
So that's why you STILL don't get any recipes. Didn't I cook today? I plead the fifth. Instead, I'd like to share a few pictures to whet your appetites for things to come:
Yes, all of these were made right here in this little kitchen. Maybe, just maybe, if you ask ever-so-nicely, I will tell you how I did it. Which one did we have for dinner tonight? Actually, tonight we had these:
Be jealous. Be very jealous.
