Exotic Kitchen Sink Rice

When cooking rice, first add to the water a combination of any of these (the more the merrier):

Crushed fresh garlic
Cumin
Nutmeg
Cardamom
Paprika
Cinnamon
Tabasco
Salt
Pepper

Top with stirfry, roast, shishkebab, or any other juicy dish that needs a bit more of a foil than straight-up starch!

Love, Columbine 

---

When dry roasting potatoes (uncovered, with no liquid added, at a high heat), don't put the garlic in until they're good and brown.  Crush it into a bit of extra olive oil, and toss well with the spuds, and roast 20 minutes before.  All the richness, none of the weird scorched bitter undertones!

Love, Columbine (having just delicious rosemary potatoes for supper, because I don't need any more than this!) 

---

I'm having the munchies here.  Just normal late-night kind of munchies, not those associated with smokin the "funny cigs" kind of munchies.   Gosh, Columbine, those spuds sound really good right now- I will also try your idea for roasing potaoes.

---

"The human heart has hidden treasures, in secret kept, in silence sealed" -C. Bronte

Columbine:

Love, Columbine (having just delicious rosemary potatoes for supper, because I don't need any more than this!) 

Try rosemary sweet potatoes roasted with a little olive oil~ yum

I roast a combination of root vegis, fall is the perfect time for this a nice roast pork, beef or fowl and potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips, beets...just toss ina little olive oil, a touch of salt and some fresh rosemary or thyme, cut all the roots in about the same size piece and lay them in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet.

squash and fennel are good roasted together the same way but add some cumin and allspice and cayenne pepper to the mix instead of rosemary or thyme, this goes really good with turkey!

---

~The mind is like a parachute, It always works best when it's open~Edna Buchanan~

~Northern Spy~The Apple of my Pie~

~Audrey~

NorthernSpy:

squash and fennel are good roasted together the same way but add some cumin and allspice and cayenne pepper to the mix instead of rosemary or thyme, this goes really good with turkey!

That sounds AMAZING.  I've been jonesing for squash...

Love, Columbine 

---

Squashed Rice

Either buy a bag of frozen squash chunks or hack one up yourself.  Cook a couple cups of rice (I like brown, but I'm sure white would work).

Put a generous amount of cooking oil (at least half olive, if you can afford it) in a mixing bowl, and mix in a ton of your favorite BBQ spices.  I use coriander, sweet paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, nutmeg, salt, pepper, Tabasco, and smoke-flavor oil (I get mine from Spices Etc.).  Crank the oven to 450.  Mix the squash chunks with the spiced oil, and put in a big flat open Pyrex or nonstick baking pan.  Stir every now and then; and when the squash softens, mush it into the spiced oil and stir it around some more.  When it's good and mushy (or threatens to stick to the pan) it's done.  Mix with the rice.  Tastes like BBQ potato chips!

Love, Columbine 

---

Cranberry Sauce

Chop cranberries up small (I just put them in the food processor).  Put in saucepan with a little bit of water, a pinch of salt, and some honey.  Turn heat to medium, and stir constantly with a LONG-handled spoon because this will get very hot and make like a California mudpot.  Add more honey, nutmeg, and cinnamon to taste as it cooks (taste by scooping a bit out onto a cold metal spoon and give it time to cool before tasting!)  When it's a rich, uniform garnet red, it's done - the natural pectin in the berries will thicken it up as it cools.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love, Columbine 

---