Brazilian White Rice

Brazilian White Rice

Rated: Submitted By: Nandabear Photo By: AZ Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 45 Minutes Servings: 8

"White rice is the main side dish made in Brazil. This is the way my mom would make it and taught my sister and I. What makes this so different is that we fry it in oil with minced onion and garlic before adding water. You can also use part water, part chicken broth. The secret is to not let it overcook because it should come out loose and not sticky."

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups long-grain white rice 2 tablespoons minced onion 2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon salt 4 cups hot water

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Place the rice in a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water; set aside.

2.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion in the oil for one minute. Stir in the garlic and cook until the garlic is golden brown. Add the rice and salt and cook and stir until the rice begins to brown. Pour hot water over rice mixture and stir. Reduce heat to low, cover the saucepan, and allow to simmer until the water has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/brazilian-white-rice/detail.aspx

Chili

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds ground beef chuck 1 pound bulk Italian sausage 3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained 1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste 1 large yellow onion, chopped 3 stalks celery, chopped 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped 2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped 1 tablespoon bacon bits 4 cubes beef bouillon 1/2 cup beer

1/4 cup chili powder 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon dried oregano 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™) 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon white sugar 1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos® 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
2.	Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chile peppers, bacon bits, bouillon, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3.	After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.
4.	To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/boilermaker-tailgate-chili/detail.aspx

Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta

Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta
Source: adapted from Chaos in the Kitchen and The Girl Who Ate Everything
Makes: about 3-4 servings

Ingredients:
4-6 ounces fettuccine or linguine 
6 Tablespoons butter, divided 
8 ounces fresh, sliced mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped (you can substitute 1 teaspoon dried basil if that's all you have)
2/3 cup boiling water (reserved from your noodle pot)
1 pound cooked shrimp, tail off

Instructions:
1. Boil and generously salt a large pot of water and cook your pasta according to the package directions. If you like your pasta loaded with toppings lean towards 4 ounces of pasta or cook 6 ounces if you like moderate toppings.

2. While your pasta is cooking, cook your shrimp if they are raw for a couple of minutes in a pan or until pink.

3. In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and saute mushrooms until soft and brown. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Reserve cooked mushrooms and melt remaining butter in the skillet. Add minced garlic, cream cheese, and herbs. At this point, the cream cheese will look scary and lumpy. Don't worry, it will smooth out later when we add the water.

5. Simmer cream cheese mixture until well blended. Get a scoop (2/3 cup) of boiling pasta water from your noodle pot and mix it in, stirring quickly to smooth out the sauce.

6. Keep sauce hot and add shrimp and mushrooms, mix well and simmer (stirring often) until everything is hot and thickened, about 5-6 minutes.

7. Toss sauce with cooked noodles and serve.

Cream Cheese Pancakes

Yield:
Makes 12 (4-inch) pancakes

Ingredients:
2 cups self-rising flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 to 2 cups milk
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Combine self-rising flour and sugar in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

Combine egg and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto a hot, lightly greased griddle. Cook pancakes until tops are covered with bubbles and edges appear cooked; turn and cook other side. Serve pancakes with warm maple syrup and, if desired, bacon.