Spanish Rice - Let the Mayhem Begin!

Well, this year it was April that brought the chaos with it, but April-hem just didn't have the same ring to it.  I’m sure May won’t disappoint, though.  Hopefully I can at least get through it this year without a cross country move.  But as you’ll see, I didn’t waste any time getting started with the Mayhem anyway.  But don’t worry, it had a happy ending.  No, not like that, you pervs!  Delicious Spanish rice that’s super simple and is all cooked in one pan. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• ½ of a medium onion, diced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups rice
• 2 Tablespoons chili powder
• ½ can green chilies (about 2 Tablespoons)
• ½ can diced tomatoes (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 ½ cups water

*This is perfect for making the same week as Mexironi and Cheese because they both use half cans of the same stuff. 

In a pan over medium heat, put 2 Tablespoons of olive oil followed by the diced onion. 

Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt over the top and cook until it’s translucent, then add the garlic.

Stir that in and pour in the rice. 

Stir the rice so that every grain is coated with a bit of oil.  (Does that look like a lot of rice for this size pan?  Nah… it’ll be fine.)

Sprinkle on the chili powder. 

And once again, stir until the rice is all evenly coated. 

Add the chilies and tomatoes.

Stir those in and add the liquid. 

Umm… I said it’ll be fine, right?  Well, here goes nothing.  (May-hem!)

Bring it just to a simmer, then turn the heat to low, and pop on the lid. 

Leave it for 25 minutes.  No peeking!  Well, no lifting the lid, anyway.  This is why I love glass lids. 

Turn the heat off and leave it for another 5-10 minutes.  Then finally, you can remove the lid.  See, I told you it would be fine.  (whew!!)

And lastly, fluff it with a fork.  (D’oh!)  If your pan is as full as mine, you’ll have to fluff it into a big bowl.  Although, I highly recommend either using a bigger pan, or halving the recipe.  Either way it will be fabulous.    

Here at Authors Kitchen, we just can't have May without the hem.  Which month usually brings the most chaos for you?   
 

Baked Potato Bites

Seeing as how I have them listed as my favorite food, it’s about time I made something baked potato related.  And with just over a week left until the Super Bowl, I thought I’d make it another fabulous finger food recipe. 

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 4 good sized russet potatoes
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Chives

These come together really quickly, so go ahead and preheat your oven to 400°.  After that, wash your potatoes, scrubbing them thoroughly, dry them, and put them aside.  Melt your butter.  It shouldn’t take more than 10 – 15 seconds in the microwave.  Add the olive oil.  (hint: 4 Tablespoons = ¼ cup, so if you melt your 2 tablespoons of butter in a measuring cup, you can just add olive oil up to the ¼ cup mark) 

Add the salt and pepper.

Stir that all together and pour about a tablespoon of it onto a sheet pan. 

Spread that around to coat the pan. 

Now for the potatoes.  Cut off both ends and discard them. 

Slice the rest of the potato into ½ inch slices. 

Place the slices into a plastic bag and pour over the remaining butter mixture. 

Inflate the bag, and shake until every slice is coated on both sides. 

Dump the slices onto the prepared pan. 

Spread them out leaving a little space between each one. 

Bake them for 15 minutes.  When you pull them out, they won’t be changing on top yet, but they should be just starting to brown on the bottom. 

Go ahead and flip them all over and then it’s back into the oven for another 15 minutes.  They should be looking and smelling fabulous. 

Flip them over again, and top each one with a little bit of grated cheese.  I like to use a really sharp cheddar, but you can really use whatever you like.  Just make sure you don’t get carried away with it.  These are supposed to be finger food so you don’t want them totally covered with melted cheese.  (Is this the part where I admit to being wrong when I said there's no such thing as too much cheese?) 

Back into the oven just until the cheese is melted.  It’ll only take 3 or 4 minutes. 

You may have noticed that I’ve only got 8 slices on the pan for this step.  I put the rest aside to cool and then into the fridge.  You can do the same, and when you’re ready, just pull them out of the fridge and heat them for a few minutes in the oven before adding the cheese. 

Once the cheese is melted, move the potatoes to whatever you’re going to serve them on. 

Top each one with sour cream.  I piped mine on just for that added touch, but a dollop would work just fine. 

Sprinkle on some fresh chives and you have baked potato perfection in a bit size (well, maybe 2 bites) package. 

Crisp and buttery on the outside and lusciously soft within, topped with salty cheese, tangy sour cream and just a touch of oniony chive, it’s everything you love about a baked potato, but easier, faster, and well… better. 

Ravens or 49ers?  Who do you think is going to win?