Mushroom Rice

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was never a big mushroom fan until later in life.  Let’s just say, I never gave mushrooms a chance.  I truly didn’t know how delicious they are. But then I discovered them and I absolutely love them. I add them to so many recipes.  Like this recipe with rice that’s infused with that earthy mushroom flavor tossed through with caramelized mushrooms.  I could eat an entire bowl of it!  

Mushroom Rice

3 tablespoons butter, divided

1 pound Crimini or Baby Bella mushrooms, whole or sliced

1 medium yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

¼ teaspoon coarse pepper

½ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme

pinch of red pepper flakes

2 cups uncooked long grain rice

4 cups beef broth

 

Add a 2 tablespoons butter to a heavy skillet.  Once the butter has melted, add the mushrooms.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cook on medium high for 3-5 minutes or until they start to caramelize. Do not stir.  Then stir and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add in the onions, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and thyme along with the remaining tablespoon of butter and cook on medium for about 5 minutes or until onions start to turn golden brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add in the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add in the uncooked rice and beef broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and cook covered for 20 minutes or until rice is tender, stir and fluff with a fork.

Remove from heat but leave covered for an additional 5-10 minutes before serving.

NOTES:

Mushrooms - Use any type mushrooms you want but Crimini or Baby Bella’s give the most flavor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While browning the mushrooms, if the pan gets dry, add more butter to help them brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rice - Long grain rice works best. Basmati and jasmine would also be good because they both come out nice and fluffy like long grain rice. 

Want a bite?   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.

 

English Muffin Egg and Sausage Breakfast

 English Muffin Egg and Sausage Breakfast

The perfect breakfast or brunch sandwich.  Seems I have been making these for years and I will probably make them for years to come.  They are quick and delicious and you can’t eat just one!

 English Muffin Egg and Sausage Breakfast

 

2 English Muffins, split in half

¼ cup sausage crumbles (or any kind of sausage crumbled up)

2 eggs, scrambled

2 tablespoons soft butter

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup grated white or yellow cheddar cheese

 

NOTE:  I use Jimmy Dean Sausage Crumbles for this recipe. It comes in turkey or regular pork flavor and saves so much time.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Butter your muffins (top and bottom) and lay them on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until lightly browned. Remove from oven and top each muffin half  with about a tablespoon of shredded cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warm up your crumbled sausage in a small skillet over medium heat until just warm.  Remove from skillet and set aside.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the same skillet, scramble your eggs and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add some of the scrambled egg to each muffin and top with some sausage crumbles. Sprinkle with more cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

 Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.

She Would Have Loved My Garden

She Would Have Loved My Garden

My Mom moved to heaven a few years ago and there are days that I still cry deeply over missing her so much. I need her in my life and never imagined my life without her. Often times my mind wanders off to a different time. A time when I still had her with me to share my life. We were inseparable and I am told that our love for each other was unusual...almost too deep and too perfect. While I have no idea what that means, I do know that I loved her beyond measure and she felt the same way.

I miss her most when I am in the kitchen making one of the recipes from the little cards in her old collection of favorites and reading the little love notes that she knew I would read someday when she had moved on to her new home. I miss her when I try to step in and cover for her on those special occasions like my Dad's birthday party or a some special occasion for my brother. I know I can never be her. But I do the best I can to bake that cake or cook that meal that always makes him cry.

I miss her most when I am in the garden. After she moved to Heaven I brought her old bird bath to my garden and some of her favorite flowers and I created a special garden in her memory. And it is the prettiest garden you've ever seen. The flowers are vibrant and colorful and there is so much activity there. Butterflies, birds, lady bugs and some of God's tiniest creations gather there to share her memory with me.

She would have loved my garden ....she would have stood there in silence looking at every single flower, studying every petal, stem, and leaf. She would have taken big breaths and let out deep sighs at the miraculous wonders of God's work all around her. She would have looked up at the Heavens and silently praised God for his beautiful work. And she would have taken my hand and squeezed it tight to let me know she was so grateful that she taught me the gift of gardening.

She is in her own garden now. A garden so magnificent that words cannot describe the beauty. She sees far more flowers and far more colors and she now talks to God up close and personal. And I know she is watching me walk alone in my garden now and she sends these thoughts to me to let me know...."she would have loved my garden."

I want to share that garden with you my friends. I will post some photos in honor of her memory here at Welcome Home. Like this small patch of African Daisies that are supposed to an annual that blooms only one time each year during summer. However, this is a patch that came up on their own this year. I did not plant them. They were one of her favorites.

My Delicious Irish Stew

 

I make this stew every year for St Patrick’s day…not only for tradition..but because it’s so good. I’ve made it with lamb but I prefer beef.  It’s a blend of tender meat, carrots and potatoes in a savory broth.  The perfect comfort food for a chilly night.

My Delicious Irish Stew 

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 3 pounds beef stew meat
• ▢ 1 cup onion coarsely chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ▢ 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup Irish stout beer (Guinness)
• ▢ 4 cups beef broth
• ▢ 1/4 cup tomato paste
• ▢ 2 pounds small yellow potatoes
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• ▢ 2 cups carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

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  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
  

  

  
  
  
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Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Season the beef generously with salt and pepper to taste.











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  Add half the beef cubes to the pot in a single layer. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until browned. Remove the beef from the pot and repeat with remaining meat. Remove all the browned meat from the pot.

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Add the onions to the pot and cook for 5-6 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Return the meat to the pot. Add the flour and stir to coat the meat and onions.
• Add the beer, beef broth, tomato paste, potatoes, thyme and carrots to the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine and bring the pot to a simmer.
• Cover the pot. Place it in the oven and bake for 2 1/2 - 3 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.

NOTE;  Guinness makes a non-alcoholic beer now! So you can still have the flavor without the alcohol.

TIPS FOR THE PERFECT STEW

• I use packaged beef stew meat because saves on prep time, but you can also buy a chuck roast and cut it into cubes if you prefer.
• Be sure to cut your vegetables and potatoes into large pieces so that they don’t get mushy during the long cooking time.
• Choose your favorite Irish beer, I typically use Guinness.
• Beef stew can be stays fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days, and can be frozen for 2 months. Freeze the stew in an airtight container or resealable bag, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove top.

Black Cherry Cobbler Pie

Last time I was at Costco I saw the prettiest dark sweet Bing cherries. I walked by them several times but they kept calling out the words "cherry pie" to me so I bought them. The next day I made the easiest and one of the most delicious pies. I took some short cuts on the pie crust but you'd never know because Marie Callender makes the  best buttery and flaky refrigerated pie crusts! This pie turned out to be a winner. 

Black Cherry Cobbler Pie

1 pkg. (2 per pack) 9 or 10-inch frozen or refrigerated pie crusts
5 cups sweet cherries, pitted (See note below)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon of cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg for egg wash

Place the pitted cherries, sugar, almond extract, lemon juice and corn starch in a large bowl. Toss until the cherries are well coated with the sugar and other ingredients.

Make sure if using frozen crust, they are thawed completely. Use one for your pie and take the other out of its tin and on a lightly floured clean surface, roll out the dough. Using kitchen scissors or a pizza wheel, cut strips or shapes to go on top of pie filling.

Place the filling in the pie plate. Dot with small dabs of butter. Cover with strips or shapes or you can even drop dough on top of the pie filling for that cobbler effect. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before cooking.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg with a tablespoon of water or milk. Use a brush to brush over the top crust. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar if desired.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the pie on a baking sheet on the middle rack of your oven and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temp to 350 degrees and bake for another 35 to 45 minutes longer, or until the crust is nicely browned and the filling is thick and bubbly. Serve chilled or at room temperature.       

                              

NOTE: If you can't get ripe sweet cherries where you are, you can use this Cherry Pie filling recipe for the same results:

1 can (14.5 oz) Oregon Dark Sweet Pitted Cherries
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon almond extract

Drain cherries, reserving the liquid. Add enough water to bring the drained cherry liquid up to 1 1/4 cups and add to small saucepan. Add cornstarch and sugar to saucepan, and heat, whisking occasionally until mixture comes to bubble and thickens. Continue whisking so no lumps form and filling is smooth. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and almond extract, fold in cherries. Follows the rest of the recipe above.

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