Month: June 2014

Uruguay Style Rice

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This is a very simple, yet absolutely delicious recipe for rice. I got the idea for this recipe, from our good friends Claudia and Marcelo. They are our awesome Latino friends and they sure know how to cook! Claudia is from Columbia and her husband Marcelo is from Uruguay. This recipe originated in Uruguay and was passed down to Marcelo from his mother. We tried this yummy rice at their house when they had a cook out and it was a big hit! So when we were cooking out for Memorial Day, I decided to recreate that Uruguay rice recipe, as it is very simple and I really like the fact that it can be prepared ahead of time which is always great if you have people over. It paired perfectly with the Chicken Thighs and Steaks that we were grilling and I think this one of  the best side dishes for any meat on the grill. It gives rice a whole new flavor, and I don’t know about you guys but I like variety and plain rice sometimes gets annoying. Try this yummy recipe next time that you cook out, and I’m sure you will love it just as much as we did!

Uruguay Style Rice {Serves 6-8}

Ingredients:

  •  2 Cups Rice, when it is raw (Cook it according to the package instructions) *I used Jasmine Rice*
  • 6-7 Eggs
  • 3-4 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon Vegeta Seasoning (Or any seasoning of your choice)
  • Salt/Pepper

Directions:

1) Cook the 2 Cups of rice according to package instructions. Set it aside to cool. Hard boil the eggs, leave them in a pot of ice cold water and set them aside.

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2) When the eggs have cooled off, peel them. Then dice each egg into little cubes. Set it aside.

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3) Transfer the rice to a large mixing bowl. Add the cut eggs into the rice. Then add the Mayonnaise. Mix it very well.

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4) Season with Vegeta (or seasoning of your choice) and sprinkle in a little salt/pepper. Mix the rice very well again. Keep it covered. If you will be serving it within 1 or 2 hours then just cover it with a lid or foil. If you are making it for later then you can refrigerate it and heat it up when you are ready to eat it. However it does taste best eaten within 1 to 2 hours!

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Pizza Bagels

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I LOVE SATURDAY MORNINGS! Now those of you that know us, I know what your thinking… “Shouldn’t I love every single morning since both my husband and I work from home?” Lol. Now I do LOVE Sundays, Those are actually my favorite days of the week because we spend all day doing something fun and get to go to Church and hear the word of God. But Sunday mornings are just too busy so there is not much time to make breakfast. So to answer your question, Yes we do have breakfast every single day. But there is something very special about Saturday’s, and each Saturday I try to make an extra special breakfast/brunch (Since we sleep in lol).  Breakfast is the hardest meal to plan for. You want something really fast, easy, and of course delicious! I got the idea for these Pizza Bagels, from the famous frozen food item “Bagel Bites”. My 2 year old Son loves those “Bagel Bites”,  just as much as kids love all the other junk food lol. So on this weeks trip to Costco, my son saw them and asked for some. I was just about to buy them when I decided 1) That pack is way to big for our family! 2) I was concerned with what their made out of and the fact that it had HFCS and other ingredients that I wasn’t very fond of. 3) I don’t really like how they taste and also I think they have way too many calories for just 4 of them (which is 1 Serving). So I had the idea of making my own, and now that it’s Saturday, I finally got around to making them Lol. My husband and son absolutely LOVED them!!! They gobbled them all down to the crumbs! They tasted  AMAZING!!! So much better then the “Bagel Bites” from the store. They were also very fast to make, under 30 Mins with the prep and cook time. And they cost about the same (if not less) then the frozen ones from the store. My husband said (and I quote) that it is now “His favorite breakfast!” so yeah, that says a lot about how good these are! My husband even put some Garlic Sauce that we had left over from Domino’s, on his bagel and that added a nice kick to it, well if you are a buttery garlic sauce fan. I like that I know exactly what I am serving to my family. These could also be a great appetizer for a dinner party or special event, however I would use mini Bagels if I were making it as an appetizer. Enjoy! 🙂

Pizza Bagels { Serves 3}

Ingredients:

  • 3 Plain Bagel Halves
  • 3 Tablespoons Pizza Sauce (I used Trader Joes Pizza Sauce)
  • 15 Small pieces of Pepperoni (5 for each Bagel)
  • 3 Pieces of thinly Sliced Ham
  • 4 Teaspoons Bacon Bits
  • About 3/4 Cup Mozzarella Cheese (Mozzarella tastes best)
  • *Optional* Mexican Blend Cheese, to sprinkle on top for extra color

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Directions:

1) Cut the thin slices of ham. I cut mine into thin horizontal strips and then down diagonally, making little thin cubes.

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2) Set a baking tray with Aluminum foil. Put the (Split in halves) Bagels on the tray. Put 1 Tablespoon of pizza sauce on each bagel half and spread it around evenly with a butter knife.

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3) Put 5 pepperoni pieces on each bagel, and cover the hole of the bagel. Then put a little bit of the ham, not all of it, on each bagel half.

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4) Put some cheese on the bagel. Then put the rest of the toppings evenly on top on the bagel. Right after the cheese, I did the rest of the ham first, then the bacon bits on the top.

5) Stick the bagels into the oven on 350 degrees. Bake them for 10 minutes. Then take them out and sprinkle a tiny bit more cheese on top, stick them back in the oven for about 3 more minutes or until the cheese is melted. This is the delicious final result:

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( And of course a close up! ;D )

Note: These are the toppings that I had on hand that particular morning. But you can get creative with it and use whatever toppings you like or have. I am sure these would taste good with a variety of different toppings, Or just cheese!