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I've finally decided that I am a writer - all the other things I do just pay the bills. Someone eloquent once said that if you do what you love, the money will follow. Well, let's just see about that.

RIP Aggie

RIP Aggie
Aggie was my fifteen-year-old cairn terrier - or maybe I should say I was her 55-year-old person! She was my faithful companion, spoiled rotten and I am still trying to figure out what to do without her.

Peter the Cat...

Peter the Cat...
This is Peter the gingersnap tabby! He's seven years old and has just been promoted to Peter the Very, Very Good. He is working his way up to Peter the Great...

Bee - the Cat Who Came From Somewhere Else...

Bee - the Cat Who Came From Somewhere Else...
Bee is Peter's buddy. He's eight years old and has made himself right at home. I guess cats really do come in pairs or sets of three!

And Jasper makes three!

And Jasper makes three!
Jasper is our new guy - the Cat From Another Place. He's four years old and we think he likes it here - so far, so good!

Buzz about...

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Easy Sunday Dinner...

I don't know what made me think of this dish, because I haven't made it in just about forever.  My mom discovered this recipe in her ancient Betty Crocker cookbook when I was in high school - eons ago.  We used to have it for dinner a lot - and I think I even made it for Tim a few times.  It's called Texas Hash - I'm not sure why - but here are the ingredients.  As you can see, I'm a Publix girl and buying the store brand of everything makes this dinner even more economical.  Depending on the number of people you are going to feed you will need ground beef (or turkey), long-grain white rice, canned diced tomatoes, yellow onions and chili powder.  No, I'm not feeding an army, but I decided to make a roaster full for Ariela to pick up and take home to bake.  I made a small roaster full for me and Aggie - and leftovers!
First, peel the onions, rinse and set aside.  This seems to cut down on the amount of onion tears.  I always use yellow onions because the flavor doesn't disappear when you bake them.  I love a good sweet onion, especially on a hot dog, but they are not so flavorful in a dish that bakes for a good hour.
Brown the ground meat with a little kosher salt, pepper and chili powder.
Once you've browned the meat, slice the onions.  See, not very many tears!  Then I start layering the ingredients into the roasting pan.  Onions, rice, ground meat, a can of tomatoes - you get the picture.  As long as you use twice as much liquid as rice, the recipe will turn out perfectly every time.  I also add more chili powder to the rice as I layer the ingredients in.
It really isn't going to be a layered dish - that just makes it easier to thoroughly combine all the ingredients for baking.  Sorry if I misled you...
Next you add the liquid - you can use water or broth - as long as there is twice as much liquid as rice.  I find that water works just fine, especially if you have used a little of the fat left from browning the meat.  Bake at 325 to 350 degrees for about an hour - or until the rice is done.
Voila!  The finished product - doesn't it look good?
I even remembered to take a photo of the plate this time.
Aggie is wagging her approval.

5 comments:

  1. This looks good and something nice for cooler weather. By the way, I made your macaroni and cheese recipe yesterday, we had it again tonight. Excellent. It's a "keeper!"
    Susan

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  2. LOL! Yes! You go the finally product in there this time. Good job!
    I wonder if one could through this into a crock pot after browning and draining the beef???

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  3. I am SO going to make this!! GREAT recipe! Glad you made enough to share. We take in food to an elderly friend and I think this would be perfect! Hope you had a good weekend! I KNWO you ate well!

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  4. I sure hope this works for Monday, too! I am so going to give this a try, Dawn!! It look yummy!!

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  5. Making this for art class tonight! Thanks for the recipe.

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