Company Rice Casserole

First of all, Happy New Year!  Though my New Year's Eve wasn't spent the way I wanted, or the way I spent the last two, it was a happy time with family and I have nothing but hope for 2012 :)

Secondly,

You know how there are some foods that are really tasty but photograph really badly?

Well, this is one of them.

This is a variation on a casserole I grew up eating.  It was a basic combination of white rice, cream of mushroom soup and turkey sausage covered with melty cheese.  My mom had long since swapped out the cream of salt soup for a medium-thick white sauce, and this time around my dad and I decided to healthify (spellcheck is telling me that's not a word...I don't care) it even further.  I changed the white rice for brown, thawed some peas, sauteed up some mushrooms with the turkey sausage, and voilà! 

The method of assembly had to change with the ingredients, though.  The white rice would usually cook in the oven with the white sauce and some extra water.  Swapping in brown rice would've made that process longer and considerably more interesting, so my dad suggested just pre-cooking the rice.  Sold!  Once all the separate parts were done, we stirred them all together, topped them with some cheese, and stuck the dish in the oven to warm up.

The results of our health experiment: delicious.
Next time I want to try a variation on a theme: sub in some Italian spiced turkey sausage and use mozzarella on the top!  Maybe even some parmesan in the white sauce...hmmm...food for thought!

If you need a relatively quick and healthy meal, give this a shot.  Bonus: plenty of leftovers!  Just...forgive it for not being pretty...

Company Rice Casserole
Source: modified from a family recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice, such as basmati
_ oz turkey sausage
1 tbsp salted butter
4 oz cremini or white button mushrooms, cut into small pieces
1 cup frozen petite peas, run under cold water to thaw
3 tbsp margarine (preferably trans-fat free)
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Cook the brown rice according to package directions.  Set aside.
In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, brown the turkey sausage, breaking it up into pieces.  Remove it and set aside.  Add the butter to the skillet, allow it to melt, then add the mushrooms and saute until browned and reduced in size - cook as much liquid off as possible.  Take the skillet off the heat and set aside.
To make the white sauce, melt the margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the flour and salt and stir together quickly till yellowish clumps form (appetizing, I know).  Add the milk, whisking vigorously to combine and break up any lumps.  Switch to a wooden spoon and stir constantly until the sauce has thickened quite a bit.
Preheat the oven to 350˚.  Pour the rice, sausage, mushrooms, and thawed peas into a medium-large casserole dish.  Pour the white sauce over the top and stir to combine thoroughly.  You may need to add another splash of milk to coat everything.  Place the casserole in the oven for 20-30 minutes, until heated through.  Pull the dish out of the oven and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top.  Put the casserole back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  Serve and enjoy!

Pretty Pretty Pancakes

And here we have it: the first family recipe to be posted.
Naturally, it's breakfast food.

I grew up eating these pancakes.  Heck, I practically cut my teeth on these things.  They were one of the first things I ever helped out with in the kitchen - I got to whisk while she poured in new ingredients...although eventually she'd take the whisk away because I was tiny and I couldn't whisk very quickly...

These were my favorite dinner growing up, too.  I guarantee I pushed for breakfast-for-dinner three times a week.  Now, I'm a fully fledged pancake fiend.  (One of many reasons why I LOVE Joy the Baker so much.)

These bake up beautifully - we're talking even textured, nice and fluffy, and a gorgeous blonde color.  The recipe is extremely basic, a total pantry meal - there's not one exotic or unconventional ingredient in here.  However, its simplicity makes it the perfect conduit for add-ins and toppings.  Add berries, mashed banana, raisins or other dried fruit, nuts, coconut, or even chocolate chips (my personal favorite!).  Dust them with powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, or top them with whipped cream and the sauce of your choice.

Of course, plain or doctored up, these are perfect little golden rounds just waiting to be topped with pure maple syrup.  Enjoy!

Basic Pancakes
Source: my mother's recipe box

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups milk
2 ¼ cups flour
5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
5-6 tbsp granulated sugar
5-6 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

Directions:
In a large bowl, beat together eggs and milk until foamy and well-combined.  Add flour, baking powder, and salt; whisk to fully incorporate.  Add sugar and oil and whisk until the batter is of uniform texture and falls back on itself in medium ribbons.  If too thin, add more flour; if too thick, add a bit more milk.
Heat a griddle over medium-low to medium heat.  Use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop as many rounds onto the griddle as you can.  When the surface of each pancake is covered with popped bubbles and the edges are set, flip them over and continue to cook for another minute or so.  Remove the firm cooked pancakes from the griddle and transfer to a serving platter or baking sheet in a warm oven, set to the lowest temperature possible.  Serve immediately after all batches are finished with pure maple syrup and other toppings of choice.