The Pioneer Woman Cooks!

Roasted Carrots, by Pastor Ryan

Ree Drummond — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:31:38 +0000

We’ve all heard the myth that eating lots of carrots can give you super-strength eyesight, but did you know that it’s mostly true? Low levels of Vitamin A in our diets can cause poor eyesight. Carrots are rich in Vitamin A. Turn up your carrot intake and you just might see the quality of your seeing ability increase. Don’t go overboard eating carrots though or your skin could turn orange…I’m serious!

This recipe might just have a new record for lack of ingredients needed. Fresh Carrots and Fresh Thyme. With their powers combined, they’re unstoppable. We’ll also need some of this magical elixir:

12 Carrots

1 Handful of Fresh Thyme

1/4 Cup of Olive Oil

This should be just enough to fill up a baking sheet pan. Also, enough for 6-8 people.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and take a look at this photo below as it illustrates several points:

#1 — Never, ever paint your entire kitchen red if you plan to photograph orange-colored foods. It’s just a horrible idea overall.

#2 — You need to cut the tops off of your carrots. Why? Because your carrot is a vase that contains water. If your carrot still has the pretty, leafy top attached to it, you’re losing water! Although they’re beautiful and organic-looking, those leafy tops will cause you to have a dry, rubbery carrot devoid of the moisture that you want in it. So get rid of em’! The carrots will stay fresh far longer without the tops.

#3 — Carrots are not uniform in size. To help things cook evenly, we’ll need to cut these carrots into a uniform size for even cooking. This will prevent some carrots from being too crunchy and some from being too mushy.

I like to split mine down the middle like this:

There is no need to peel your carrots ~~if you’re lazy like me~~ as long as you wash them well.

Once you’ve split your carrots down the middle into similar sizes, you can lay them out on a sheet pan and drizzle them with olive oil.

Give them all a toss to make sure they get coated…

And now for our flavor punch treatment — fresh thyme! Grab your handful and pinch those tiny leaves off of the sprigs. It’s easiest if you pinch your fingers near the top of the stems and pull backwards.

Thyme. What an excellent herb. Plays well with others, and fills your kitchen with an incredible aroma.

Once you’ve seasoned your carrots with the fresh thyme, it should be a given that a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper come next.

Arrange the seasoned carrots onto your sheet pan in whatever obsessive compulsive manner you feel comfortable with and slide them into a 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes.

Once you get these roasted carrots out of the oven, they should be soft, wrinkly, and delicious. You’ll notice right away how naturally sweet they’ve become, and you’ll crave carrots cooked this way from now on — pinky swear.

Fancy things up a little bit by adding some fresh chopped green onions if’n you feel like it.

I wish you could smell these. I really do. You should make them.

Consider the humble carrot. It’s roots are packed with Vitamin A, dietary fiber, and lots of antioxidants. More importantly than that of course, is that they taste pretty stinking great.

Love Wins,

Ryan

www.thisisreverb.com

www.twitter.com/detzelpretzel

Hump Day Winners!

Ree Drummond — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:00:02 +0000

Here are the winners of yesterday’s Hump Day mixer (and cookbook) giveaway:

MIXER:

Winner #1 – #83 Kari in Atlanta (early number this time!)

Winner #2 – #4966 Memoria

Winner #3 – #19799 Mistergee

COOKBOOK WINNERS:

#1202 Brian Heyer
#1543 Sam
#2063 Maria from Madison
#2370 Alyssa Ivy
#3897 Craig
#5603 Kim
#6675 Susan Samson
#7845 Olivia
#8378 Stephanie Nichols
#10847 Darlene
#14724 Hannah
#19956 Jasmine
#21225 Winker
#22167 Missy
#23031 Cosmo’s Dad
#26877 Christina Copitzky
#28685 Karen Y.
#28695 Amanda Nix
#30003 Dottie
#30404 Arwynn
#30438 Teacherjos
#30894 Christine F.
#32803 Beth Hartman
#33848 Terese
#34002 Typelittlea

Congrats, winners! Contact prizes@thepioneerwoman.com to claim your loot.

Thank you to everyone who entered! I’ll be having a fun cooking giveaway (good loot from CHEFS Catalog) over the weekend…great stuff!

Hump Day

Ree Drummond — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:15:52 +0000

Happy Wednesday! I’m writing from somewhere in St. Louis, Missouri, where I can see the Arch out of my hotel room window and where my boys are sacked out on a sofa bed, sleeping their lives away. So my hump day, for that very reason, is going very well.

I’m on the Midwestern leg of my Griswold Family Book Trip of ‘09—Marlboro Man and the boys are with me. It’s not our typical week, that’s for sure, but it’s an incredible experience getting to meet, shake hands, and lock eyes with so many of you who have supported me since I started blogging on that dark and stormy morning over 3 1/2 years ago. We’re loving every minute of it, the little family and me, except maybe the gas station bathrooms—and even some of those have been surprisingly fine!

Thank you, also, for supporting me through my crazy cookbook project. Your feedback has meant a lot to me—some of you like the recipes, some of you like the photos of Charlie (which, when you really think about it, could possibly be interpreted as mildly unappetizing), some of you like the slice of country life…and for some of you, it’s the chaps that really speak to your soul.

I can relate, by the way, in case you’re curious.

All this to say thank you. For everything.

Because I love you more’n my luggage, I’m giving away three (3) of these lovely candy apple red Kitchen Aid mixers. They won’t change your life. They’ll just make it a little shinier.

In addition, though it’s not nearly as exciting as the pretty red mixer, I’ll be giving away 25 copies of my cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, to randomly selected entrants:

HOW TO ENTER

To enter the giveaway, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post:

“What’s your favorite day of the week…and why?”

Is Hump Day your favorite day because you’re halfway through the week? Or is it Sunday because you get to read The New York Times? Or is it Sunday because Amazing Race is on that night? Or is it Monday because you love hopping out of bed and greeting the new week with a smile? Just list your favorite day of the week and the reason it’s your favorite day and you’re entered to win.

THE RULES

One entry per person, please. (Note: if you do not see your entry appear right away, please don’t enter a second time—your entry will appear shortly. Thank ya.)

No entries after 9:00 pm Pacific Time Wednesday.

Winners will be randomly selected from among entrants. Three players will each win a mixer, 25 players will win a cookbook.

Winners will be announced at 9:00 am Pacific Time Thursday.

Oh, and one more thing:

Good luck!

Love,
P-Dub

Creamy Polenta – Heaven on a Plate, Part 2

Ree Drummond — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:50:26 +0000

Making polenta is the easiest thing in the world, and can be a nice complement to many meat dishes. I stirred a secret ingredient into my polenta the other night, and combined with the slow-cooked beef short ribs, it was too yummy for color TV.

(Name that movie.)

First, bring 4 1/2 cups of water to a boil.

Grab some yellow cornmeal—a little less than a cup. (I doubled the recipe because I’m always afraid of not having enough food. I think it’s because my grandmother endured The Depression.)

Pour cornmeal into the boiling water in a thin stream, whisking as you pour. This will prevent big clumps from forming.

Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle in about a teaspoon of salt as you cook. Add a couple of teaspoons of water here and there as needed if the polenta seems too thick.

At the end of the cooking time, stir in 2 tablespoons butter….

And…are you ready? Goat cheese!

Oh, yes.

Yes, yes, yes.

And you want to add a lot—at least 4 ounces. The flavor of the cornmeal is strong, and you need to get enough goat cheese in there to make a difference.

Stir until the cheese is totally melted. I have some lumps, but please don’t hold that against me. It’s a foodblogging, holding-my-own-camera-and-trying-to-whisk-at-the-same-time kind of thing.

If you put down the camera, your polenta will not have lumps.

Put a generous amount of polenta on a dinner plate, and swirl to create a nice bed for the ribs.

Then grab a couple of short ribs from the dutch oven.

Nestle them, bone down, right on top.

You can’t know how good this smells until you cook it. Guests will kiss you!

Isn’t the polenta pretty? Such a nice change from mashed potatoes.

You can go one step further with the cooking liquid by straining it and cooking it down for several minutes. But I like to just go for it and spoon it, unstrained and unreduced, right over the top.

Not a lot. Just a little.

Oh, baby.

Creamy Polenta with Goat Cheese

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Prep Time:

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Butter
4 ounces, weight Goat Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Bring 4 1/2 cups water to a boil.

Add cornmeal to the water in a thin stream, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.

Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes, adding salt and extra tablespoons of water as needed.

When polenta is done, stir in butter and goat cheese. Check seasonings, and add salt to taste.

Serve with your favorite meat main course. Yummy!

Braised Short Ribs

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Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 2 Hours

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4

Ingredients

8 whole Beef Short Ribs
Kosher Salt & Pepper To Taste
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
6 pieces Pancetta, Diced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
3 whole Carrots, Diced
2 whole Shallots, Peeled And Finely Minced
2 cups Red Or White Wine
2 cups Beef Or Chicken Broth (enough To Almost Cover Ribs)
2 sprigs Thyme
2 sprigs Rosemary

Preparation Instructions

Salt and pepper ribs, then dredge in flour. Set aside.

In a large dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat until complete crispy and all fat is rendered. Remove pancetta and set aside. Do not discard grease.

Add olive oil to pan with the pancetta grease, and raise heat to high. Brown ribs on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove ribs and set aside. Turn heat to medium.

Add onions, carrots, and shallots to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape bottom of pan to release all the flavorful bits of glory. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.

Add broth, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed. Add ribs to the liquid; they should be almost completely submerged. Add thyme and rosemary sprigs (whole) to the liquid.

Put on the lid and place into the oven. Cook at 350 for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 325 and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Ribs should be fork-tender and falling off the bone. Remove pan from oven and allow to sit for at least 20 minutes, lid on, before serving. At the last minute, skim fat off the top of the liquid. (Can also refrigerate mixture, then remove solid fat from the top.)

Serve 2 ribs on bed of creamy polenta, spooning a little juice over the top.

Braised Short Ribs – Heaven on a Plate

Ree Drummond — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:14:42 +0000

Leesten. And heer me. (West Side Story reference. Sorry. “Leesten. And heer me. You must go and stop eet.”

But seriously. Leesten. You must make this as soon as you can. If you’ve never had beef short ribs before, you’re missing out on one of life’s great pleasures—and I’m not exaggerating this time. Beef short ribs are like the most flavorful, delectable, tender, soft pot roast you can possibly imagine—but the meat is on a handy stick for your eating convenience. And really, if you make ‘em right, the stick is only incidental—the meat falls off the bone if you so much as breathe on it. Oh, is it ever a treat.

I made short ribs the other night. Though I served Marlboro Man’s with mashed potatoes, for my plate I went the route of a restaurant in Denver called North, where Missy, my mother-in-law, and I ate the night we arrived a couple of weeks ago. Missy ordered Osso Bucco, but instead of using veal shank (which is what’s used to make classic Osso Bucco) the restaurant used beef short ribs…and they served it over a bed of creamy polenta. The combination (yes, I stuck my fork in Missy’s plate without asking) was out-of-this-world, and I’ve been fixated on it ever since. To add insult to injury, though, and because I can’t leave well enough alone, I stirred a surprise ingredient into the polenta just before serving. It turned out to completely make the dish.

Even now, days later, I’m dying from bliss. It was so, so good.

I’ll be splitting this recipe into to two parts since it’s so long—I don’t want to fry your retinas or your brain. But please stick it out through tomorrow—you’ll be glad you did, and I’ll reward you with a very handsome, beautiful, and glamorous contest Wednesday. It’ll make your skirt fly up.

Pancetta! It’s a very thinly sliced Italian variety of bacon, and I’m using it in this dish because I just happen to have it. If I didn’t have this, I would use just a little regular bacon, but I’d do the thinly sliced stuff—not the thick, peppered bacon that i usually have in my fridge.

Isn’t it beautiful? I love its circular shape.

Dice up a medium onion.

Grab two or three carrots. Wash ‘em but don’t peel ‘em.

I’m all about the rustic.

Cut the carrots into thin sticks…

And dice ‘em up, too.

Shallots! Again, I’m using them here because I have them, and because they really have a unique, lovely flavor. But if you don’t have any (and I very often do not), just skip ‘em.

But when you do use them, dice them really finely.

Shallots need to be minced finely. It is written.

You also need some beef short ribs, sometimes called “short ribs bone in”.

The “bone in” is the key, baby.

This is a short rib. Take a moment. You’re in the presence of greatness here.

See those beautiful striations of fat throughout the ribs? They’re what will eventually make these babies so irresistibly delectable later on.

Just you wait, ‘Enry ‘Iggins. Just you wait.

Let’s do it! Grab several pieces of pancetta…

Dice it up…

And throw it into a dutch oven over medium heat.

We’re going to cook the pancetta until it’s very crispy, because at that point we’ll know all the fat has been rendered.

It’s the flavor we’re looking for here.

It takes a little while to totally cook it and render the fat, and I always find pancetta renders far less fat than bacon here in our neck of the woods.

After ten minutes or so, this is how much fat I had. And oh, does it ever smell good.

Lay all the short ribs on a flat surface…

Then sprinkle on some kosher salt, which isn’t in itself “kosher”—did you know that? It’s called kosher salt because the salt’s flat grains adhere more easily to meat and is prepare kosher meats.

I think.

I’m going to call this photo…The Grain.

It is not to be confused with this photo, which is beautifully entitled…Many Grains.

I’ll stop now.

Season them liberally with freshly ground black pepper, too.

You’ll be glad you did.

Next, throw some all-purpose flour into a bowl and dredge the ribs in flour.

Then set them aside while you get the pan ready.

Oh, are you going to love this.

Turn the burner on high heat, then drizzle olive oil into the pan with the pancetta grease.

When the oil is heated, place the ribs into the pan.

Brown the ribs on all sides, no more than about 45 seconds on each side. We wanna get them nice and seared and brown.

Remove them to a plate.

Without cleaning the pan, of course, throw in the carrots, onions, and shallots. Stir them around…

And cook them for a few minutes, until the veggies start to soften.

And now. And now it’s time to get serious. Pour in 2 cups of red wine. (White wine will work, too! Just make sure it’s dry…not sweet.)

Use a whisk to scrape the bottom of the pan. We want all of that flavor from the bottom of the pan…man.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then cook it for a few minutes.

Pour in an equal amount of beef broth. Unless you’re me, that is. If you’re me, you’ll find that you’re totally out of beef broth…so just use chicken broth instead.

And let me tell you: it works just fine.

That’s my sad, sad story and I’m stickin’ to it.

With tongs, place the browned short ribs right into the cooking liquid.

Oh, baby.

But wait. We’re not finished.

Grab a couple of sprigs of both rosemary and thyme…

And throw them right into the pan.

I’m in love with this world. Just look at what it provides us: root vegetables from the ground. Fragrant herbs from the fertile soil. Meat, to nourish our bones. Wine, to nourish everything else.

I’m not quite sure where the pancetta fits in yet, but I’ll get back with you on that.

Finally, because I don’t want you to waste it, throw in the cooked pancetta.

Now place the lid on the pot and put the pot into the oven for a good 2 1/2 hours. Just walk away. Let the magic happen.

And now.

And now.

If you can handle the truth, I will show you the magic.

Take a moment to center yourself.

Mmmm.

What you’re looking at here, and I hope this doesn’t gross you out, is the beautiful meat’s attempt to hang on to the bone. But it can’t. It’s just so fall-apart tender…it simply can’t hang on.

And just wait till you see what’s underneath.

I cover the pan, though, and let it sit for a little while before serving—about twenty minutes or so. This will let the meat relax a little bit, but it will also allow the fat to rise to the top of the cooking liquid.

You can use a regular ladle; just carefully lower the rim just under the surface of the fat, and it will start spilling right into the ladle. The point is to get as much fat and as little juice as you can. Discard the fat when you’re done.

Alternate method: If you have the time, you can actually cover the pan and refrigerate it for several hours. The fat will solidify and will be much easier to remove, and you can just reheat the ribs and cooking liquid at that point. (It’s ever bit as—if not more—delicious reheated.)

Once a lot of the fat is gone, you can scoop the delicious cooking liquid into the ladle…

And spoon it over the top of each rib..

And when we make the polenta (which has an out-of-this-world addition that absolutely completes this dish) and place the ribs on top of it, we can spoon more juice over the top at that point.

We’ll finish the rest of this deliciousness bright and early tomorrow morning.

But if you can’t wait—if you absolutely, positive can’t wait—you can make them tonight and serve ‘em over a bed of my creamy mashed potatoes.

It’s what I did for Marlboro Man the other night. He got down on one knee right there on the spot. And we already have four kids together.

The scandal!

(Here’s the Creamy Mashed Potatoes post, in case your impatience gets the better of you.)

And here are the two printables:

Braised Short Ribs

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Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 2 Hours

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4

Ingredients

8 whole Beef Short Ribs
Kosher Salt & Pepper To Taste
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
6 pieces Pancetta, Diced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
3 whole Carrots, Diced
2 whole Shallots, Peeled And Finely Minced
2 cups Red Or White Wine
2 cups Beef Or Chicken Broth (enough To Almost Cover Ribs)
2 sprigs Thyme
2 sprigs Rosemary

Preparation Instructions

Salt and pepper ribs, then dredge in flour. Set aside.

In a large dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat until complete crispy and all fat is rendered. Remove pancetta and set aside. Do not discard grease.

Add olive oil to pan with the pancetta grease, and raise heat to high. Brown ribs on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove ribs and set aside. Turn heat to medium.

Add onions, carrots, and shallots to pan and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape bottom of pan to release all the flavorful bits of glory. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes.

Serve 2 ribs on bed of creamy polenta, spooning a little juice over the top.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

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Prep Time: 1 Hour

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 10

Ingredients

5 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes
¾ cups Butter
1 package (8 Oz.) Cream Cheese, Softened*
½ cups (to 3/4 Cups) Half-and-Half
½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Lawry's Seasoned Salt
½ teaspoons (to 1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Peel and cut the potatoes into pieces that are generally the same size. Bring a large pot of water to a simmer and add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 to 35 minutes. When they’re cooked through, the fork should easily slide into the potatoes with no resistance, and the potatoes should almost, but not totally, fall apart.

Drain the potatoes in a large colander. When the potatoes have finished draining, place them back into the dry pot and put the pot on the stove. Mash the potatoes over low heat, allowing all the steam to escape, before adding in all the other ingredients.

Turn off the stove and add 1 ½ sticks of butter, an 8-ounce package of cream cheese and about ½ cup of half-and-half. Mash, mash, mash! Next, add about ½ teaspoon of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt and ½ a teaspoon of black pepper.

Stir well and place in a medium-sized baking dish. Throw a few pats of butter over the top of the potatoes and place them in a 350-degree oven and heat until butter is melted and potatoes are warmed through.

Note: When making this dish a day or two in advance, take it out of the fridge about 2 to 3 hours before serving time. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until warmed through.

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Tomorrow: Creamy Polenta…with a Twist.

Lazy Chiles Rellenos

Ree Drummond — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:39:59 +0000

This dish ain’t fancy.

This dish ain’t difficult to make. (Huh. Understatement of the modern era.)

This dish…ain’t not delicious.

Okay, I’ll stop now. I’m sorry. But I’m fluent in both Hillbilly and Double Negative. They just speak to me sometimes.

My mom used to make a dish like this, which is really nothing at all like the original Chiles Rellenos, but I’m keeping the name intact all the same. It’s a versatile, flavorful, and comforting combination of roasted green chiles, cheese, and a creamy egg mixture. And its applications are endless!

Serve it…with a fruit salad and tiny grandma rolls for a nice ladylike lunch.
Serve it…for breakfast with warm corn tortillas. (My personal favorite.)
Serve it…with grilled chicken for a nice weekend dinner.

Just serve it.

Then eat it.

You’ll love it!

I don’t live in Santa Fe. I don’t have a freezerful of roasted green chiles with the black skin still on.

I don’t even have cans of Hatch.

But life isn’t about being unhappy where you’re not. It’s about being happy where you are. And I are on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma in November. So I use these here chiles.

And the girl was happy…

Grate some cheese, glorious cheese.

Now combine some eggs with some milk. Whole milk is really best—anything with less fat and the baked eggs will turn out a tad on the watery side. If you splash in some half & half along with the milk…even better.

Whisk it together and add some salt…

And some freshly ground pepper. I have multicolored peppercorns in my peppermill, so you’ll see some red flecks in there.

I like color, even in my black pepper. What can I say?

Now add a little paprika…and a little cayenne pepper!

If you’ve got the guts, that is.

If you can HANDLE the cayenne.

Whisk it all together. Yum, yum, yum.

Lay the chiles on a cutting board…

Cut the chiles in half lengthwise, then seed them. (If you lived in Santa Fe, your chiles would have little black flecks all over.

And yes, I could roast my own. But first I’d have to buy some Poblano or Anaheim chiles.

And I don’t want to go to the store.

Lay the chiles on the bottom of a baking dish.

Generously sprinkle grated cheese all over the chiles.

Then place another layer of chiles on top of the cheese…

And add another layer of cheese.

Now pour the egg mixture all over the top.

And that’s it, baby! You can sprinkle a little more cheese over the top if it gives you a sense of peace…but it’s not necessary.

Mmmm…mmmm….mmmm.

Now place the pan into a larger baking pan, or on a rimmed cooking sheet. Pour a little water in the bottom of the second pan.

Bake at 325 for about 30 minutes, or until completely set.

It’ll be slightly golden brown on top…and shouldn’t be jiggly at all.

Cut into squares and serve immediately.

With warm corn tortillas, it’s sublime.

I love everything about this—the taste, the texture, the versatility.

And you’ll love it, too!

Here’s the printable:

Lazy Chiles Rellenos

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Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cook Time: 45 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 9

Ingredients

8 whole Roasted, Peeled, And Seeded Green Chiles
1-½ cup Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
5 whole Large Eggs
2 cups Whole Milk
Salt And Black Pepper To Taste
½ teaspoons Paprika
¼ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Mix together eggs, milk, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne.
Cut chilies in half and add a single layer of chilies on the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
Top chilies with half the grated cheese.
Repeat with another layer of chilies and another layer of cheese.
Pour egg mixture all over the top.
Place into a larger baking dish or rimmed baking sheet. Pour in 1/2 inch of water and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until completely set.
Cut into squares and serve with warm corn tortillas!

Good Ol’ Basic Mexican Rice

Ree Drummond — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:20:33 +0000

I serve this rice with my White Chicken Enchiladas and they really are the perfect complement. It’s a very basic Mexican rice recipe, and you can customize it with whatever ingredients or spices make you happy—diced jalapenos, chopped black olives, Cotija cheese, turmeric…anything goes!

Let’s make it, baby!

And I mean that in the most respectable way.

Start with half a large onion (or a whole medium onion…but you probably didn’t need me to walk you through that piece of logic.) Dice it up.

Peel a few cloves of garlic. I used four.

And mince it up!

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then drizzle in a little canola (or olive) oil.

Throw in the onions…

Then cook ‘em for a couple of minutes.

Measure 2 cups of long grain white rice.

Rice is such a mystery to me.

I realize that’s a very obscure thing to say. But I’m fascinated. Rice paddies. I think about them all the time. Their shape. Their origin. Their purpose.

Escalators, too. Sometimes I obsess over them like there’s no tomorrow.

Mother? Is that you? Red Dog 1 to Red Dog 4! Need cover immediately! Mrs. Barnes, can I go to the restroom?

Sorry.

Reduce the heat to low, then pour the rice into the skillet.

Add the garlic.

Now stir the mixture around and allow the rice to turn slightly golden brown. Stir constantly—and be careful not to burn it!

Next, crack open a can of Rotel. If you don’t know what Rotel is, you’ve never been to Oklahoma or Texas, and you pretty much haven’t lived.

(Rotel is canned diced tomatoes and green chilies, and has never not inhabited my pantry.)

(Sorry about the double negative.)

I drain the Rotel for this dish, because the liquid in a Rotel can is a little on the spicy side, and my punks sometimes get a little sweaty when I include the Rotel liquid in certain dishes.

But if you can HANDLE the heat, just leave the liquid in there.

Next, crack open a can of whole tomatoes. You can use diced tomatoes if you prefer, but I happen to like the large chunks here and there.

Stir in the drained Rotel…

Then pour in the whole tomatoes…

Then pour in 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth.

Now stir this mixture together…

And add some kosher salt and a good teaspoon of cumin—more if you love cumin flavor!

You can also add cayenne pepper, chili powder, tumeric, oregano…any spices that make you happy!

Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.

Cover the pan tightly, and cook on a simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. If the dish dries out too much, add more broth as necessary. The rice shouldn’t be overly sticky.

Here we go! Good ol’ basic Mexican rice—just begging to be served with refried beans and white chicken enchiladas. Note: a sprinkle of turmeric stirred in will give the rice a lovely golden color. Try it!

Now, be sure to taste the rice—make sure the seasonings are right. Add salt and/or more cumin, if necessary.

To finish it off, chop up a bunch of cilantro.

And throw it over the top!

It’s very difficult for me to use too much cilantro.

Simple as that.

Enjoy! And make it all yours–add whatever makes you happy.

That’s what cooking is all about, after all.

Here’s the printable:

Basic Mexican Rice

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Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
½ whole Large Onion, Chopped
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cups Long Grain Rice
1 can Rotel (10 Ounce)
1 can Whole Tomatoes (14.5 Ounce)
2 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth (more If Needed)
1 teaspoon Cumin (more To Taste)
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
Fresh Cilantro, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and garlic, then cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add rice and garlic. Stir constantly, making sure the rice doesn’t burn. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Add Ro-tel and tomatoes. Stir to combine and let cook for 2 minutes. Finally, add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 additional minutes or until rice is done. Add more liquid as needed; rice shouldn’t be sticky.

Just before serving, sprinkle lots of freshly chopped cilantro over the top. Serve immediately.

Pots & Pans – WINNERS!

Ree Drummond — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:00:05 +0000

Here are the winners of the Cuisinart cookware sets. Thank you to everyone who entered their favorite food blogs, TV chefs, and cookbook authors; Statistician Don will have the results of your answers shortly.

Winner 1: #40 Annie. “BOBBIE FLAY. He is the only person on planet earth who I would even consider leaving my husband for, and I think my husband would encourage me to go.”

Winner 2: #3264 Danja. “My favorite food blogger of the moment is Clotilde Dusoulier of Chocolate & Zuchini.”

Winner 3: #16845 Jeff C. “Guy Fieri!”

Congratulations, Winners! Hope you love your pots and pans. Contact prizes@thepioneerwoman.com to claim your loot.

Thanks again, everyone. Check back later for a list of favorites—can’t wait to see!

Pots & Pans!

Ree Drummond — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 21:29:04 +0000

Now that I’m home for the rest of the week, I’m getting ready to launch into some heavy duty cooking. As soon as the sun peeks over the eastern hills tomorrow morning, I shall chop, mince, sear, boil, saute, sling, fling, and freak out…and make a royal mess in my kitchen. I mean it—the kind of mess you’ve never even seen before. The kind of mess that inhabits your nightmares.

Then I’ll do one of two things:

a) Sell our house
b) Burn it to the ground

Anything but clean it up. It isn’t going to be pretty.

A couple of things:

First, I’m happy to let you know that my Complete Visual Recipe Index has been updated, so if you missed some recipes any time over the past three years or are searching for that Chicken Scallopine recipe you’re positive you saw ’round these parts, it’s all in one place for you.

And, uh, speaking of Chicken Scallopine:

Try it soon. It’ll make your skirt fly up. Like, totally.

And that’s figurative, by the way. If you don’t own a skirt, you will still enjoy this Chicken Scallopine.

Unless you don’t like chicken. And even then you’ll probably come around.

I’ll stop talking now.

Except for this: The second thing I want to tell you is that at long, long last, all recipes here on The Pioneer Woman Cooks are…I might cry…I can’t say it…printable. Now, rather than grease up (and I do mean grease) your laptops, you can just select the size you want to print, and…print!

This was a tricky little tool, and I couldn’t have gotten it done—and all the archived recipes updated and formatted for printing—without the wonderful help from HP. So thank you, HP—you’ve saved laptops all over the land! Butter and motherboards don’t get along very well.

And now.

If you’re going to cook any of the stuff in my recipe index, you’re going to need pots and pans.

That’s where these come in:

Hello, beautiful darlings.

Today I’m giving away three (3) Cuisinart 14-piece stainless cookware sets. These are beautiful, shiny 18/10 stainless steel pans that’ll bring you so much fun in the kitchen. You’ll love them!

Here’s what’s included in the set:

• 8″ fry pan
• 10″ fry pan
• 2-, 3- and 4-quart sauce pans with lids
• 3 1/2-quart saute pan with lid
• 8-quart stockpot with lid
• steamer insert with lid

Delicious!

TO ENTER

To enter the contest, just answer the following question in the Comments section of this post:

Who’s is your favorite food blogger, TV chef, or cookbook author?

Now, wait—before you answer! On the off, remote, highly unlikely chance that you would possibly remotely toy with possibly considering including me in your answer—don’t! In other words: don’t answer “Ree Drummond” or “Pioneer Woman”—not that you would. But just in case you’re either my grandmother or mother, I wanted to let you know that for the purposes of this contest, I don’t count.

So name your very favorite food blogger!

Or, if you don’t read food blogs…name your favorite TV chef!

Or, if you don’t own a TV…name your favorite cookbook author!

Basically, I wanna hear your favorite food-related personality—just one! (And mom? Ga-Ga? Don’t list my name or you’ll be severely punished.)

THE RULES

One entry per person, please.

Please list only one food personality/food blog/cookbook author in your answer.

Contest will run through the night and winners announced at 12:00 noon Wednesday.

Can’t wait to see your answers!

Love,
Pioneer Woman

___________________________________

Special thanks to CHEFS Catalog for providing the awesome prizes for this contest. We love you, CHEFS!

White Chicken Enchiladas

Ree Drummond — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:43:54 +0000

I’m happy to share my method for making creamy, dreamy, delicious, nutritious, yummy, nummy white chicken enchiladas.

They’ll keep you off the streets, I promise you that much. And don’t be intimidated by the multiple steps. They’re numerous, but they ain’t difficult.

The first thing we’re going to do is cook some chicken. Please do not be afraid, my darlings. There’s nothing inherently scary about raw chicken. I hate to be gross, but…you and I are raw, too, if you really hunker down and think about it.

Gosh, am I ever sorry I just typed that.

Anyway, back to business: I buy a whole cut up fryer—basically a whole chicken that’s been cut up by the butcher. It’s best if he does the dirty work.

Rinse the chicken (Sorry, but I can’t not rinse chicken. I’m old school.) and throw it into a big pot.

Cover the chicken with water.

Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes or so.

While the chicken is cooking, grab some canola oil.

Pour a half inch or so in a small skillet. Heat the oil over medium heat, and make sure if you have little punks running around, you either do this on the backburner or keep the handle turned so that they can’t grab it.

That’s just one thing that crawled in my consciousness when my first punk was a baby. When you cook with oil as much as I do, you tend to have these thoughts.

Grab some white corn tortillas. You can certainly use flour tortillas like a lot of white chicken enchilada recipes do, but I prefer the texture and flavor of corn.

I don’t know…they just seem less pasty. But that’s my issue, not yours, so please just use what makes you happy. (Note: if you use flour tortillas, skip this frying step and just warm them instead.)

One by one, when the oil is heated, grab a tortilla…

And briefly fry it in oil on both sides. You don’t want the tortillas to get the least bit crisp, so expect to turn them after about 5 to 10 seconds or so. Maximum fry time per tortilla: 15 to 20 seconds.

After you fry them, place each tortilla on a kitchen towel (or stack of paper towels) to drain the oil.

Cover with a second dish towel and set aside.

And guess what? You don’t have to fry the tortillas if you don’t want to. You can just nuke ‘em for about 30 seconds or so to soften them.

Just giving you options here.

Next, dice up a good amount of onion…

I won’t show you how to do it today. I will let your eyes, your psyche, and your sanity rest.

But I can’t promise I won’t show you tomorrow.

It’s basically inches away from becoming an involuntary thing at this point.

Now we need some roasted green chilies. If you have some fresh ones, great. If you have bags of the good frozen ones, fabulous. If you have Hatch in the can…congrats!

If you don’t…then just use what you can get your mitts on. These are fine!

You can buy them diced…or you can fool yourself into thinking you’re working hard and just dice ‘em yourself.

I choose the latter.

Cut ‘em into strips…

Then dice away!

You can stop there, but I had this jalapeno in my fridge.

And when I have a jalapeno in my fridge, I can’t help myself. I have to seed it, cut it into strips…

And dice it.

My parents tried to get me help when I was a teenager, but nothing worked.

Finally, grate a whole bunch of cheese. Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack…or a mix of white cheeses. You pick.

Hey…guess what? The chicken’s done!

Reserve about 2 cups of the broth. You can keep the rest, then throw in the bones after we get the meat off the chicken and make a large quantity of stock.

But we won’t worry about that today.

Today…is for enchiladas.

With two forks, start pulling the chicken off the bones. You can do it by hand if the chicken has been allowed to cool for awhile…but if you’re an impatient freakazoid like me, go ahead and use forks.

As you pull the meat off the bone, shred the chicken and place it into a bowl.

Keep going until you have about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of shredded chicken.

(Go ahead and freeze the rest for another use.)

Heat some canola oil (about a tablespoon) in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Throw in the onions and jalapenos, if you’re using them. Toss them around a couple of times. We don’t want to cook the heck out of them—just awaken them and take away that raw onion edge.

After about a minute, throw in the chicken and the chilies.

Pour in about 1/2 cup of the reserved broth, just to moisten it up.

Then, both for color and a little flavor, sprinkle on some paprika. (And a little cayenne, if you need a little extra kick.)

And then—and I deeply apologize to all mankind for this—drizzle in about 1/2 cup of cream.

Because you’re worth it.

Stir it around, add salt and pepper, and make sure it’s thoroughly heated.

And that’s the yummy, flavorful chicken mixture. You can customize it however you’d like: chopped black olives, diced red pepper, even mushrooms.

Now we need to make the white sauce. In a separate skillet (sorry), heat a couple of tablespoons of butter…

And sprinkle on an equal amount of flour.

Whisk constantly for about a minute, allowing the roux to cook just a bit.

Ready!

Now pour in the rest of the chicken broth.

Whisk it together, and allow it to bubble up for a minute or so.

Then throw in more diced chilies and stir them in.

Then add the sour cream and stir IT in.

Then comes more paprika!

I don’t know why I love paprika in creamy saucy things. I like the slight pinkish (but not rosy pink; more of a red-pink) it gives the dish.

Then dump in a good amount of the Monterey Jack.

And what the heck—add some black pepper, just because you can.

Now, at long, long, long—like, 50 photos long—last, it’s time to bring all this craziness together!

One by one, grab a warm tortilla…

Then spoon on a good portion of the chicken mixture.

Next comes a yummy portion of cheese. Don’t skimp!

Then roll it up and place the seam side down.

Repeat this until the pan is filled with rolled up tortillas bulging with chicken and cheese…

Then, yes—you guessed it—pour the creamy cheesy chili-y sauce all over the top.

I can tell you that the quality of roasted green chilies you use really determines how over-the-top delicious this is. It’s delicious with the plain canned stuff, but if you really went for it and roasted your own…well, you’d pretty much die from bliss right there on the spot.

So maybe it’s not a good idea after all.

Now just pop it in the oven for 30 minutes or so.

You can sprinkle even more cheese on the top at this point…but believe me, it’s cheesy enough.

This needs about ten more minutes.

Ahhh…bingo.

Golden. Bubbly. Crisp edges. Soft tortillas.

Now, for the essential finish: fresh chopped cilantro!

Sprinkle it on generously.

You know what? I’ve never been happier in my life than I am right now.

Okay, maybe you didn’t hear me. I am one happy woman.

And just to let you know, if you need a little tang…

Just spoon some picante sauce over the top.

And now…your life is complete.

Oh. I almost forgot.

That is, it will be when you make this to go with it.

But we’ll worry about that later.

Enjoy! And here’s a great holiday tip: you can make these enchiladas with leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Absolutely divine.

Try it this year!

Here’s the printable recipe. A special, enthusiastic (read: ecstatic) thanks to HP for helping me implement this slick recipe print function. It’s been a long time coming!

White Chicken Enchiladas

3"x5" Cards | 4"x6" Cards | Full Page | Print

Prep Time: 45 Minutes

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 6

Ingredients

2-½ cups Cooked, Shredded Chicken
2 cups Reserved Broth From Chicken
3 Tablespoons Canola Oil
12 whole Corn Tortillas
1 whole Large Onion, Diced
3 whole 4 Oz Cans Whole Green Chilies, Diced
1 whole Jalapeno, Seeded And Finely Diced
1 teaspoon Paprika
½ cups Heavy Cream
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup Sour Cream
2-½ cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
Salt And Pepper (to Taste)
Picante Sauce (optional)
Cilantro, Chopped

Preparation Instructions

Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas for no longer than 20 seconds, just to soften (do not allow to become crisp.) Place tortillas on a large towel or stack of paper towels to drain.

Heat 1 tablespoon canola oil in separate skillet over medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos and saute for 1 minute, just to start the cooking process. Add chicken, half of the green chilies, and 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Stir together. Add 1/2 cup chicken broth and stir. Add cream and stir, allowing mixture to bubble and get hot. Turn off heat and set aside.

In a separate large skillet, melt butter and sprinkle in flour. Whisk together and cook over medium heat for one minute. Pour in 1 1/2 cups chicken broth. Whisk together and cook for another minute or two. Stir in the other half of the chilies. Reduce heat, then stir in sour cream. Add 1 1/2 cups grated cheese and stir to melt. Add 1/2 teaspoon paprika. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

To assemble, spoon chicken mixture on top of tortillas, one by one. Top with plenty of cheese and roll up. Place seam side down in a 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Pour cheese mixture all over the top of the tortillas. Top with extra cheese if you’d like, then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with chopped cilantro.

Serve with picante sauce, if desired.

Faint. Repeat as needed.

(I’m tweaking the final stages of the print function today, so if the recipe doesn’t print in its entirety, check back in a bit!)