rabbitsmom Food Journal

I am a bit behind on this post, these pictures were sitting on the camera with the science fair project photos. Now that is behind us, so I can tell you about the awesome dinner we collaborated on last weekend. We wanted really good burgers, so off we went to Whole Paycheck. We scored some nice ground beef and ground buffalo, some sweet onions, and some muenster cheese. Forgetting that their bread (specifically things like HAMBURGER BUNS) leave much to be desired, we just picked the best looking organic rolls they had. The Grillmaster Husband mixed the meats and added some of his secret brisket rub as well as some of the ends of the sweet onions minced up. This was all cooked on our grill/smoker over hardwood charcoal (no gas grill here!).
The Grillmaster also roasted an anaheim chile and some pears and made this delicious relish. Dark beer and onions were also part of this. He doesn't write down recipes, so I wouldn't even know where to start!

While cooking up some organic applewood smoked bacon (I haven't started my own bacon project yet --- coming soon!) I brought out the deep fryer and made beer batter onion rings. Note to self. Next time use a pan instead of the deep fryer - the first batch of rings sunk to the bottom of the basket and all stuck there. The solution was to cook 3 at a time and make sure that they floated right away. What a pain!! But, still a million times better than frozen. I should have taken photos of the mess, hehe.

I am certain that this meal beats Red Robin/Islands/The Counter any day of the week!

I am not able to post the pictures in the correct size on this diary (I need to figure that part out still) so please visit my blog at www.toomanycookbooksofe.blogspot.com

(Promoted from the Diaries - K)

This is the Best…. Soup….. Ever. This is my dad's recipe. It is the perfect wintertime meal, I make this at least every other month from September to March.

1 onion chopped

2 crowns of broccoli chopped (or I use one bag of broccoli florets & chop them up a bit)
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/2 cup rice
Parmesan cheese freshly grated - for garnish

Sautee the onion in a pot in some olive oil. Add the broccoli, stock and water. Sometimes you may need to add more or less water - taste it, make sure the broccoli is well covered. Bring to a simmer, add rice. Simmer uncovered until broccoli is tender and rice is done. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in shallow bowls, garnish with parmesan cheese.

My variation: before the parmesan, drizzle a dab of truffle oil or nut oil. I know it is over the top but who cares!