Coconut Rice Custard

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Lately, I’ve had a major sweet tooth.  I’m the kind of gal that, when presented with a sweet treat and a savory treat, I’ll go with savory every time.  Now I can’t get enough sweets!

And before anyone wigs out, I’m currently under doctor’s supervision with my blood being drawn every month.  Right now, there isn’t a medical reason for my sweet cravings.

So I’ve been on the hunt for easy desserts that aren’t super-nauseating sweet.  I came upon this Coconut Rice Custard dish and figured: (a) I like coconut flavored sweets, but not coconut – go figure – and (b) I love rice pudding.  This seemed to be the best of both worlds.

Of course, I seemed to ignore the “easy” portion of my criteria.  Custard is not the easiest thing in the world to make.  It needs to be constantly monitored and involves a hot water bath.  These are things I overlooked as I got started.

 

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Coconut Rice Custard

The whipped cream isn’t part of the custard.  My custard turned out a little dry, probably because I over cooked it slightly.  However, you can see the rice and the custard is still held together well instead of being hard like a rock.

What I Made: June 11, 2012

After recuperating over the weekend, I got right back on track with my Meatless Monday.  Not just Meatless, but Vegan too.  I'm still making my way through Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson.

I do have a complaint about the book... not enough pictures.  I know that sounds silly, but when you're making your own protein/meat, it would be really helpful to know what the end result is supposed to look like.

Good recipes though.  Anyway...

I've already tried my hand at making meatless-meat and it tasted really good.  Today, I was going to make some homemade Rough Rider Barbecue Sauce and make Barbecue Ribz.

How did they turn out?

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Barbecue Ribz with Rough Rider Barbecue Sauce

They look good, right?  

What I Made: June 5

So 2 days in and I already fall behind.  Figures.

It doesn't mean I haven't eaten in two days.  Nope, I've been busily cooking, taking pictures, coating my pug in Fondant...  you know, the basics.  What?  You've never spilled melted marshmallow on your dog before?

For the record, I'd highly advise against it.

So this day, I made myself a little lunch.  I made Bacon Fried Rice from a recipe I got from Cooking.com.

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Bacon Fried Rice

If you don't read my blog regularly, let me let you in on a not-a-secret: I LOVE BACON!  I overcooked it a wee-bit this time, but it still was delicious.

Lemon Chicken Soup with Salad

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – April 25, 2011

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Lemon Chicken Soup with Salad recipe originally published by Food Network Magazine – April 2012.

I really love a soup/salad or soup/sandwich combo, but my husband does not.  No matter what kind of soup I make, he never eats it.  Still I’m searching for a soup that he’s going to, at a minimum, eat a bowl.  I happen to love chicken and rice soup so when I saw this combination “lightened up” version of the soup with a refreshing salad, I decided to make it.

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Lemon Chicken Soup and Salad

The soup was nice and creamy without being heavy.  In fact, there’s no cream or milk in it!  I’m terrible at the meat-to-soup ratio.  I always end up with more broth.  Still, it looks comforting and delicious.

Let’s Get Together Thai Shrimp

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – September 11, 2011

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Let’s Get Together Thai Shrimp recipe originally published in Taste of Home – August 2011.

I love Thai curry dishes and consistently make the same recipe over and over again.  This one made me read the recipe twice.  Yes, it is the basic curry base with shrimp, but it also has cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and cashews.  That sounded too good to pass up.

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Let's Get Together Thai Shrimp

The shrimp looks perfect.  The curry sauce isn’t overbearing the dish and has a great color.  The rice and cashews totally complete it.  I was absolutely proud of the way this dish turned out and kept my fingers crossed that it tasted as good as it looked.

Microwave Tomato Risotto

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? – September 8, 2011

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Microwave Tomato Risotto recipe originally published in Good Housekeeping – August 2011.

So earlier in the year, I tried my hand at making risotto.  I fell in love.  However, I didn’t make a lot of it because it is a tedious process.  When I found a recipe that allowed me to make it in the microwave, I was intrigued.  Still I hadn’t gotten around to making it.

Then one day, I had one of those days where if it could happen to me, it did.  I had to prepare for a wedding I was working, my neurotic Chihuahua, Lola, managed to escape from the house and I had to chase her a block, I had to fight with my town’s recycling center to pick up my container and I saw a private client. 

I figured this was a good day to utilize the microwave.

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Microwave Tomato Risotto

Looking at the picture again is making me hungry.  My rice was perfectly chewy and the tomatoes permeated throughout the dish.  When I compared it to the picture shown in Good Housekeeping, I was proud and declared success.

Asian Chicken Skillet

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook - February 25, 2011.

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Recipe originally published in Simple and Delicious, December/January 2011.

If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m kind of a cynic.  I am especially critical of the Fantastic-30-Min-That-Is-Good-For-You-And-Easy recipe.  When I see these types of recipes, I usually roll my eyes hard enough to make me dizzy.  That doesn’t mean I don’t try to get it done in the time specified though.  When I see a 30-minute meal, I find it a personal challenge to get it done.  See, I fancy myself a moderately good chef.  I can’t create recipes but I can cook (and yes, there is a BIG difference), so I should be able to cook a 30-minute-meal in the time specified.  Alas, that is very rare for me.

Now, I present to you a one-pan recipe with 7 ingredients that can be done in 30-45 minutes.  I know what you’re thinking.  My BS detector went off almost immediately.  However, it actually happened.  I think this is the first time on record (for me that is).  I actually finished making it in 41 minutes with minimal equipment.  Is it “good for me?”  Well, it isn’t the healthiest dish I’ve made, but it wasn’t bad either.  I think for using convenience foods, this is probably as good as it’s going to get.

My finished meal:

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Asian Chicken Skillet

This dish looked and smelled fantastic.  In fact, I considered eating it right off the serving spoon.  The chicken looked great and that came as a surprise to me.  To me, it always seems to dry out in a skillet.  I was glad I bought a stir-fry blend that had red and green peppers in it.  It gave the dish a little color (and flavor – of course)

Pecan-Crusted Turkey Cutlets with Wild Rice and Mushrooms

Recipe modified by You Want Me to Cook? on February 18, 2011

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Find just the Pecan-Crusted Turkey Cutlets recipe here.

Find just the Wild Rice and Mushrooms recipe here.

Pecan-Crusted Turkey Cutlets recipe originally published in Taste of Home, December/January 2011.

Wild Rice and Mushrooms recipe originally published by Pillsbury.

Usually, when I’m putting two dishes together, it is driven by the entree.  Not so in this case.  I found the recipe for the Wild Rice and Mushrooms and didn’t know what to do with it.  Ordinarily, when I have a breaded poultry dish, I look for a potato, but I decided to break from what I usually do and pair it with the rice.  I’m a daredevil like that – rice or potato, what will she choose?!?!?!

I also learned a couple things while making this meal.  One was very interesting and the other was a cooking lesson I will keep with me always.

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Pecan-Crusted Turkey Cutlets with Wild Rice and Mushrooms

I was proud of how pretty the dish looked.  Okay, I was most proud of how the breaded turkey looked, and I really felt like I needed more green or red on my plate, but I still didn’t think it turned out too bad.

Sausage, Rice & Beans

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – January 5, 2011

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Recipe originally published in Pillsbury, December 2010.

I am always looking for alternatives to pasta.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE pasta, but sometimes I just want something a little different.  At first, I thought this was going to make a nice side, but figured the beans and sausage gave it a little more of a meal quality.  Still, I wasn’t sure, so I made it the same day I made another dish “just in case”.  What I stumbled on was a perfect casserole dish, similar to a “bowl” dish with potatoes, meat and cheese, but healthier.

My finished product: © You Want Me to Cook?

Picture published with recipe: © Pillsbury

The dishes looked the same, although mine had a little more liquid to it.  I probably could have let it cook longer, but I got impatient.  Still, I think that added something to the dish.  It wasn’t dry.  It was more like a sauce with sausage.  The taste was incredible.  The garlic kielbasa with the beans combined well with the creamy sweet corn.  Yes, we ate this as a meal, not as a side.

Lemon-Artichoke Risotto

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – January 26, 2011

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Recipe originally published in Every Day with Rachael Ray, published February 2011.

I had an incredible lobster risotto not too long ago and it inspired me to make my own.  I’ll be honest, I had my local pizza joint all fired up on speed-dial – that was my level of confidence with this dish.  I had nothing to fear, and neither should you.  It seems really daunting, but risotto is a pretty easy dish to make.

Here’s my complaint.  This was in the magazine and listed on the website as being a $10 meal.  Are they kidding?  Okay, if you already have the rice on hand, the portion you use is their estimate, but who has risotto rice on hand?  It isn’t like it is a pantry staple.  And let me tell you, they recommend one of the most expensive types of risotto rice - arborio.  I spent $15 on the rice alone and if you aren’t aware of the price before visiting the grocery store, you’re going to be in shock.

My finished product: © You Want Me to Cook?

Picture published with recipe: © Every Day with Rachael Ray

I think my risotto turned out creamier than theirs!  This could be in part because I used only half of the artichokes and chopped up my walnuts well.  It looked so good on the plate that I couldn’t wait to eat it.

Indian-Spiced Salmon with Basmati Rice

Recipe modified by Gretchen Wilson – June 30, 2010

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Recipe originally published in Cooking Light, June 2010.

Salmon is a super food.  It’s got healthy fats in it (Omega-3 anyone?), a great source of protein, and a large supply of vitamins, including Vitamin D – of which I have a severe deficiency.  Because of this, I’m always looking for different ways to cook salmon.

There are several things that attracted me to this recipe.  Obviously, the salmon is one of them, but I was also excited to try the rice side dish.  I’ve never cooked basmati rice and this seemed like a very straightforward recipe to try.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t terribly impressed with the dish when it was done, but more on that later.

My finished product:

Picture published with recipe: © Cooking Light

The pictures reveal everything that I found wrong with the recipe.  First, the amount of spice rub you make for the salmon clearly wasn’t enough for the amount of salmon in the recipe.  Second, I think the cook times are a little off.  The fish was a little dry and didn’t get that pretty broiled look on top.  Finally, I think the rice could use a little more cashew in it.