A Favorite Recipe

Fast. Cheap. Healthy. Delicious.

These are the ideal characteristics of a great meal around here. We have a favorite that I adapted from a far (if you can believe it) simpler recipe that was lacking a bit in flavor. My version takes no more time than the original Rice and Beans recipe I had read that fateful day, because all my extras can be done in the time it takes to cook rice. But my version has a whole lot more flavor and it looks beautiful on the plate.

I forgot to take pictures last night as I made it and I didn't think to until the plate was already nearly empty, so I'll update with pictures next week.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of water
• 1 tbs tarragon
• 1 tsp ground savory
• 1 tbs chicken base (or enough bouillon for 3 cups water OR replace water with chicken stock)
• 1 1/2 cups white rice (You can sub in brown rice if you have the time)
• One large onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 tbs butter
• 1/4 cup good white wine
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can red beans (or sub in any beans you like. Add extras too!)
• Fresh parsley, basil or any other lovely herb you might have. Or, in a pinch, dried will work to.

Directions:

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Turn down heat and cover. Simmer for 12 minutes then turn off the heat. No Peaking ;)
2. Meanwhile, saute onion and garlic in butter until onion is translucent, but not browning. Pour white wine into onion pan and scrape the bottom vigorously with a spatula (or spootula if you happen to know my children) to get up any delicious bits that might be sticking there. Then dump in the canned beans, juice and all. Heat through.
3. By now, your rice is done. Choose a pretty serving dish. I like to use a wide shallow bowl for this. Dump your rice in the middle of the dish and flatten out to cover the whole bottom of the dish. Then dump your bean mixture on top, spreading it out to almost cover all the rice (leave a little rice showing around the edge. It's pretty!)
4. Sprinkle some fresh herbs on top and garnish with a little sprig of parsley if you have it. If not, use dried herbs for garnish. You can also top with a little grated cheese for added flavor. You can serve this up just as it is or with some salsa if your family likes it.
5. Enjoy!

(Original recipe, if you want to try it, was simply cooked rice with canned beans mixed in. Not sure why that recipe crossed my path or why I found it inspirational for making this recipe, but there you have it!)

In The Spirit

It seems that the moment I finished making ghost costumes for the kids to use on Halloween, my mind made the leap to the next holidays coming just around the corner. Never mind that Halloween was still two weeks away, and never mind that I usually don't want to think about Christmas until Thanksgiving is over. This year, I've caught the spirit early and I'm sharing it with my children.

We had a lovely planning meeting this morning over breakfast (a delicious blueberry coffee cake that I was testing out for Christmas morning) during which we made some excellent decisions about what the children would like to give for Christmas. They came up with several amazing ideas that I would never have thought of. And it was very gratifying to hear them list the people they love with whom they'd like to share the holiday joy. Their gifts and recipients are completely their idea with no embellishment from Mommy (except for telling them the name of the gift they described). Even better, their ideas are largely items they can make, with only a little help from Mommy.

I credit my strict no-advertisements rule for the beautiful and sweet ideas the children can come up with. We watch very little television and what we do watch is mostly on DVD or pre-recorded so I can skip the ads. Their ideas aren't tainted by commercialism, and I'm proud of them for it.

Now, my question for you: What are your traditions leading up to Thanksgiving and/or Christmas? We have a few things we do every year, but my lack of planning keeps things hectic and traditions to a minimum. This year, I'd love to add some special things to the weeks leading up to these two special days. I'd love to hear what you do!

A New Blog to Enjoy

Such lovely ideas and inspirations for frugal holiday celebrations that put the focus on family rather than commercialism and lots of great ideas for everyday too. That's what you'll find in the upbeat and beautiful posts by Molly.

Go check her out soon. She's doing a lovely '30 Days to Thanksgiving' thing right now. Even though I'm not hosting that particular celebration, I still like to create a beautiful climate for my family through the days leading up to the big day and I have found her encouragement to be quite uplifting and inspiring.

Enjoy!