New Year's Eve Eve

We've been hanging out with this girl all day ...

Love her.

I took some leftovers from yesterday's veggie rice bowl and warmed it up in a wrap.  It was delicious!

I skipped the cheese, because I try to watch my dairy intake and I had plenty with my cereal at breakfast.

The snow is starting to melt!

Bruce and Gabi didn't eat lunch, so they heated up a frozen pizza mid-afternoon.  I snuck a piece, but only because it smelled good - not because I was actually hungry, ha.

Later in the afternoon, I attempted to make granola first the first time - I wasn't hungry at all, but I munched a little bit to taste.  It was good, but it still needs ... something.  How do you make granola with the clumps in it?

We brought Gabi back up to my parent's house for dinner.  My dad made Hungarian Kolbasz with Potatoes and Carrots!

Mmm, I love it when the Hungarians are in town.  We always eat so well.

My plate.  I had a very small helping - I'm so full from everything else!

Post-dinner, Bruce and my dad and I challenged each other to a game of "Pounce" - it got intense!  Sadly, the card game was as intense as the UCONN/Stanford woman's basketball game.  And it did not end well for UCONN. :(

Time to pack up and head home.  Tomorrow is New Year's Eve!  Wow oh wow, where did the year go?  I'm currently working on a photo montage of the year - so cross your fingers that the technology works!

Goodnight!

Veggie Rice Bowl

How about a simple recipe to tied you over while I'm off playing with the Hungarians?

Veggie Rice Bowl

1 cup Rice

2 cups Water

1 tablespoon Butter

1 teaspoon Salt

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 can Water

4 cups Frozen Vegetables (your choice!)

Pepper

Shredded Cheese

This recipe takes 25 minutes from start to finish - such a quick lunch!

Start by preparing your rice.  Bring the water to a boil, then add rice, butter and salt.  Stir mixture a couple of times (you don't have to wait for the butter to melt), then lower your heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

While your rice simmers ...

Combine the Cream of Mushroom with one can of water and heat on Medium/High.  Season with pepper (this is too taste, but it doesn't need a lot of it).

Once the soup is warm, add your veggies, give it a quick stir and cover them so they cook.

But don't forget about it!  Make sure you give it a quick stir from time to time because you're still cooking on higher temperatures.

Mmm.

Once the rice is cooked, add it to the soup.

And stir everything together.

Serve in a big bowl (because otherwise the dish would be called a Rice Plate and that just doesn't quite have the same ring to it).

And garnish with some cheese!

Because, let's face it - everything tastes better with cheese.

This recipe is perfect for the child in you.

Literally. :)

I love making rice bowls because they are really versatile in terms of what type of "cream of" soup you can use and what kind of veggies you have in your freezer.  Enjoy!

Countdown to 2011: Main Dishes

Morning!  Look what I found on my camera this morning ...

Not bad for a fourth grader, right?  I was explaining depth-of-field to her and she picked it up immediately.

I have several boxes of cereal with a little bit left, so I combined them this morning for a big bowl of "Cinnamon Toast Cheerios".  Can I trademark that?

It's time for this morning's episode of Countdown to 2011!  Today Finding Joy In My Kitchen is featuring Main Dishes.  Here are three of my favorites ...

Christmas or Thanksgiving Day Leftover Pie

This was my pride and joy a few days after Christmas - a delicious way to use up your leftovers!

Stuffed Shells

I had always been intimidated by Stuffed Shells, but these were so easy!  Take a look at the step-by-step tutorial and give it a shot in the new year.

Pasta Chicken Stir Fry

A delicious blend of juicy boiled chicken, fresh veggies and hearty pasta is bound to tickle your taste buds.

I'm sorry, that was really cheesy.

Head over to this post for more top 2010 main dish recipe posts!

Have a great day everyone.  Bruce and I promised Gabriella we could make a snow fort today!  Though I'm pretty sure it's my young-at-heart husband that really wants to make one ...

***

Past Countdown to 2011 Posts:
Breakfast
Soups or Stews
Vegetarian Options