Deja Who? (Dominican Rice Style)

Cure for World Hunger?

One of the drawbacks of taking a break from blogging is that you can get a bit rusty.  It's either that or old age, but my memory must be slipping.  I got hungry as I often do last night (Don't ask me why Sundays always seem to be extreme hunger days for me) and decided to cook some Dominican Rice for myself.

I grabbed the ingredients and thought that this was the perfect chance for me to do my long-awaited, much requested blog post with the recipe for Dominican Rice.  I know, everyone's excited aren't they???

Only problem is that I actually already did that post...last July!  Maybe it's early onset of dementia???

Anyway, I view this as a shameless attempt to beat Google's top-secret search formula and drive more web traffic to my sight by internally linking to a previous post.  I have to do something to keep this blog relevant.  After all, how many people can there be worldwide who are looking for pics of Vladimir Putin in a wife beater?  Or scintillating insight on the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer?  Did I mention that there's a new episode of the Bachelor on tonight?  Because I did a very popular post last season when Sean Lowe and the guys were wooing Emily in Croatia.  If I'm ever going to monetize this blog, I need numbers people!!  ;-)

The rice is cooking....

But I digress--back to the Dominican Rice.  It turned out great.  It's really hard to mess it up, even when you take off the lid to the rice cooker (which you're not really supposed to do) to take a picture of the rice cooking.

Bring all the other ingredients to a simmering boil...

But don't take my word for it.  My kids asked for seconds and one of my office colleagues stole the leftovers out of my office when they spotted it.  Luckily, there was enough to share and I tracked down my container in the office fridge!  :-)

Buen provecho!

Lunch in Laguna

The View From Our Table

I got a chance to go to lunch today with a colleague and friend from my time back in Washington D.C.  My friend is now the President and CEO of an international company and it was great to reminisce about our old firm and our old colleagues.

Ahi Burger

The lunch got off to a rocky start when the restaurant that had been recommended to me turned out to be closed for the Fall season for lunch!  Luckily, we were able to re-group and we picked a place across the street that was right on the beach (and had no wait).

I had the Ahi Burger with Parmesan-Herb Fries and it was really good.  We also had an appetizer of Coconut Shrimp that was pretty good too.  The restaurant was literally right on the beach and the ocean in Laguna Beach and the view from our table was outstanding.

I wish I could say the same for the service.  It seemed like it took the server forever to keep our water glasses filled. It was too bad really because the service was the only negative about the lunch.

After lunch, I snuck down to check out the beach and saw our server taking a smoke break on the side of the restaurant.  Maybe that's why it took so long to get our food to us!

It's hard to believe that it's November, but I still get to live and work in such a beautiful corner of the globe!  Happy Friday!

PS--This was what my sister woke up to this morning outside her front porch!  She texted me to say that she needed someone to go to the beach for her.  You're welcome sis!  :-)

There's No Place Like Home...

Hermanos Reunidos

My "little" brother came home from his mission yesterday.  He flew into San Diego's Lindbergh Field at about 12:35 p.m.  It was a long flight from Argentina, I'm sure.  My mom and dad and much of my family was there to greet him.  I'm sure it was a joyous reunion.  I had a court appearance and couldn't make it down.

My dad was actually in trial, but the judge was kind enough to give my dad an extra 30 minutes for the lunch break so that he could see his son whom he hadn't seen for two years.  It's a good thing that my brother's flight was on time!  When my mom first told me that story, I kind of chuckled that the judge was "only" willing to give my dad an extra 30 minutes for lunch.  That doesn't seem like much.  But today, it seems like a  lot.  And the important thing was that it was enough.  I really think that it was a tender mercy that my dad was able to be there.  I'm both happy and grateful that he was.

I had a long day yesterday, but managed to make my way down to the old homestead later that night.  I walked into the house holding a bag with two uneaten burritos from Del Taco that I bought intending to eat on the way down.  They didn't get eaten.

As I walked in the door, my brother SLD grabbed my bag and told me I wouldn't be needing it.  My sweet mother had cooked in honor of N.'s homecoming.  I should have realized there'd be food waiting for me.

But first things first, I gave N. a huge "abrazo."  The funny thing is that N. looked like he hadn't aged a day.  I know how hard he worked on his mission and that he was a great missionary.  We also posed for the obligatory homecoming photo (see above).  Unfortunately, neither of us were in our suits by that stage of the day.  I had shed mine after a tragic mishap with a red-frosted, chocolate cupcake.  N. had ditched his at some point.  I guess two years of wearing a suit while tramping through the dusty streets of South America is enough for anyone.

Another thing that you'll notice about the picture above is that I think that I can officially say that even though I'm the oldest of five brothers--I'm also the shortest.  At one stage of my life, that would have been very sad news.  I think as you get older, you get a sense of what is really important and what's not.  I was just glad to have my brother home!

Mom's Chicken Burrito with Rice, Guacamole, Cheese, and Fresh, Homemade Salsa--Yum!

Then it was time to eat.  Mom's cooking put Del Taco and Taco Bell to shame.  I had two heaping servings.

I sat on the couch to recover and to visit for a little bit with my brothers and sisters.  As I sat, recuperating on  the couch, someone walked past and handed me a little mylar-wrapped package.  I looked at it.  It was some sort of Argentine-version of a Ding Dong--but with dulce de leche.  My brother had brought it all the way home from Argentina to share with his family.

I was touched with how sweet and kind my brother really is, but he has always been like that.  He didn't make a big deal about it or brag about how great this snack was that he was giving me or tell me what a sacrifice it was for him to bring it home and share with us. He just quietly did it because he wanted to share and because he has a kind, giving heart.  Even though I physically look up to my "little" brother, I have always looked up to him and admired him for his example to watch over and care for other people.

Guaymallen--direct from Argentina!

I remember a few other things from last night.  I asked N. what was different about being back home in the United States.  He told me that he was shocked at all of the technology like iPhones, Droids, etc. that people carried around!  It took me back to when I came home from my mission.  I remember marveling that the power never goes out in the United States (it went out every single day--at least once, sometimes more--in the D.R. where I served my mission).  I also remember that a little-known, new technological innovation commonly called "The Internet" had gotten huge while I was away!  ;-)

N., it's good to have you back.  Thank you for being such a great example and the type of brother that I can always look up to--in more ways than one!  The Gospel is true!

Dominican Rice

La Bandera -- The Flag of the Dominican Republic

A while back, I did a blog post for a recipe that I liked.  It was something quick and easy that I called: Rice Concoction.  That recipe was derived from this recipe that I developed called Dominican Rice.

I served my mission in the Dominican Republic.  It is a small island country in the Caribbean and it is a beautiful country.  I grew to love the people while I was a missionary.  Surprisingly, I also grew to love their food.

Dominicans aren't big on spicy food.  In fact, the national dish is so popular, it is called "La Bandera" which translates as "The Flag."  The dish consists of red beans and rice (and chicken if you can afford it!).  That's it.

I remember thinking as a new missionary that I had never eaten so much rice in my entire life because we ate it for every meal.  Eventually, I developed the mindset that if I hadn't eaten rice with a meal, I hadn't eaten.

When I returned home from my mission, I was a single, starving college student.  I decided to try to see if I could replicate some of the Dominican dishes that I ate since they were filling and (more importantly for me) cheap!

Dominican Rice is the culmination of those efforts.  This dish is easy to make, filling, nutritious, and (perhaps surprisingly) pretty tasty.  Here's how you do it (I'm making it as we speak!):

Ingredients:

Rice -- You'll need two cups of rice...

...and these

2 cups of rice -- I prefer brown rice because I think it's healthier, but it's also more expensive
1 can of Costco chicken breast
1 can of chicken broth
2 cans of beans - I am using black beans and chick peas, but you can mix it up and try other beans (or even frozen peas if you want)
1 can of salsa/enchilada sauce - to add a little kick
You'll also need a dash of salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Put the rice in the  rice cooker.  Add 5 cups of water.  (This is more than recommended, but I like my rice to be soft and sticky).
2. Add a dash of salt to the rice (for taste) and get the rice cooker cookin'.
3. Combine the canned ingredients (above) into a pan and get to simmer on the stove.
4. Add some freshly ground pepper to the mix.  (Dominicans would not approve of the salsa or pepper (since they like bland food), but I think the recipe is better if it has a little kick to it.)
5. Stir the canned ingredients on the stove occasionally.
6. When the rice is done, dump the rice into a large mixing bowl.
7. Dump the beans, broth, salsa, and chicken into the mixing bowl and mix well.  (You want to break up the chicken )
8. Let cool (because this is pretty hot) and serve.

Should serve at least four adults.

Total cooking time is probably an hour or less, but that's basically how long it takes to cook the rice in the rice cooker.  On the positive side, you don't need to pay much attention once it's cooking--I did this blog post while it cooked.  :-)

Ready to Eat!

Budget:

Here's the breakdown:

• Rice - 2 cups - I'm not sure so I'm calling it $0.50.  (You can buy rice in bulk for less than $1.00 per pound, so I think $0.50 is more than generous.)
• Costco chicken breast - $1.67 per can
• Chicken broth - $0.96 per can (Walmart)
• Chick Peas - $0.68 per can (Walmart)
• Black Beans - $0.68 per can (Walmart)
• Green salsa - $0.99 per can (Ralphs)

Total: $5.48 for four servings or $1.37 per meal.

And this is way more filling than a 99 cent burrito or hamburger from some fast food joint, plus my kids really do love this stuff.

I can do a big pot of this stuff and then take it into work for lunch for the rest of the week.  It stores well in a tupperware container in the fridge and re-heats easily.

Gratuitous Photo of the D.R.!  :-)

Seasons 52

Today I had a business lunch at a restaurant in South Coast Plaza--a mall near my office.  The restaurant was called "Seasons 52."  The marketing point for the place is that they basically have a different menu every week and their fare is supposed to be seasonal, fresh, and healthy.

I've eaten there before and liked the food quite a bit.  Today, I chose the Mediterranean Mahi Mahi.  It was pretty good, it came with lemon, rice, and a lite cucumber sauce.  But it really wan't enough to fill me up...

For that I had been relying on some good bread to go with my meal.  Turns out, they don't have bread at Seasons 52 because another selling point of the place is that every entree is under 475 calories...

This is the Winter Menu...and you read that right--475 calories!

475 calories!  I'm a growing boy and I feel like that's really not enough to keep me fueled for a full day in the office.  I forgot the 475 calorie part--or maybe that's some new thing that they're doing.

Anyway, I'll have to remember that next time I eat at Seasons 52, I may want to think about ordering two separate dishes.  I'm sure I can afford it...calorie-wise at least!