Day 21: Rice & a whine

I'm starting to get a bit bored and annoyed with all of this. At first it was exciting, thinking of saving all that money and paying down the credit card. Then it was fun, working to create meals with what we have and finding new things to have for breakfast. Now? Sigh. It's a lot of work with what feels like very little pay off. I'm not stopping now.. we've come too far to pull out now.. but I realized I can't even just drop everything and go shopping on September 1st. I have to wait for Pete to get paid on Sept 5th and then cash his check so we have grocery money, which means I really can't do a shopping trip until at least September 7th. I just may find some money to buy us cereal on the 1st though. I'm really sick of having to think first thing in the morning.

Tonight was "date night" for Pete and I. It's Tim's overnight with Ronan, so Pete and I used to go out together. This time I made us Salmon (from the freezer) in Lime Vinaigrette (from the fridge stash of sauces) and rice. Mmmm, yum. The good news? Because you got through my whine up there I'm going to give you a combo of rice recipes. Both of these recipes are for approx. 1 serving of rice. Multiply them to make however much you need. First up - my mom's basic rice recipe:

Nana's Rice

Ingredients:
1 c. water
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. rice (any type)

Directions: Bring water, butter and salt to a boil. Add the rice. Cover the pot with a paper towel between the pot and the lid. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 17 minutes.

Tada! Yup, that's it. The paper towel is important. I have no idea why, but it completely changes the flavor of the rice. Now for the rice I made tonight.

Rosemary Basil Cheesy Rice

Ingredients:
1 c. water
1/2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. rice (I use basmati rice)
1 Tbsp. oat bran
1 Tbsp. parmesan cheese

Directions: Bring water, butter, basil, rosemary and salt to boil. Add rice and oat bran. Cover with a paper towel between the pot and the lid. Reduce heat to low and simmer for ~15 minutes. After it's done cooking, add the cheese.

You can leave out the oat bran if you want, just cook the rice a bit longer. I add it to all my rice as a secret way to sneak in a little more healthy stuff to the food. Plus, oat bran is high in fiber so it makes you feel full faster, thus filling up the bellies of your family members who could eat you out of house and home. ;)