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Oven-Baked Rice Medley

Preheat oven to 350°F

Try this oven-baked rice recipe. It bakes in 30 minutes at 350°F, so it is ready in the time it takes to rest and carve a roast. 

Pour two cups of good quality chicken broth (I prefer Campbell’s Stock First) into an ovenproof casserole and heat on high in the microwave for two minutes per cup.

Sauté finely chopped fresh mushrooms with onions or shallots. I sometimes use the last third of an onion and the end of a package of mushrooms. This rice is even delicious made with only broth. 

Add the veggies to the hot chicken broth. Add one cup of raw white rice (not processed) to the liquid, along with a rounded teaspoon of butter. Stir the mixture until the butter melts. Place a lid on the casserole and bake for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, check to be sure that the broth is fully absorbed. If the rice looks cooked, remove the casserole from the oven. Fluff the rice, replace the lid, and let the rice stand for up to 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

The rice can be refrigerated for up to three days, or it can be frozen in individual portions. Brown rice can be prepared this way but will require 50 minutes, or more, to cook.

Tips:

I often toss half a cup of grated carrots or beets into the dish for the sitting period, at the end. The steam from the hot rice cooks the grated vegetables, and the added colour is visually appealing.

Once you are comfortable making rice in the oven, try using other liquids and different vegetables in your medley. I have made oven-baked rice with pineapple juice, instead of broth, adding chopped apples, celery, and onions to the mix. I've also tried mixing coconut milk, kidney beans, and a bit of chilli powder. Have fun! 

 

 

 

 

Slow Cooker Pea Soup

The original recipe for this soup was submitted by Claire Lajeunesse-Lewko of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, and featured in a Canadian Living slow cooker compilation.

Step One:

In a large bowl, soak 2 cups of dry yellow split peas in 6 cups of cold water, for twelve to twenty-four hours. I do this after my evening meal so that I can put the soup on the following morning. 

Step Two:

In the morning, drain and rinse the split peas and place them in the slow cooker.

To the slow cooker add:

6 cups of fresh water

1 ham or picnic shoulder bone with a little meat attached

1 large onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

½ teaspoon of black pepper

Cover the slow cooker and cook the soup on low for 6 to 7 hours or until the vegetables are tender.

Remove the bone and bay leaf. Add any bits of ham from the bone to the soup. This hardy soup may be kept in the refrigerator for a couple days or frozen in individual portions.

I love to serve this soup with cheese scones or Cranberry Cornbread. 

 

 

 

 

 

A Leather Postcard Romance

I began collecting postcards in fourth grade when my mother, finally, allowed me to participate in a chain letter. The invitation chain letter promised that I would receive hundreds of postcards but would only have to mail four letters. Over the following weeks, I received a mere dozen cards from around the world. As disappointing as that number seemed, I became interested in postcards.

Postcards originated in the late 1800s and were known as trade cards. They were used to advertise businesses and were probably delivered, door to door, by company representatives. These cards were a novelty, and recipients cherished them, gluing them into scrapbooks or pinning them on walls. By the 1900s, it was common to collect souvenir postcards from great exhibitions or while travelling.

Postcards have a complex history. It is believed that the first postcard ever mailed was hand-painted and the artist sent it to himself. It is also rumoured that one man tried to patent the idea of postcards, hoping to dominate the market. In America, in the late 1800s, postcards bore the inscription Private Mailing Card, Authorized by Act of Congress, May 19, 1898. Writing messages on postcards was all but prohibited. The back of a postcard had to be clean and open for an address and stamp.

Collections of postcards in antique stores or museums attest to the wide variety of materials, images, and styles developed over the decades. Creative publishers pushed the boundaries of postcard production. Designs included lithographs, photographs, fancy edges, white borders, embossed and textured cardboard, film stock paper, leather, and wood. In 1907, the US Postal Service banned leather postcards, because they jammed the postage-cancelling machines. However, in that same year, it became legal to publish a divided back on postcards, half for the address and half for a message. Postcard mania ensued, ushering in what is known as the Golden Age of Postcards.

I find the history of postcards interesting, but I am more intrigued by the messages people wrote decades ago. I own two leather postcards, one manufactured in 1906 and one made by W. S. Neal in 1907. I was attracted to the W.S. Neal postcard because it holds a printed proposal of marriage. Miss Myrtle Stewart, of Box 364, Saskatoon, SK received this leather card on October 21^st, 1907. A young man, JW or JA, mailed it for 2 cents on October 10^th from Ontario. I am amazed that the paper stamps adhered to the leather and remain in place, today, well over 100 years later. Having this little piece of history, sitting by my desk, has been a constant source of entertainment. Sometimes, I fictionalize the love story, but, at other times, I am tempted to research Myrtle’s past.

I have decided that Myrtle will let me discover the story when she is ready. I came to this conclusion while shopping in an antique store. I felt privileged to find a second postcard, addressed to her and mailed the summer before the proposal. The back is undivided, as it would have been in 1906, and it is addressed to Saskatoon, with no box number. Perhaps Myrtle was new to Saskatoon at the time and didn’t yet have a postbox. This card promises a July visit and is postmarked, June 2, 1906.

I look forward to finding another postcard, a monogrammed hanky, or even an old book containing an inscription to Ms Myrtle Stewart, of Saskatoon. I am patient. I have discovered that the hunt is half the fun.

Postcard notes:
The tiny holes around the edges of some leather postcards were common in 1906. This made it easy to sew the leather cards together, to create cushion tops or purses.

My grandmother, Ethel Goddard, sent the above card on September 12, 1907, to her past employer, in Bournemouth. Grandma wrote this card on her first day of work in Farnham. I do wonder how it came back to her though. It is clearly signed EG.   

Above is a Christmas postcard with a divided back. I suspect this postcard was sold in the 1930s. 

Souvenir folders were very popular during the Golden Age of Postcards. This folder weighs 3/4 of an ounce while the leather card weighs only 1/8 of an ounce.  

 

Simply Delicious Coleslaw

This easy-to-make coleslaw appears on our family’s dinner menus with regularity. The vinaigrette dressing is a tangy alternative to mayonnaise. This coleslaw actually tastes better after spending a couple of days in the fridge, and it keeps well for over a week. I often double or triple the recipe for larger gatherings.      

Vegetable Ingredients:

3 cups of shredded cabbage

1 cup of grated carrot

Toss the cabbage and carrots together until well mixed.

Vinaigrette Dressing:

2 tablespoons of sugar

3 tablespoons of vinegar

2 tablespoons of oil

1 teaspoon of salt

Mix the dressing ingredients. Warm the mixture in a saucepan or microwave oven. Whisk, until the sugar and salt are dissolved.

Pour the lukewarm dressing over the vegetables, mix well, and refrigerate. Stir the coleslaw daily in order to evenly distribute the dressing.

Tip:

This coleslaw is delicious made with shredded fresh cabbage. However, if you are short of time, you can use supermarket shredded coleslaw mix. To freshen the packaged cabbage, soak it in your favourite vegetable wash. I prefer Natural Plantation™. Soak the coleslaw mix for a half hour, then drain and rinse the cabbage well. Adding freshly grated carrots and delicious dressing to the well-rinsed, packaged cabbage markedly elevates the flavour, although fresh is always best.