Millet with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Many, many moons ago I raised and bred birds (at one point I had about 80) and millet was no stranger to me. I'd buy it by the bags full.

And feed it to my birds.

During my last trip to the farmers market, I asked a gal that had a nice spread of dried beans and grains if she had any quinoa. Her response was "I only sell stuff that's grown in the USA and quinoa isn't". I had never thought of that. Her next statement went something like this..."but I have millet. It's very similar to quinoa and is cooked the same way with just a bit more water. It has the same nutrients and a lot of people like it better because it doesn't have that 'soapy' taste that quinoa has." (well...if you rinse quinoa before cooking it, it will not have that undesirable hint of soap when cooked)....but I remained quiet and let her sell me a small amount of millet).

After some research on my part, I found out that millet doesn't have the same nutritional value as quinoa so don't get overly excited, although it is very good for you. I'd say it lies somewhere between quinoa and brown rice.  I do like the fact that it's grown in the USA. I think. Let me rephrase that. I like that it provides jobs here in the USA because it's grown here. Other than that, where food is concerned..."made in the USA" doesn't make me feel better about eating it.

But, I digress.

When cooking millet (btw, millet is not a grain. It's a seed.) the ratio to liquid is 3 to 1 (unlike quinoa and rice which is 2 to 1).  But, Just like the other two, if you want it dryer or wetter, just adjust the liquid ratio. Millet has a more earthy flavor to it and is actually quite good.

Especially when it's sauteed and cooked with veggies.

And I kinda liked the idea of feeding my family..."bird food".

Millet with Asparagus and Mushrooms
Printable Version

1 cup whole millet
3 cups chicken broth
2 tsp olive oil
4-6 crimini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 lb asparagus cut into 1-2" pieces (green beans are a great alternative)
Salt and pepper

In a dry sauce pan, over medium heat, brown the millet to give it a more nutty, toasty flavor. (this step is optional).

Pour 3 cups of hot chicken broth into the pan with the millet. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 - 25 minutes or until all of the liquid has been absorbed.

While the millet is simmering, in a medium skillet heat the olive oil. Add the sliced mushrooms and asparagus and saute until crisp tender or to your desired tenderness.

When the millet is cooked, fluff with a fork and toss in the cooked mushrooms and asparagus. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Challenge #1 with a little Basmati Risotto

Everything looks better on a full stomach.

Why am I saying that? Well, I'm a little nervous, you see. I've entered a challenge on Foodbuzz.com called Project Food Blog.

There are 10 challenges to pass. Last I checked there were over 1,800 contestants and only 400 will advance to the 2nd Challenge. Grand prize is $10,000.00. (holy moly)

Nothing calms the nerves like good food. So lets start there, since that's what I'm all about.

During my resent visit to Alabama, we stayed a couple nights at my sister Jenifer's. This chick is on the go, non-stop. She has a husband, 2 young kids, a full-time job. Of course the kids have all there activities and school and church stuff....and you know, I can't figure out where she finds the time to breath, let alone make dinner. But she does. And she did while we were there.

Bless her heart. And man was it GOOD!! One of the dishes she served is called Basmati Rice Risotto. And you know what? This is perfect for her kind of household. When you think Risotto...you think, standing still and calming stirring for endless minutes....HA!!! As if thats going to happen and Jenifer's house! Nope....you mix it all together and plop it in the oven, turn on your timer and move on to the next thing.

That's how quickly things happen at her house. You blink an eye and you've missed a lot.

Did I mention there's also a dog? Ya...he's the baby of the family. His name is Bowden (yes, that name is football related.) and he's the cutest little...shoot....shit tzu? I can't remember. But I know that Jenifer saved this little guy's life. That's how much of a member he is to the family. Poor little Bowden had drown....who knows how long he'd been "gone", it had been several minutes.....but Jen, being the hero that she is, performed CPR on her children's beloved pet and rushed him to the vet. He survived and apparently is no worse for the wear. Well, there are some little things that make you wonder....is that normal? But then you remember who's house you're in and you realize.....there ain't nothin' normal goin' on, why should the dawg be any different?

Anyways...my point is, this risotto dish is fantastic. And it was introduced to me from a fantastic lady...my precious sister...."Flerd" (don't ask).

Basmati Rice Risotto (as printed on the back of Cache River Rice)
Printable Version

1 can Beef Consomme
1 dan French Onion Soup
1 4oz can sliced mushrooms
1 1/3 cup Basmati Rice
1/2 cup melted butter
2 Tablespoons (or more) grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat your oven to 350'F and grease a 2 1/2 qt casserole dish.
Mix all of the ingredients together, except for the cheese (although Jen mixed in a little extra cheese with these ingredients. I didn't) in a greased 2 1/2 qt. casserole dish. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Stir and continue cooking for another 30 minutes.
Fluff with a fork and sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese

Serve and enjoy all those fantastic flavors!! If you're lucky enough to have leftovers....enjoy it again. 

Ok..now that our tummies are full of some good food....let me tell you about this first challenge.

Ready, Set....BLOG!!!

This is where I tell you about myself and why I'd be a good candidate as the "Next Food Blog Star".

Do you know how hard it is to "sell yourself?" But that's what I'm here to do.

Food has been an important part of my family life since I can remember. Even back in the days when my food focus was what was advertised on the cereal box. I couldn't understand why the cereal I picked out didn't really include the strawberries that were shown. And did I really have to eat all of the cereal? Even though I picked all of the marshmallow shapes out of the box while watching Saturday morning cartoons?

Fast forward a few years...and there I am with my friends in the kitchen trying to "invent" a new candy. Mixing chocolate and peanut butter and whatever else was in the cupboard....sugar, syrup, honey.....anything sweet.

A couple more years later, and I remember being 14 yrs old and mom working part time a few days a week. I'd call her when I got home from school and she'd walk me through a recipe so that we'd  have dinner ready by the time she got home. Do you remember creamed tuna and peas served on toast? What about sweet and sour meatballs? Yep...that was the beginning of it all.

And of course there were the summers spent in Alabama with my grandparents where I learned the pride in making what one grew in the garden and seeing it prepared on the dinner table. Green beans, okra, creamed corn.

Food has always been the center of my family get togethers. Holidays and birthdays consisted of home cooked food, prepared by all and enjoyed. Picking and tasting as it cooked...being shooed out of the kitchen....a playful slap on the hand as it came out of pan with a tasty morsel.

There was no formal training for me. Just the hands-on, trial and error, determined to do as well as my mom and grandmothers did kind of learning.

I remember before I had children, when my dogs were my "kids".....they weren't allowed in the kitchen when I cooked so they'd sit there, at the kitchen entry (drooling and quivering) and watch me cook. I gave them lessons. What else could I do? I drank my little glasses of sherry while I made meatballs and sweet and sour sauce and explained to my eager doggy students each and every step....in my best Julia Child's voice. (gotta love that sherry for loosening the tongue and the inhibitions).

Not long ago I read the book, The Julie and Julia Project....thus being inspired to start my own food blog. You can't imagine how thrilled I was when the book was made into a movie and I won tickets to the premier in Hollywood!

My blog started off being a therapy of sorts. And it still is....but it's grown into something more meaningful to me. I try to make it enjoyable to read and to reflect a little bit of me...in a silly way. I've been described (in the food section of a little newspaper in Maine) as having an acerbic sense of humor. But it's more than just a place to share my thoughts, my recipes and focus on something other than what's going on in the "real world". My blog has become something I hope to be useful to others. Now and in the future.

Not only do I cook and bake some very basic, tasty dishes....but I'm willing to try all things new.... challenging recipes that I use to be afraid of. I like to show others who are just starting out in the cooking world that it can be done. If you can read and follow directions, you can do it. My bread may not be the prettiest....but I did it. And it's good. I can't ice a cake for the life of me....but that doesn't stop me from trying. If you have the desire, and the time....I know you can do it too.

And I'm not just talking to who ever happens to stumble upon my kitchen creations....I'm talking to my daughters, who will one day be on there own and will be relied upon to provide good meals for their own families. And here they have all the recipes they grew up with....which include step-by-step instructions and most often, photos to assist them.

I think of my blog as the modern day, modern way of handing down the family experiences in the kitchen. Everything at their fingertips. Of course I expect a phone call or two (or way more)...but it's always here when they need it.

So...this blog isn't just about me. It's about sharing, teaching and connecting. It's about food, family, friends and most of all....good times.

So here's to now....and to the future!

CHEERS!!

What To Do with Chicken!

I had some boneless skinless chicken thighs that needed to be cooked but I already had dinner planned. So I just cooked them and stuck them in the fridge.

A couple of days later I knew they needed to be eaten. But in what?

I needed something quick and easy for a weeknight meal.

(as Pooh Bear says...) Think....think.....think! Oh Bother!

I asked Rabbit but he was too busy trying to fix everything.

I asked Eeyore but he just complained.

I asked Owl but I couldn't understand his explanation.

Piglet didn't want to eat cuz it was too late in the evening.

Tigger was out and about doing all things possible.

And that left Pooh to his own devises.

Thus is the Tao of Pooh.

So I got home and investigated my fridge. I pulled out some hidden crimini mushrooms (didn't even know they were there), an orange bell pepper, an onion and a zucchini. Hmm...cooked chicken....and I have plenty of rice.

Lets do Fried Rice with Chicken!!

Ok...I can do this.

Oh ya...and I had eggs. 3 was all I needed. So I got out my wok, beat those eggs, heated the wok up with a small amount of oil and lightly cooked them. Removed them from the wok and set them aside.

I wanted to leave them still a little runny so that when I added them back into the mix, they wouldn't become overly cooked.

I then cleaned out the wok (nothing smells worse than over cooked eggs stuck in the bottom of the pan).

Oh ya, while all this was going on, the rice was cooking. Sticky rice is NOT what you want. Something a little on the dryer side so you don't end up with a fried wad when you're done.

Then...I chopped up all my veggies....heated up some oil (about 2 tablespoons), and stir fried them for a few minutes until tender. Towards the end, I added a minced garlic...

Next came all the big stuff....about 2 cups or so of rice and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. I chopped up the cooked chicken and tossed that in. Stirred it up a bit and stir fried that until the chicken was warm. Last but not least, the egg went back into the wok.

Stir it all up....chopping up the egg as you go and enjoy!

In the end, of course Pooh shared his wonderful meal with all his good friends, as I'm sure he figured they needed a break from their little quirks.

Hmm...do you think Christopher Robin will show up with dessert?

Salubrious Sunday's Parmesan Chicken and Rice

Check it out....I'm posting Salubrious Sunday actually ON a Sunday!


I know...this is a first, huh!


Well, I have a slight change in my agenda. You see, with the fall weather in the near future (hopefully, although with this weeks forecast of over 100', it's looking doubtful) and the need for those warm, wonderful comfort foods, I needed to switch things around a little. Comfort foods will have to be my weekend meals (you just can't start making lasagna or chicken & dumplings at 7pm, right?) and I'll have to make a salubrious meal during the week.


Thus giving me the opportunity to post Salubrious Sunday...on Sunday.


This dish is perfect for during the week. It's simple, it's quick and it's tasty. Another Cooking Light Chicken recipe that I've made several times. A great go-to recipe that doesn't require any "unusual" ingredients.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (I used basil)
8 oz sliced mushrooms
3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used 2 chicken breasts and didn't weigh them)
1/2 cup dry white wine (I've used just chicken broth when I was out)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked instant rice
1 cup chicken broth, fat-free, less-sodium
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped


Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion, thyme, and mushroom until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Towards the end, add the garlic.

Toss in your chunks of chicken and saute until chicken is lightly browned...should take a few minutes...

Pour the wine in. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the liquid has almost evaporated...about 3 minutes.


Stir in the rice and broth....

Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed. Stir in the cheese and chopped parsley......

And serve! (yields 4 servings) Maybe with a nice side of green beans or asparagus...or broccoli. mmmm

Parmesan Chicken and Rice Stats:

Calories: 395

Calories from fat: 18%

Fat: 8g

Sat Fat: 2.8g

Mono Fat: 3.7g

Poly Fat: 0.8g

Protein: 29.9g

Carb: 44.4g

Fiber: 2g

Chol: 57mg

Sodium: 656mg

I almost forgot...My Happy Chef maker:

Basically its the same recipe as a Melon Berry Twist only I used peaches and bananas with a shot or so of coconut rum. Good stuff!!

Dajana has got some really good Salubrious meals going on in Italy...Check out her beautiful

Turkey and Vegetable Skewers and Rosemary Garlic Potatoes

Alton Brown's Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

I have to apologize for this pic.....I just have such a hard time with light colored food.

Hopefully I have found a solution but that was after I made this.

Anyways....I just did the Saltimbocca International Tour and when I made that, I decided to also make risotto as a side. For the first time ever.

I didn't have to look to far before coming across Alton Brown's Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto.

I really enjoy watching his show. Its corny yet very informational. I didn't have the benefit of watching him make risotto (bummer), but I trust his recipe. And I wasn't disappointed. I think the only eentsy teensy itty bitty change that I made was the mushrooms. I used crimini instead of wild ones.

My house is crazy enough as it is, without having to deal with wild mushrooms!

badum bum

Ya I know...that was really corny. But I'm really tired and the two go hand in hand.

6 cups chicken broth

1 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons unsalted butter (this is when I discovered that my daughter had used all the unsalted butter and couldn't figure out why it tasted so blah.....therefore I used salted butter)

1 cup finely chopped onion

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 cups Arborio rice

5 oz crimini mushrooms, coarsely chopped (I think I sliced mine), and cooked

7 oz asparagus, cooked and cut into 1" pieces

2 oz parmesan cheese, grated

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

In a large pot, combine chicken broth and wine. Heat until it just begins to simmer. Keep warm.

In another large pot (3 - 4 quart heavy saucepan) melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir.

Cook for a few minutes, until the grains are translucent around the edges.....

Alton says "Be careful not to allow the grains or onions to brown".

Turn down the heat to low and add just enough of the broth combo to barely cover the top of the rice....

Stir often, until the liquid is completely absorbed. Add more broth to barely cover the rice, stir often and repeat again, with the remaining liquid which should be just enough to cover the rice for the third time.

This liquid, stir, liquid, stir, liquid, stir process should take about 35 - 40 minutes.

Once the liquid has been mostly absorbed for the final time, its time to add your asparagus and mushrooms....

Stir everything together until the risotto is creamy and the veggies are heated through. Remove from heat and stir in your Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and nutmeg....

Season with salt and pepper to taste.....and serve.

Yum! Of course the asparagus and mushrooms were a no brainer....but the freshness that lemon gives a recipe.....good stuff baby!

First time ever having, let alone making risotto and it was good. (hopefully I did it right LOL) I can't wait to try other versions. From what I've seen....it's pretty darned versatile.

Salubrious Sunday, they're getting better! #11

I'm really excited about this one! It was good, simple, quick.....all the right components.

Sir Sportsalot wanted to grill the chicken. Not wanting to turn down kitchen help (in any form) of course I agreed. But I wanted something different yet simple.

It was hot.

I was tired.

I thought about marinating the chicken in Italian dressing, but that has been done soooo many times.

Besides, I usually use those Good Season Italian Dressing packets and I was out.

So I looked in my good ole 1958 BHG cookbook for an Italian Dressing recipe and got side tracked looking at all the old timie dressings (confetti dairy dressing? pineapple-cheese dressing?).

But...

No Italian dressing recipe back then. (interesting).

No Ranch either (not so surprising).

So I decided to try the French Dressing (the non-tomato version. forgot pics though...but its still red):

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp paprika

Dash of cayenne

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons vinegar

1/2 cup veg oil

Combine, shake...and use.

So thats what I did...then marinated the chicken with half of it. Nice....tender....and a simple flavor.

Now...the star of this meal was the Saffron Rice (minus the real saffron cuz I'm cheap that way). The recipe comes from my Good Life Healthy Cookbook.

1 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 3/4 cup chicken stock (fat-free/low salt

4 - 5 saffron threads (or 1/4 tsp powder) I used the safflower that I had bought for the Paella

1/8 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp creole seasoning

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

2 cups instant brown rice I used instant white rice which was lower in calories

Spray a medium saucepan with cooking spray; add olive oil and heat. Add minced garlic and lightly saute for a minute, then add chicken stock, saffron (aka poor mans safflower), cumin, creole seasoning and parsley

thats one old pot. I won't tell you exactly how old, but it was a gift from my aunt when I turned 21

Bring to a boil, then stir in the rice. Boil for 1 minute, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, fluff rice with a fork. Cover again and let sit for another 5 minutes

As a side, I returned to one of the recipes from my very first Salubrious Sunday; Marinated Tomatoes

All in all, it was a light, refreshing summer meal.

I don't have the stats for my chicken. I used boneless skinless chicken breast so I don't imagine it was very "unhealthy"....if at all. If you want the stats for the tomatoes, click on the link above.

As for the rice...here ya go:

Calories: 126

Protein: 2.5g

Fat: 2g

Cal. from fat: 15%

Chol: 0mg

Carb: 24g

Sodium 136mg

Now here's some very interesting information about Saffron from this cookbook. Some of you may already know some or all of this...but I'm gonna post it anyway for those of us who don't :)

"Saffron is the world's most expensive spice. You can buy it in threads or powder, or in a less expensive "imitation" form such as turmeric. The powder loses its flavor easily and should be bought in very small quantities (that's all anyone can afford, anyway!).

When using the threads, crush just before using. Heat will release saffron's flavor essence, so mixing it with 1 Tbsp. of very hot water and letting it stand for 10 minutes will increase its impact."

Paella Coast to Coast and a Guest

We're doing it again!!

Yep....another Coast-to-Coast BakeSpace Cook-off!! (btw, if you're interested in how we come up with these you can ----->click here<------there's even a post on there from Martha, a fellow BakeSpacer who doesn't have a blog, but wanted to participate, so check it out)

Anyways...before I go into the detail of what I did and how...I'd like to introduce you to one of my bestest BakeSpace buds....(giggling cuz I almost typed bugs instead of buds...) Anyways, her name is Cathy and she is an awesome cook...a fun, loving friend and just an all around really great person!


(the pic on the left is mine and the pic on the right is hers..so you can see already how different this dish can be)

Sooo...without further ado....Let me proudly introduce my very first ever Guest Blogger....give a nice warm welcome to Cathy!!!

(applaud, applaud, applaud)

How cool that I get to be a guest blogger! Thanks, Danielle!

When I first heard about this Coast to Coast blogging, I was jealous that I didn’t have my own blog. So, when Danielle invited me to guest blog I was very excited. Our mission was to make paella. Huh? I had heard of it, but it wasn’t anything I had ever thought to make. Didn’t it have all sorts of seafood? And yellow rice. Hmmm. I thought that I had better research it a bit.

A simple search on the internet gave me all sorts of information. Paella is a Spanish dish (this I already knew) and it comes in many variations. This was a good since that meant I could do my own thing. I like to do my own thing. About the only requirements were rice and saffron (and I even saw recipes that used yellow food coloring instead of saffron—blasphemous, I know). Coincidentally, I saw another food blogger on Twitter that was doing a rice dish—www.adreasrecipes.com –The Daring Cooks Make Creamy Rice with Mushrooms. Her picture looked just like paella to me, but she started out with a sauce made from tomatoes and onions (called sofregit in Spanish). Yum. I was using that idea. And since my husband wasn’t into most crustaceans, I just chose shrimp and a nice chicken sausage for the protein. So this is what I came up with:

I started out with the sofregit:

2-3 tablespoons EVOO

1 Vidalia onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic

5 Roma tomatoes, sliced into wedges

Salt and pepper

In a large pan, heat EVOO over medium high heat. Add chopped onions, garlic and green peppers and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and continue to sauté for 10 to 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

Next was the rice part:
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups Arborio rice (traditionally a “short” rice is supposed to be used, but I couldn’t find any. This is a good sub)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
A good pinch of saffron

Add the chicken broth to the sofregit. Add the rice, bay leaves, Italian seasoning and saffron. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cover pan. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, cut the sausages into slices and brown in a separate frying pan. I used a wonderful chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s---Garden Vegetable, Mushroom & Asiago Chicken Sausage. There were four to the package.

About three to four minutes before the rice is finished cooking, add the browned sausage and the shrimp (1 pound).

And, voila! Paella, Cathy style!

This was pretty tasty stuff! Once my husband got over the fact that I made paella and not payola (he thought maybe one of my recipes finally paid off-ha ha), he enjoyed it, too. Now I have leftovers for a week…..Bring on the next challenge!

(I'm baaack!)

Thank you so much Cathy!!! Your dish looks fabulous! I soooo wish I could at least eat shrimp! Anyways....I definitely want to do this again. You can be my guest anytime!

Ok...Now...lemme explain a few things. I'm allergic to fish.

My version has NO fish.

Also, I couldn't find a few things. For instance, I couldn't find the spanish version of chorizo. So I bought the mexican version. It made a HUGE difference. I can't tell you if it was a good difference or a bad difference cuz to be honest with you, before last week, I had never heard of Paella (it seems to me that I have lived a sheltered life in regards to the culinary world).

Anyways....another alteration I made was the saffron. I'm sorry but I refuse to pay $10.59 for .5g of saffron. So I opted for the American Saffron, or what's referred to as the saffron bastard...Safflower.

The main website I referred to when planning and preparing my Paella is here: La Tienda

6 cups chicken bouillon (very strong)
1/2 tsp saffron (or safflower if you're a penny pincher like me)
1/4 tsp paprika
1 small whole onion, peeled
5 lbs cut up chicken (I used thighs and legs)
1/2 cup olive oil
12 oz of mexican chorizo
13 oz portuguese sausage, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
6 mushrooms, sliced
4 tablespoons garlic, chopped
2 roasted bell peppers
3 cups arborio rise (I couldn't find small grain spanish rice)
3 tablespoons each: Italian parsley and cilantro
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 lb fresh corn, cut off the cob
3 plum tomatoes, diced
Lemon wedges and more cilantro for garnish

And a very large pan, with a 15" base. I don't have a paella pan, so I used a deep skillet.

whew...thats ooooone long list.

Ready?

Heat the bouillon, saffron, paprika and the whole onion in a large pot. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the onion and measure the broth. You need exactly 5 1/2 cups

Now....the package of chorizo said to remove the casing before cooking, and the directions called for what I thought said "cooked" chorizo, when it actually said, cooking chorizo (not sure what that meant but what I did probably wasn't what was intended).

Sooo....I removed the chorizo from the casing and cooked it....

(no comments from the gutter....errrr...peanut gallery!)

The directions say to cut the boney end of the chicken legs off and to cut the thighs in half. I suggest doing this so that everything fits into the pot. Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle with salt.

Heat the oil in the pan. Add the chicken and fry over high heat until golden brown...

Remove chicken to a warm platter. As you can see, my "warm platter" is a plate that I will cover with a piece of foil.

Put the chorizo and the portuguese sausage in the pan and stir fry for about 10 minutes. Add the chopped onion, scallions, mushrooms, garlic, and red pepper. Saute until the onion is tender...(mean while, bring the broth back to a boil)

Add the rice and stir to coat. Sprinkle in the parsley, cilantro and bay leaves. Stir in the broth, (boiling hot), wine, corn and tomatoes....

(I'm totally loving this!!!)

Bring to a boil and cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. Bury the chicken into the rice. Bake in a 325'F oven for 20 minutes....

Before:

After:

Remove from the oven, lightly cover with foil and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving. Squeeze a bit of lemon on top....mmmmmmm

Ok...changes I will make for next time: No mexican chorizo. Although it had wonderfully great flavor, I think it is to blame for my lack of "yellow" in the rice. I guess I don't like portuguese sausage, so I'll have to find a replacement for that too. And thats all I can think of right now. You try it out..and see what you come up with. This dish seems to be pretty versatile and very tasty indeed!

I did mention that this was a Coast to Coast Cook-Off.....so here's what the others did:

Culinary Alchemist in SoCal

Spryte's Place in PA

My Italian Grandmother in NJ

AlaskanDermishintheKitchen in AK