The Beauty of Rice

As I stated in my last post, the hubs & I are trying to cut down on some grocery bills and are being a bit creative with our menu lately.  One thing we have discovered?  The beauty of rice.  I know rice is one of those foods that's getting a really bad rap lately, with all the carbs and whatever other problems it has.  But it's great for getting a filling meal on the cheap, and hey, everyone keeps talking about this crappy economy so sometimes affordable food is more of a priority than healthy food (not saying it's right, saying it's a reality for many). 

Here are some of the ways we have been using rice lately:

• Served with some canned beef stew.  Yes, I stole this idea off of a commercial.  But it was surpisingly good (the hubs loved it, and he was really skeptical of the idea to start with).  Meat, veggies, and rice all in one swoop.  And cost less than $5.
• With veggies.  There is a brand that does canned okra and tomatoes, pre-seasoned, and it's so freakin' good.  I poured some over some rice and took it to work the other day for lunch- amazeballs.  I usually am not a big fan of many canned foods, at least not without adding my own seasonings, but I really like this.
• My dad reminded me that rice with cream of chicken soup is also good, he used to make it pretty often when I was a kid.  Add some mushrooms and shredded chicken to really amp up the meal.

A Cooking Strategy

I tried to make it pretty clear when I started this blog that I am by NO means a great cook.  I consider myself merely mediocre at best, and I rarely make up my own recipes (I prefer to steal them from other people).  I would love to be a kitchen goddess, but I don't have the time, energy, or money to spend on that dream right now (too busy following that other dream of a degree that leads to a well-paying, stable career NOT in the kitchen). 

So what do I do when I'm clueless?  When I just don't have the energy to search for a new recipe or attempt one I've already found?  I make pasta.  I buy any kind of noodle, any kind of meat, any kind of sauce, and put it together with mushrooms, olives, Italian seasoning, and garlic.  That's basically covers any type of pasta you could want, think about it...

Chicken/Shrimp Alfredo= straight (flat) noodles, chicken or shrimp, alfredo sauce
Spaghetti- straight (smaller, rounder) noodles, ground chuck/turkey, marinara sauce
Ravioli- stuffed square noodles, whatever meat is stuffed in there, either sauce
Tortellini- round stuffed noodles, sausage (in my house), marinara

If you want to be really fancy you can do stuffed shells or attempt lasagna (which is something I have yet to get right).  But you see my basic point.  With those three categories & some personalized tweaks, you can create a HUGE variety of meals. 

The best part?  It's fairly cheap, and if you're really broke (which sometimes I think I am) you can omit the meat to be even cheaper & still end up full.