Yep! Robert Cooks Too!

And he also has a flair for the unusual and non-traditional. He decided to make dinner tonight which I was very appreciate of because I was busy writing a term paper. (That's what I get for procrastinating.) Well Robert made something pretty traditional -- it's something of a staple in our house, Basil Chicken. But he decided to spice things up a little bit and try something very different. When dinner was served, I noticed that the rice was yellow, had craisins in it, and smelled like cinnamon! Yep, his version of saffron rice with currants. (Yes it's strange but we did just happen to have saffron in our cupboard.) It like a kid friendly, easy, and very aromatic version. I loved it! And so did the kids! The cinnamon was very subtle, but definately added something to it. So while the basil chicken was good, the saffron rice definately took center stage. And it is nice to be able to eat some good cooking. . . not cooked by me. :-)

Not Fried Rice!

Like many others, when I am sick and not feeling well, all I want to eat are comfort foods. For me, that would be chinese food. Foods that when I eat them I can say "this reminds me of my childhood." Unfortunately, I am not referring to the type of chinese food that you order from the take-out down the street. I want the authentic stuff, like my grandma used to make, which is considerably harder to come by. Lucky for me, the last time my mom was up she brought me one of her VERY old chinese cookbooks. That thing is older than me! Even better is that it's in both Chinese and English, meaning that it's an authentic cookbook with recipes that I want in a language I can read. I've been sporadically making some of the noodle recipes (like yesterday) because the girls love noodles. Today I had made the decision that I wasn't making dinner. But with a lack of a better alternative, I reconsidered and ended up looking through this book that my mom gave me. I found a recipe for Rainbow Rice, which I had all the ingrediants for and looked pretty yummy! Although it looks like fried rice, it's actually steamed. The vegetables are first stir-fried and seasoned and then the rice and water is added. Steaming everything together gives the rice a very aromatic and subtle flavor. I thought it was delicious. . . and may never go back to fried rice again!