MEXICAN DINNER

Company tonight! Decided to drive away those winter blues with a good old Mexican dinner of shredded beef tacos/burritos, pinto beans with peppers and ground beef, Spanish rice and all the fixings - started off with a few chips and salsa.

 Remember this post?  Loved the color for my table but not so much the checkered ribbon and the harlequin design so.... 

At first I thought I would just scan the plate but the patina of the plate did not scan well so I found the plate online, brought the image into my draw program and enlarged it to fit on an 8 1/2x11 full label sheet and printed out two copies, trimmed them down to fit and covered the vase. Then I removed the checked ribbon and added a red one.

The table was bright and cheery and the perfect foil to all that spicy food.  The one recipe that I want to post is for Spanish rice.  This recipe was given to me by the owner of a restaurant in Colorado Springs and is very succinct and was cut down by the chef from a very large recipe.  It is simple, tasty and what I love about it best is that it is done in the oven so you can make it on the stove top and then put in the oven.  I put it in the oven in a covered casserole and once it is done I just turn off the oven and keeps fine until you are ready serve.

Spanish Rice

1 – 14oz box Uncle Ben’s whole grain instant brown rice or Uncle Ben's converted rice

4 Strips bacon (2 Tbls bacon grease)

1 very large onion or 1 1/2 medium, very small dice, about 2 cups

1 6oz can tomato paste

3 ¼ cups water

This is how the recipe was given to me except where the strips of bacon are they said use lard.  The bacon is for a couple of tablespoons of bacon grease, you could use butter.  I also dice the bacon and put it into the rice.  I like this with either type of rice and usually just cut the recipe in half and that is more than enough for four people.

Cook the bacon, set the bacon aside. Dice the onion and cook until transparent in the bacon fat - I pour the fat into a dish and only use about a tablespoon (for half recipe)

Add the rice, cook for a bit and then add the water and the tomato paste until all combined. If  you like dice the cooked bacon and put in with the rest of the ingredients.  Put into a covered casserole and into a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, check and if the rice is not done add a little more water and tomato paste and cook for another 10 minutes.

Resource

Salad Plates, Better Homes & Garden, Red Damask
Yellow Dinner Plates, 222 Fifth
Place Mats, Steinmart
Red crystal water goblets, Horchow
Red flatware, Hampton Signature
Runner by Fiesta
Napkins, Bed, Bath & Beyound
Salt & Pepper mill, Pier 1
Candlesticks, Coldwater Creek
Napkin Rings, Antique Farm House
Draw program, Corel Draw
Avery full sheet labels

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