Rice/2 recipes

Layers of mayo-spread French bread, sauteed tuna with vegetables, and cheddar cheese soaked in an egg and tomato custard, then baked until golden and puffy. Part strata, part souffle, all comfort.

Creamy hamburger mushroom stroganoff: ground beef and mushrooms simmered in a tangy sour cream sauce, ladled over egg noodles. The 30-minute weeknight version of the Russian classic.

Big-batch Texas-style chili from Tyler with 2 lbs ground beef, seven cloves of garlic, jalapenos, and a serious triple-pepper spice blend. Simmers for 3 hours until thick, rich, and fiery.

Tender pork simmered in savory stir-fry marinade, wrapped in delicate rice paper with crisp lettuce, fresh herbs, and fragrant rice powder. Classic Vietnamese street food.

Manicotti stuffed with ricotta, diced mozzarella, and prosciutto, baked under tomato sauce and Parmesan. Italian comfort food that earns rave reviews every time.

The biscotti turned out delicious, by adding white chocolate really enhanced the depth of the flavor, and also gave the biscotti a softer and creamier texture, which also made these yummy biscotti highly additive. Almond and dried apricots added the rich nuttiness and sweet-sour juicy bites.

Lemony lentil salad with salmon combines flaked salmon, canned lentils, red bell pepper, cucumber, and fresh dill in a zippy Dijon-lemon vinaigrette. A high-protein, no-cook lunch ready in 20 minutes.

Ochsenschwanzsuppe is the classic German oxtail soup. Slowly simmered oxtails build a rich beef stock, then puree with root vegetables and finish with Madeira.

This quick Mexican bean dip is packed with flavor. It can be a dip or a filling to make burrito. Within about 10 minutes, you will be able to enjoy a quick delicious meal.

Salmon corn chowder with bacon, creamed corn, potato soup, and Old Bay seasoning. A thick, creamy chowder using canned salmon and pantry shortcuts for a fast weeknight bowl.

So to start off with the first post, I decided to make a meal that screams of comfort food. Whilst it does take a bit of a while to get the meal done, once you take that first bite, heaven couldn’t seem closer if you were Adam trying to touch God’s finger in the “Creation of Adam” fresco created by Michaelangelo. The meal I speak of is Cottage Pie. There is much debate as to what exactly a cottage pie is and how it is different to a Shepherd’s pie...I don’t know. The dominant theory is that Sheperds pie uses lamb mince, whilst a cottage pie uses beef mince. I don’t know about you, but the term “Sheperds Pie” does not get my tastebuds going quite as well, so I prefer the term cottage pie. Besides, comparing the price of ground (mince) beef to ground lamb, a student would pick up the beef mince in a heartbeat without even so much as glancing at the lamb in the meat section. This cottage pie that I made is full of flavour, and just makes you want to cuddle up next to a fire and watch TCM movies all day either by yourself, or with a significant other. Here is the recipe:

Norwegian sort gryte (black pot) stew with diced chicken and ham, peas, leeks, and tomatoes in a creamy mushroom sauce finished with Madeira wine. On the table in 30 minutes.

A convoluted version of Muffaletta salad inspired the the New Orleans sandwich of the same name. Based on a recipe by that Guy on Food Network; a dressed up pasta salad that's packed with loads of punchy flavors and textures then served in Bibb lettuce cups.

A quick and refreshing summer salad is an ideal side dish to go with the summer BBQ.

So yummy, store-bought seven-layer dip can never beat freshly homemade version, no doubt.

A three-meat, no-bean chili loaded with ground beef, pork, and hot Italian sausage simmered with Mexican beer and V8 juice. Florida-style heat that feeds a crowd.