Pomegranate Wild And Brown Rice Salad Recipes

We are slowly switching from white rice to brown rice. Carlos is actually not a huge fan of brown rice so for now I will mix the white and brown rice and he is slowly getting use to it. Beside brown rice I like wild rice too. I love the hearty and nutty flavor of the wild rice. For this particular salad I used Goose Valley Brown and Wild Rice Fusion. It is a combination for Brown rice, wild rice, heirloom red rice and sweet brown rice. If you like to make this salad you can use any type rice combination to suit your taste.

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked Brown and Wild Rice Fusion
1 roasted chicken breast – slice thinly
2 spring onions – slice thinly
½ cup of pomegranate
1 cup of tomatoes – halve

Dressing:

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small mixing bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients and set it aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combined the cooked rice, spring onions, tomatoes, pomegranate and chicken breast.
3. Pour in the dressing and toss in lightly until combined. Serve cold or at room temperature.

A bonfire love shoot: Lacey and Jason - Dairy Foods

This bonfire love shoot is like a dream come true. It is cozy, sweet, warm, gorgeous.  Photographer Gina Zeidler is the genius behind these photos, she was inspired to create a beachy, bohemian bonfire style shoot with a Midwestern feel.  So she included plaids, a sunset on a lake, a blanket to snuggle under and of course s'mores.

I could go on and on about all the reasons why I adore these photos.  First, this shoot epitomizes fall.  It makes you want to fall in love or if you already are in love, give your sweetie a big bear hug.  It is a warm mug full of hot chocolate with marshmallows and whip cream on top.  It is pure perfection.

See for yourself, photo credits to Gina Zeidler.


Gina found props on etsy and craigslist including this awesome plaid couch for only $25!  Former client and model Lacey and her husband Jason were happy to be a part of this shoot.  Um, aren't they gorgeous?!


















Do you love this shoot as much as I do???  Do you want to see more?  Be sure to head over to Gina Zeidler's blog for part 1 and part 2 to check out more amazing photos!

Thanks so much to Gina for sharing this with us!

DIY cake stand tutorial - Dairy Foods

It is hard to believe but these cake stands are DIY. Did you catch the real wedding I featured yesterday with these amazing cakes and cake stands?  Jennie of A Well Crafted Party graciously agreed to write up a step-by-step tutorial on how to create one of these colorful cake stands. 

Cake stand tutorial as told by Jenni:

Materials needed

1 plate
1 candle stick or goblet
Epoxy
1 heavy book
1 can of spray paint (I really like the way gloss looks for this project)
a sheet or paper to protect surfaces while painting

Making a home-made cake stand is incredibly easy. First, start of with a plate—any plate will work but I recommend using one that has the color or image you would like at the top of the stand as this will not be painted to keep the cake stand food friendly. Next, find a candle stick, goblet or really any sturdy object that is the height that you would like for your finished stand. I have used both candle sticks and goblets in the past.
Then take epoxy (use according to directions) and glue your candlestick or goblet to the bottom of the plate. DO NOT MOVE THE STAND.
Place a heavy book on top of the stand and let the epoxy set according to directions. After the epoxy has set you should be able to pick up the stand with no movement from the candlestick or plate
Make sure the plate is set firmly on a protected surface so that you can spray paint the outside of the cake stand. If there are edges of the paint off of the paper I would suggest covering the top of the plate with paper or painters tape
Spray the entire outer surface according to the directions on the spray paint can. Take your time on this step and stand back far enough to avoid drips. Also, this step make take a couple of layers of paint so plan to make the stands at least a day in advance of your party.
After the stand has dried, wash the top of the plate with dish soap and water. The stand is not dishwasher safe but is food friendly as long as food is not touching the painted surfaces. If you are worried about this then just place a doily or wax paper on top of the stand before putting food on it.
Jenni, thanks so much for sharing this awesome tutorial!!!

We love DIY projects at Eat Drink Pretty, if you have one you would like to share please send an email to eatdrinkpretty {at} gmail {dot} com.

Real wedding:Mitchell and Heather, June 2010 - Dairy Foods

I know I said last week's real wedding was probably the last summer wedding I would feature, but I lied. This sunny, colorful wedding is too lovely to pass up. I love the simplicity and the gorgeous, outdoor venue (Benson Park Pecans in Shawnee, OK).

The bride's sister Jenni of A Well Crafted Party sent me this wedding that she styled. Jenni said her sister was very laid back about the wedding and gave full control to her as long it had three things: converse tennis shoes, white garden chairs and the color-scheme of yellow and orange.

The gorgeous ribbon wall pictured above created separation between the reception and ceremony.

Photo credits to West Impressions.

As told by Jenni:

"The entire wedding was DIY. We created all of the flower arrangements, foods, paper goods and decorations. We had a local cake designer, The Cake Diva create 7 different cakes that we displayed on home-made cake stands. Each cake had a different flavor and filling but all had the matching buttercream frosting. The main cake was decorated beautifully in the wedding colors. Guests got to choose the flavor of cake they wanted to eat."
If you love these DIY cake platters as much as I do check back tomorrow for a tutorial with step-by-step photos from Jenni. 
White folding chairs all lined up for a ceremony may be one of the simplest, loveliest parts of any outdoor wedding.
Invites that carried out the color scheme


A birdcage veil, short dress and orange converse,could this bride be any more unique and adorable???  Thanks so much to Jenni for sending this wedding my way and don't forget about the DIY post on how to make homemade cake stands tomorrow!

Fried Tofu with Szechuan Pepper and Salt Recipes

I am a sucker for any salt and pepper dishes. If we dine out and I see in on the menu I will definitely order it. Most of the restaurant here will prepare it with pork, calamari or shrimps but for today I am doing it with tofu. These dishes are not difficult to prepare. Basically you just deep fried the main ingredients and sprinkle it with salt and Szechuan peppercorn mixture. As for the Szechuan pepper all you have to do is dry roast it over medium heat on a heavy-based pan until it begins to ‘pop’ and aromatic. Cool it down and then grind it into powder with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. I usually make more of it and store it in an airtight container.

Ingredients:

1 block of firm tofu – cut into 1” cubes
½ cup of cornstarch
Salt to taste

For the salt and pepper dip

1 tsp of Szechuan pepper
2 tsp salt

1. Dry the tofu with some paper towel. Sprinkle it with some salt. Heat oil in a hot wok until surface seems to shimmer slightly. Lightly coat tofu pieces in cornstarch.
2. Carefully lower the tofu into the hot oil – it is important not to coat the tofu in advance of heating the oil, or it will become very moist and sticky.
3. Fried until lightly brown and crispy, remove and drain the oil on paper towel.
4. Arrange tofu on a platter and serve immediately with the salt and pepper mixture.

Pumpkin spice muffins with cream cheese frosting - Dairy Foods

I had a lovely Sunday morning baking these pumpkin spice muffins, sipping coffee, and catching up on some blog reading while the sun streamed through my kitchen windows.  We had a spectacular fall day in MN, the kind of day that when you are outside you just want to stand still with your eyes closed, face toward the sun.  I'm not exaggerating, it was really that great of a day.

The muffins filled my kitchen with a warm, cozy smells and I was thrilled to be baking and not be rushed for time.  It's been so long since I've had a weekend day thad didn't consist of running from place to place, you know how it is...

These muffins are lovely, plain and simple.  They become amazing when topped with cream cheese frosting.  The muffins themselves are not that sweet but one important lesson I have learned from baking a lot of muffins is that you will never regret sprinkling sugar on top before placing them into the oven.
I found these adorable orange heart toppers at Target, they came mixed with brown spinkles for only $1.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins (recipe adapted from Fine Cooking)

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
3 cups pumpkin purée (canned is fine)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 lb. (16 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted
1-1/4 lb. (4-1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. ground cinnamon
3 Tbs. ground ginger
Pinch cloves

Preparation

Heat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, pumpkin purée, brown sugar, sugar, and butter. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until just mixed. Gently fold in the raisins. Grease and flour a muffin tin (or line it with muffin papers, preferably foil). Scoop about 1/2 cup batter into each tin so that the curve of the batter is even with the rim of the cup. (Refrigerate any extra batter in an airtight container for up to a week.)

Bake the muffins in the middle of the oven until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into them comes out clean, 30 to 35 min. Remove the muffins from the tin when they're cool enough to handle.  Frost with cream cheese frosting (I piped using a large star tip)

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients

¼ cups Softened Butter
4 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
½ pounds Powdered Sugar
½ teaspoons Vanilla

Mix all ingredients on high until soft and whipped. Spread onto completely cooled muffins, or place into a large pastry bag with a large star tip and go crazy! Store in the fridge, as icing will soften at room temperature.

It's hard to tell but these muffins were topped with a small piece of crystalized ginger.  There is ground ginger in the muffins so I thought it would be a nice play on ingredients. 


I am going to make more of an effort to cook/bake and post more recipes on Eat Drink Pretty.  If you have favorite recipes to share (especially anything fall-inspired) I would love for you to email the recipe, eatdrinkpretty {at} gmail {dot} com.

Thanks so much for stopping by Eat Drink Pretty today!!!

Stir fry Chicken in Osmanthus Syrup Recipes

Osmanthus is a plant which produces flowers called gui hua (or cinnamon flower or cassia flower). The flowers are used to infuse with tea leaves to create a scented tea called gui hua cha. It can also be use to make jam, dessert and even in stir fry dishes. I bought some when I visit New York some time ago and I cooked chicken with it. This is an appetizing dish as it has the sweet, sour, salty and a nice fragrant of the osmanthus.

For more information about Osmanthus please refer here.

Ingredients:

Half chicken – clean, remove skin and cut into bite size pieces
1 carrot – sliced
4 pieces dried black fungus – soak in water until soft
1/2 cup ginko nuts
1 clove garlic
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
salt to taste
1/2 tsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water
2 tbsp osmanthus syrup (more if you like a sweeter dish)

For the syrup:

1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp dried osmanthus flower

Bring the water and sugar to boil.  When the syrup is slightly thickens add in the dried osmanthus flower. Let it simmer for another minute and turn off the heat. Let the syrup stand for 5 minutes before using.

1. Drain and cut the fungus. Heat up wok; add in about 2 tbsp olive oil.  Add in the chicken, spreading chicken on bottom and sides of wok to cook until it turns white and slightly brown about 2 minutes. Add garlic and stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in fungus, gingko nuts and carrot.
2. Continue to stir-fry for another 30 seconds and add in about 1 cup of water (more or less depend on how much gravy you like). Bring it up to boil and add in the soy sauce and vinegar. Cover and simmer until the chicken cooks.
3. Add in 2 tbsp of the osmanthus syrup and continue to cook for another minute. Check seasonings. You might want to add a bit more salt or syrup to it. Add in the cornstarch mixture and bring it to boil and sauce thickens.
4. Dish out and serve with rice.

Note: Osmanthus flowers are available by mail order from TeaSpring.com. You can keep the extra syrup to make dessert or to sweeten your tea.

A chili evening - Dairy Foods

{Photo credits and recipes: Fine Cooking}

I was hoping for an evening that included making a big batch of chili with my honey. I was going to throw some cornbread into the mix, too. Instead I worked late in preparation for two presentations on Friday. Not exactly an ideal evening. To top it off I took the train home and got rained on and then dropped a container of sour cream and it splattered all over kitchen floor.  Icing on the cake after a long day. 

Enough of that.

I think I've mentioned just a few times how much I love fall. I love chili, stew and soup, too. They fill your house with delicious smells and the leftovers are just as good, if not better.

I found these awesome chili recipes from Fine Cooking. Perhaps I'll be able to have my chili evening with my honey sometime this weekend.

Here is a list and links to recipes for the yummy chili pictured above:

Slow Cooker Chili
Spicy Chicken and White Bean Chili
Brisket and Bean Chili
Beef Black Bean Chili Chipotle Avocado
Turkey Chili
Tex Mex Chili

Did you know Eat Drink Pretty has a Facebook page? I posted a quick poll and would love your feedback, check it out!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Cranberry Orange Glazed Scones Recipes

I like baking scones for our weekend breakfast or for afternoon tea. This is one basic recipe that I used over and over again. I tried many different additions by adding toasted nuts, different dried fruits and fresh berries to it and each time it come out perfect. These scones are soft, moist, and scrumptious especially like the chewiness of the dried cranberries and sweet orange glaze. There's nothing better than serving these remarkable scones warm with a cup of tea or coffee.

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour
1 stick/1/2 cup/113 grms cold butter
3 tbsp sugar
11/2 tbsp grated orange zest
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried cranberries
2 eggs
¼ cup + 3 tbsp milk

For egg wash

1 egg + 2 tbsp milk – beat together
some sugar for sprinkle

For Glaze

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoon orange juice

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line the baking pan with parchment paper.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix flour, sugar, the baking powder, salt and orange zest together. Add the cold butter and mix at the lowest speed until the butter is the size of peas.
3. Combine the eggs and milk and, with the mixer on low speed, slowly pour into the flour and butter mixture. Mix until just blended. If the dough is too dry add a bit more milk.  Add in the dried cranberries the dough, and mix on low speed until blended.
4. Pour the dough out to a well-flour work surface. Knead lightly to form a ball. Flour your hand and rolling pin and roll out the dough to ¾” thick.
5. Using a knife or a cookie cutter cut into desired shapes. Place the scones on the baking pan. Collect the scraps of dough and roll it out and cut into shapes again.
6. Brush the top of the scones with egg wash, sprinkle it with a bit of sugar and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly brown and the insides are fully baked. The scones will be firm to touch.
7. Allow the scones to cool for 15 minutes and then whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and orange juice and drizzle over the scones. Serve with some jam and butter.