Red Cargo Rice and Brown Rice Salad with Bell Peppers, Raisins, and Walnuts

This Red Cargo Rice and Brown Rice Salad salad is a burst of textures, colours, and flavours. Asian-style dressing adds depth to the nutty texture; with a surprising combination of raisins and red bell peppers.

Red Cargo Rice is definitely a star in this Red Cargo Rice and Brown Rice Salad - it has more texture than brown rice and adds a great colour.  The presentation is beautiful enough to make it a holiday dish. It can be served warm as a colorful side dish or as a salad, when chilled.

Serves:  12 

• 1 cup brown rice
• 1 cup red cargo rice 
• salt to taste
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
• 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup roasted walnut pieces, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Soy Sauce Dressing

• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp sugar 
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic crushed or finely chopped
• 1cm root ginger finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste 

1. To make the soy sauce dressing, put all sauce ingredients into a jar with a lid and shake well to blend. 
2. Cook rice in boiling salted water for 40-45 minutes until soft. Rinse, drain well and cool. Place in a bowl and add remaining ingredients. 
3. Toss thoroughly before serving. 10 minutes before going to serve, add the soy sauce dressing to the rice and veg and toss well, then serve.
   
   
   
   Adapted from Allrecipes.au

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Bacon-wrapped Water Chestnuts

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

• 1 pound bacon
• 2 cans water chestnuts, 8 oz each
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup chili sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cut each strip of bacon in half. Wrap one strip around one water chestnut. Secure with a wooden toothpick. Place in shallow baking dish.
3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes. 
4. While the wraps are baking, in a small mixing bowl combine brown sugar and chili sauce to make barbecue sauce. 
5. After the wraps have finished baking, transfer them (removing them from the grease) to a second shallow baking dish. Pour the sauce over the wraps. 
6. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 10 to 15 additional minutes, or until bacon is crispy. Serve hot out of dish with toothpicks

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Chicken Terrine with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pinenuts

The presentation of the dish is awesome and it will certainly be a table centerpiece. A variety of textures makes it an interesting combination for the palette. Because it is very filling and very pretty, it will make a good candidate for a buffet-style event.

Servings: 12
Time: 4+ hours

• 500g chicken breast, cut in cubes, 2x2cm
• 350g chicken thighs, cut in cube
• 300 grams ground chicken
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup cream
• salt, pepper to taste 
• 1 cup roasted red bell pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) cayenne pepper 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C / 360F. Line a loaf pan with a piece of wax paper so comes up the side of the tin and completely lines the tin leaving an overlap on both sides of about 3cm.
2. Mix all the ingredients except the last two. Place the mixture in a tin. Fold over the sides of the paper over the meat and cover with grease proof paper or foil. 
3. Place the pan in a baking dish with enough hot water to come halfway up sides of dish. Bake at 180°C for 1 hour. Remove the dish from water, place a weight on top, cool, refrigerate overnight or at least for 3hours before serving. 
4. Mix the roasted peppers and the cayenne pepper, top the terrine before serving. 

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Simply the Best Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip

Original Betty Crocker Baked Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe.

Photo Credit: Betty Crocker website

If only I had 5 cents for every time I got asked the recipe... It is a rare recipe to which I wouldn't add or change anything. Simply great! Awesome for big parties, pot-lucks, etc. and disappears in no time.

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 can artichoke hearts, 14oz / 400g, drained, chopped 
• 1 pack frozen spinach, 9 oz / 255g, thawed, squeezed 
• 1/2 cup  red bell pepper, chopped 
• 1/4 Cup(s) or Monterey Jack mozzarella grated cheese (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Mix mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese. Stir in artichokes, spinach and bell pepper.
2. Spoon mixture into 1-quart casserole. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese.
3. Cover and bake about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve warm with baguette slices.

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Stu's Meatballs

My husband's colleague, Stu, had been bringing these meatballs to quite a few potlucks. They are sweet and tangy and disappear in no time; I couldn't help asking for a recipe and here's the copy'n'paste from his email:

I usually use a package of hamburger (medium fat or lean), larger, but not the family pack. For a lot of meatballs, use two of the packs. I make small meatballs, but my mother-in-low (the source of the recipe, but she got it from a woman on an air force base in Quebec, so I have no idea where the recipe actually comes from) makes balls about 1" to 1.5" in diameter, as they stay softer in texture. My meatballs are probably about 3/4"-1" in diameter.
The sauce is made from 1 jar of red currant jelly (not jam) and one or two jars of Heintz chili sauce. I roll the meatballs in flour and brown in a skillet, then place in the sauce and let them
simmer for a couple of hours, then usually let them sit in a cool place overnight and heat again for serving the following day.

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Seafood Pasta Salad

• 1 1/2 package tri-colored (8 oz / 250g) pasta
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 1 lb imitation crab meat
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tbsp white sugar
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper 

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; rinse under cold water until cool and drain. 
2. While pasta is cooking, chop celery and crabmeat. Run hot water over peas to defrost. 
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, milk, salt and pepper. Add the pasta, celery and crabmeat and stir until evenly coated. Adjust the salt, sugar or mayonnaise to suit your taste. Chill several hours before serving. 

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