Who's Johnny?

A few months ago I pulled aside a bunch of recipes from my mother's box that I intended to make for the first time. I came across one called "Johnny's Favorite Rice Dish". I have yet to figure out if it is, in fact, a reference to my Uncle John, my mother's brother. So I have technically made the recipe twice; the second time I doubled the recipe since I had twice the amount of meat left over from before. Anyway, the recipe called for raw rice. Weird, huh? So I followed the directions adding a cup of raw rice all the while wondering if the rice would soften. Basically I this dish is like a casserole. It was basically two main components combined, the meatballs and the rice and vegetable combo. I made meatballs out of beef, catsup, and flour. The rice was combined with onion, stewed tomatoes, peppers, and seasoning. I didn't properly cover the pan before placing it in the oven (I didn't have tin foil) and therefore the rice didn't get to steam like it needed to. It wasn't a distaster but the rice was a little more hard than it should have been. The second time I made this dish, I got tin foil to cover it with and I used minute rice. I think I will drain the tomato juice out more next time because the dish was still too wet, but overall it tasted great. I love when I make something yummy! I can certainly see why this dish is Johnny's favorite!




Johnny's Favorie Rice Dish
1 cup raw rice
add salt
1 cup chopped onion
salt and pepper
1/2 cup green pepper
salt and pepper
1 large can tomatoes

In separate dish mix:
1 lb. hamburger
4 tsp. catsup
3 tsp. flour
1 tsp salt and pepper

Make into little balls and put in casserole first. Dot with butter. Add rice, etc. Cover dish. Bake 1 hour at 400 degrees.

Tribute to Mormor

Recently I've tried a few new recipes that are amazing! First, I made a carrot cake for my Mom using the recipe of my friends whose mother/grandmother passed away, a lovely lady nicknamed Mormor which is Swedish for "mother". She had the best stories and was a real "go-getter". A year and a half ago I had the opportunity to go with my friend Kate, her grandaughter, to visit her in Rhode Island. Her house is next to a pretty lake and has a lovely deck outside to take in the scenery. It's quite picturesque. Later that day as we ate dinner I asked her if she had any advice on finding love. I figured one who had been married for over fifty years would have a treasure chest of insight and advice. Well, Mormor proceded to tell me her story with all it's struggles and fond moments. What a beautiful story, really. It felt like I was in a movie, a little like "The Notebook". The main piece of advice she gave to me was to marry your bestfriend. So I look for my partner in crime :) Anyway, this is a tribute to a person who loved God, her family, and life. Here's her recipe:
Carrot Cake:
1 8oz pkg carrots
4 eggs
1.5 c. oil
2 c. sugar
3/4 c. chopped nuts
3 c. flour
2 teas. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
2 teas. baking soda
1/2 teas. salt.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook, mash and cool carrots (I just shredded the carrots and put them in raw, which turned out fine). In large bowl, beat eggs and mix with oil, carrots, and chopped nuts (I suggest walnuts). In a separate bowl mix together dray ingredients. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix well. Bake in cake pan at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes.

How did my creation turn out? It was good...I added a medley of spices (orange, cardamon, cinnamon). I think I'll stick to just cinnamon next time. Then for the frosting I cheated and used store bought cream cheese frosting. I think next time I'll make the frosting using a Philadelphia cream cheese recipe that I found on-line. Unfortunately I don't have a picture to share, but I'll be sure to take and post one next time. Adjö´ så lä´nge! (Swedish for "so long")