Thursday, October 13, 2016

Isabo's Yellow Rice From the Double S Ranch!

This recipe was inspired by my daughter's Hispanic mother-in-law... when Gladys makes a pot of yellow rice and corn, everyone leaves the table happy!

It's simple deliciousness, filling and good... and the bright saffron color is perfect as a side dish!

I first posted this last spring when I used the recipe in "Home on the Range".... Which, (by the way) in case you haven't noticed is ABOUT TO BE RELEASED!!!!! YAY!!!!! :)

It's coming out in FIVE days.... but we have another copy to give away here!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT????? (I know, I know, the all caps thing is annoying, but it's so exciting!!!!! Big grin in upstate!!!)

So leave a comment below.... and let me know if you want me to add you to my newsletter list because I would love to do that... and either way, you'll be entered for a copy of "Home on the Range"...

SIGH...... such a lovely cover, Kelly Howard of Waterbrook Press!!!! #loveit  :)

So here is our recipe for Isabo's Yellow Rice:

This basic recipe came from my son-in-law's mother, Gladys Bermeo. Gladys came here from Ecuador, she and her husband Marcos, and they had three beautiful children they had to leave behind.

One by one as they established themselves in NYC, they brought their family to America to become American citizens. Their only child born here is my son-in-law, Otto... They named him Otto after a nice German man who helped them get settled here.

Gladys is great in the kitchen, she has a big heart and she always opened their little home to travelers, to immigrants. She reached out to family, and cooking good, simple food was crucial.

I fell in love with this recipe, and like many good cooks, Gladys goes by feel. And DON'T GET IN HER WAY. When she's in the kitchen, it is her kitchen!



You'll need:

Sazon seasoning (two packets)
1 1/2 cups Basmati or Jasmine rice (good rice makes a difference)
A carrot or two, peeled and chopped fine
2 or 3 stalks of celery, chopped fine
3 cups chicken broth (or 3 cups water and add about a tablespoon and a half of chicken base to the water after you add it)
1 can whole kernel corn, drained, or one 10 oz (plus or minus, you can never have too much corn, right?) frozen corn, thawed
Pepper
Olive oil just to cover bottom of pan



Cover bottom of pan with olive oil. Sprinkle seasoning mix over oil. Warm it over medium/low heat to effuse the seasoning into the oil. As it heats, whisk seasoning a few times.


Once oil is hot (not smoking) add water (everything will steam up, into your face, so be careful!). Stir in rice, chopped carrots and celery, bring back to boil, then turn heat way down to simmer.



Cover pan. Cook for 18-20 minutes. Add drained corn for last few minutes. Add pepper to taste.

This is a huge family favorite here. It's spicy enough to be noticed and mild enough that the kids all love it.



And I probably shouldn't admit this but Sazon seasoning??? When you buy the mega box at Sam's Club? It seems to stay good for a VERY LONG TIME.

Luckily I don't read the silly dates on packaging! :)

I used bits of Gladys's history for Isabo Castiglione, a great secondary character in the Double S Ranch series. Isabo and her husband came to America from Ecuador as well, but they had no children. They'd lost multiple pregnancies, but when they came to America they found work and medical care, and their very last pregnancy gave them a daughter, the heroine from "Back in the Saddle", a courageous young woman who grew up to follow in her father's footsteps, a police office in the Seattle Police Department.

Immigrant strength is an amazing thing, because immigrants have the advantage of knowing just how blessed our country is. They take nothing for granted... and appreciate the littlest things!

We are so blessed to be here, and sometimes I just have to give myself a good shake and remind myself of that.

God is good. And we are beyond fortunate to live in a land of opportunity!

Here are a few pics from Life on the Farm this past week....

Finn likes to help wash pumpkins.... Which means everything gets wet!!!!


Lena, having an "aha!" moment, when she realized that if the cushions are OFF the couch or chair, she can then climb onto them and risk life and limb... And if you put the cushions back where they belong, she will work very hard to tug them off again. #borntoclimb

Happy salesperson!!!! Who can resist buying a pumpkin from her?????

I'm off to make a pot of yellow rice for supper. I am inspired by this post... and hungry!

Remember to leave a comment below.... and last week's winner was.... (DRUMROLL!!!!)

CC!!!! Cathy, I'll give you a shout out e-mail to grab your address, okay??

Back to writing... and pumpkins!

Ruth Logan Herne is living her dream of writing sweet, heart-warming stories and getting paid to do so... she's still pinching herself each morning! She lives on a farm in upstate New York and she loves being surrounded by cute kids, small animals and great food! You can visit her website  or friend her on facebook where she loves to laugh, talk, play and pray with readers, writers and friends! And today she's also over at SEEKERVILLE!!!!! And giving away more books, so go have fun there, too!

26 comments:

  1. Great cover! Always love your farm family pics❤️

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    1. Seashore, I'm so glad! It's fun to share the mud and antics of the farm with folks! Who are you? Can I call you seashore? Or just "sea"??? :)

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  2. Thanks for the coffee. Love seeing pictures of the Mighty Finn and the Princess. Have a blessed day Ruthy!

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    1. Patricia, I'm tucking your name in next to seashore's!!! Thanks for the kudos on the cute kids... Oh my stars, we get such a kick out of all of them! And a blessed day right back to you!

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  3. I'm so happy for your new release!! And I'll be more than happy to make this dish. YUM!

    Love those photos. You have the two most photographic grandkids!!

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    1. Missy! Beth's the picture taker, and there are a lot of "out-takes", LOL! But she's good at zeroing in on a great shot that might be a corner of a totally different shot and she sees it and crops for it... I love this rice. L-O-V-E LOVE!!!!

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  4. Love the cover. Can't wait till it releases

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    1. Kirsten, thank you! I'm tucking your name into Stripey the kitten's cat dish!!!

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  5. Love the cover. Can't wait till it releases

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  6. Yes, yes, yes! This recipe is going on my menu for next week! I'll have to look for the sazon seasoning though...I'm not sure I've ever seen it in our stores. We do have a Sam's Club, though. I might have to go for the mega box! ;)

    Love your pumpkin sales people. Do they work on commission?

    And the book. Love it. Everyone needs to read it. :)

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    1. Jan, I love you to pieces!!!! Thank you for endorsing the book, that meant so much to me! And honestly, I can't tell you how OLD my Sazon seasoning is, but it's sealed in little foil pouches, so how bad can that be???? And it works fine!

      The pumpkin sales staff does work on commission... One Popsicle a day if they work from open to close.... :) Hey, I've got a big heart, what can I say????

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  7. Thanks for this fun and informative post. I would love to read Ruth's book. I also enjoyed the farm pictures. So sweet with the kids helping with fall! The rice recipe looks yummy! My kids love rice so this would be a great recipe to try. Also I love how Otto was honored with this special man's name.
    marypopmom (at) yahoo (dot) com
    Maryann

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    1. Maryann, I'm tucking your name in... and isn't that nice about Otto's name? His middle name is "Fitzgerald"... for John F. Kennedy.

      It's kind of cool how his parents grabbed hold of American culture (while keeping many of their ethnic ways) and used their new freedoms and opportunities to advance their children.

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  8. That rice looks delicious and I'd love to read your book!

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    1. Kathleen, you'd love the rice and I'm tucking your name into Stripey's cat dish!

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  9. Loving these recipes and can't wait to read this book! Thanks for doing this giveaway!

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    1. You are so welcome! Waterbrook and I are double-teaming the giveaways so we can get the word out about this wonderful story... And they've been marvelous to work with!!!

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  10. Congratulations on your new release! Thank you for the rice recipe, we will try it.

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  11. Your grand-kids are just the cutest and I love that you post about all their adventures! :-) No wonder why you're always smiling Ruthy!!

    I also need to try this recipe too! I love rice as a side dish instead of always potatoes. This looks super easy for a seasoned chef like me. I discovered brown basmati rice by the suggestion of one of my co-workers a few years ago and haven't gone back since. Good rice is essential, I agree! Never tried the jasmine rice, maybe I'll have a go at that one time :-)

    Please add my name to Nick's Stetson hat for a chance at that gorgeous book. I'd also loved to be included in on your newsletter! teamob4 (at) gmail (dot) com

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  12. Thanks for this fun post and a look at the cover of Home On The Range! Looking forward to reading it! Please add my name to the giveaway. lynnefeuerstein(at)aol(dot)com

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  13. Love the pictures included in this blog post. I must try Isabos Yellow Rice recipe. She's a delightful character in the Double S Ranch series.

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    1. Marilyn, I love Isabo! She's such a strong, common sense character!

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