Rice is not only a whole grain but it is easily digested. I remember my grandmother who had stomach issues choosing rice to eat. It is not only inexpensive, but it is nutritious and tasty.

For those of you who are watching your food budget, you can mix rice with many things to enhance the taste.

When Dick and I were married he told me the only way to eat rice was as rice pudding or rice cooked with milk. We lived on a dairy farm so milk was plentiful. I often cooked rice with milk in a double boiler with a cinnamon stick and a little sugar. I also added some extra ground cinnamon. When we ate it, we added more milk. Usually, I served it with some kind of meat and some fruit. We ate a lot of fruit for dessert.

Going through my Better Homes and Gaden Cookbook with the red and white checkered cover, I found several rice recipes that sounded good. I decided to try them. Here are my variations of these recipes. I know these work.

First, I made Fried Rice. That I could do to disguise leftovers. If I had pork or chicken, I made that. You added an egg to bump up the protein. It was tasty. Of course, my husband was not fond of that but he ate it.

Next, I tried Spanish Rice. That turned out to be a favorite with the children. The bacon crumbles were the key, I think. Once again, my husband did not care for it, but since the children really liked it, I told him he was going to have to put up with it.

Last week I mentioned making Spanish Rice. Each child I mentioned it to told me they could probably eat a sample. This was the week. I made a very large batch of Spanish Rice.

I shared some with each of the children and with my neighbors. Of course, I left some at home for myself. I really enjoyed mine.

When I look to buy roasts in the store or at my son’s farm store, they always seem expensive. I know that they also shrink when you cook them. Last week I cooked a beef roast with potatoes and carrots. It tasted so good. I cooked it low and slow in the oven. I paid close to sixteen dollars for the piece of meat.

I had one portion. I sent some home with my son who was still working on my kitchen floor. He had worked all day and I let him know I would have dinner ready for them. I sent some to my neighbors figuring they would get two meals out of it. I was left with at least two dinners for myself. That meant that I got eight meals out of my piece of meat. That made it about two dollars per serving. That was not bad!

I know that a lot of people do not like to cook roasts. They take a lot of time. I really like roasts because they are so versatile. There is nothing like a roast beef on kummelweck sandwich with a little ketchup and some horseradish.

I will include my recipes so I do not get nasty letters. Really people seem to like the recipes.

FRIED RICE

Fry ½ c. ham, chicken, or pork in small amount of extra virgin olive oil. Add one quart of cooked rice and two tablespoons of soy sauce. Fry over low heat for ten minutes. Add one well-beaten egg. Cook and stir for about five minutes and serve. Add a tossed salad or a dish of fruit and you have a meal.

SPANISH RICE

8 slices of cooked bacon1 c. finely chopped onion

¼ c. chopped green pepper1 1-pound can of tomatoes

1 ½ c. water¾ c. uncooked rice

½ c. chili sauce1 t. salt

Dash of pepper1 t. brown sugar

½ t. Worcestershire sauce

Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan. Empty half of the grease out. In remaining fat cook onion and green pepper. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 45 min. Crumble bacon on top and serve. I use my electric frying pan and it works well. I suppose you could put it into a slow cooker for an hour or so. You could also do this in a frying pan on top of the stove, but watch so as not to burn it.

*If I do not have chili sauce, I add brown sugar, a tablespoon of onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce to Ketchup or use sloppy joe sauce.

Hope your family enjoys this as much as mine does.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell. Contact her at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.