Workin' to please...

We've had quite a busy weekend! Jen and Steve (my sister and her husband) drove up a couple hours to spend some time with us and the pups. While they were off keeping themselves entertained playing the new Wii, I was sequestered in the kitchen cookin' and bakin' away - this is why I didn't get a chance to put up a post yesterday! We didn't make any new recipes, but here's what I offered from the kitchen.

For a treat, Steve requested those infamous Outrageous Oreo Brownies - so I had to oblige (happily!). I'm always up for making a pan of these beauties.

For lunch, Jeff picked out these Waldorf Chicken Wraps that we had a few months ago and really enjoyed.

Dinner was selected by Jen - remember that mushroom-hiding Hamburger Buddy dish? Yes, Jeff forgot it had mushrooms in it again and completely scarfed down his bowl. When he went to throw his napkin away, he saw the mushroom container and let out a little sigh... hee hee!

We spend some time shoppin' around the market this morning and unfortunately they had to leave before dinner. If they would have been able to hang around, they would of joined us in having some of the Brown Rice and Goat Cheese Cakes I made for our dinner tonight!

These patties are a mixture of cooked medium-grain brown rice, shallots, carrots, toasted pecans, creamy goat cheese, an egg white to bind and a bit of dried thyme to play off the cheese. The veggies are cooked first to soften them, then all the ingredients are combined in a food processor and are whirled away - while you want them well combined, don't pulverize them into a paste. Use the pulse feature and try to leave them with a somewhat coarse texture.

These ingredients are quite sticky - to solve the handling issue, keep a bowl of water to the side and dip your hands in occasionally to keep them moist. It is a little messy, but it shouldn't stick much this way and they will hold their shape quite well like this. The patties are then browned off in extra-virgin olive oil and then slid into the oven to finish warming through. They are pretty much done out of the skillet, but because they have a raw egg white, the oven process helps get them up to temperature - you should bring them up to 160 degrees, in the middle of the cakes, if you are worried about that.

Moist and tender on the inside, with a golden-crusted exterior, Jeff and I were both keen on how much nuttiness the medium-grain brown rice added. Toasting of the pecans, before using, brought out such a depth of flavor and paired well with the tang from the goat cheese. Serve over some lightly dressed greens or how about matching it with a pita to make it a little more filling?

Recipes
Brown Rice and Goat Cheese Cakes