Savory rice cakes...

I see it will take a bit to get re-acquainted with a semi-rural life and a big yard. It was pretty muggy today and I had to get the mowing done early in case we had another storm come out of no where. I can't believe how many bugs are out here... just trying to get some trimming done before I brought out the big mower seemed like torture. *Mental note... Must add some sort of bug spray to the shopping list!

Even though we do have central AC, the kitchen gets kinda warm if you have the oven going for awhile. I made sure tonight's dinner was going to keep the oven off... but I did end up using the stove top and toaster oven! Wild Rice Cakes with Bacon turned into a pretty laid back recipe as most of the time was spent waiting for the rice blend to cook. Before adding the broth to cook the rice, it is first toasted in a bit of browned butter to enhance the flavor. Once tender, the rice is bound together with an egg and flour mixture. Here is when you add the gusto to this dish - toasted almonds, green onions, fresh thyme, lemon juice and crisp salty bacon are mixed in. Don't skip toasting the almonds - the richness they get adds so much to these cakes. If you don't want to use the big oven, you can either toast them in a skillet or even throw them in the microwave for a couple minutes! If you felt a little naughty, you could crisp up the bacon first and then use the drippings instead of butter to toast the rice. These could also be easily made ahead of time and gently reheated in the oven for a quick side dish.

Recipes
Wild Rice Cakes with Bacon