Creole Rice

The last few days have been pretty good. My husband gave me a Christmas present early. Yes, it's true, we ruin the surprise. Both of us do actually. We always end up giving out gifts early. The stunning serving platter that you see is from hubs. It's hand made, hand painted, and gorgeous. Of course I had to serve something on it immediately. We smoked a chicken and after searching through the fridge I decided to throw together some creole rice. Yep! Another recipe that involves my creole spice mix. Hey, at least it's frugal, cut me some slack! :) You can use any amount of spice you want and almost any type of veggie; it's very versatile. In fact, you could easily eat this as a full meal. And if you add some ground beef and extra spice it would be a complete meal.

I've also been decorating our house with art (Christmas decor is next). I saw a painting on sale and grabbed it because it matches my kitchen perfectly. I also hung a big antique copper colored flower on the wall. I know there is a big vintage clothing trend lately. I'm not really into fashion, but vintage items for art or for the kitchen.... love 'em. 

Scroll down to see the platter hubs gave me, which could also be used as wall art. 

Smoked Chicken

Click here for the recipe

Bell pepper, celery, onion

Parsley

Rice!

Creole Rice
Serving Size = Roughly 4

• 1 cup of rice (cook according to directions)
• Beef or Chicken Broth (add enough according to directions)
• 1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 an onion, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon of Creole Seasoning (click here for recipe)
• 1 - 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup of cooked corn (canned or frozen)

1. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add some oil (I use EVOO). Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Saute for a few minutes.
2. Add the broth, creole seasoning, corn, and parsley. Stir.
3. At this point, follow the rice instructions:
4. I used jasmine rice, but normally I would use plain rice long grain rice. For jasmine rice I used 1 cup of rice and 1 1/2 cups of broth. Bring broth to a boil, cover, turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. For white rice I use 1 cup of rice and 2 cups of broth. Add broth and rice, bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Once done, fluff the rice and serve. If worst comes to worst and the seasoning is just too weak for you, then you can add a bit more and mix while it's hot.

Click here for a recipe that uses up the leftovers.

Linking to: Foodie Friday