Alone with Judy's Brain Archives

Rice in the Ozarks

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I really love my rice — all varieties. Basmati, Jasmine, Brown, White…doesn’t matter to me.

Ozarks Mystique -- Rice talk — Tasty Rice

Well, I take that back…I don’t particularly care for black rice. No matter what the claims are for tasty black rice, our house doesn’t see the appealing presentation!

Rice Grows in the Ozarks

Rice is grown in the Ozarks, both in Missouri and Arkansas. Martin Rice Co. is a family owned farm in Bernie, Missouri raising white long grain and jasmine rice. MartinRice.com

Riceland mill and farm is located near Stuttgart, Arkansas. Riceland products are available online, supermarkets and especially Ozarks supermarkets. The ‘neighbors’ enjoy shopping local. Riceland.com

Big or little bags of rice are available in every food store for our choices. I’ve noticed that Jasmine rice seems to be a favorite in our community. This variety is offered in small bags and VERY large quantities.

Cooking Rice without Disaster

This memory dates me, but I recall when putting rice in boiling water, covering the pan, then simmering for 20 minutes was a new wrinkle for my mom! This technique seemed like a miracle for rice compared to the mess she had hated for years.

Have you tried sauteing rice in commercially packaged products such as RiceARoni?

Now, don’t be ‘hatin’ on processed box dishes like this. I have to appreciate them for introducing me into the saute methods. Sometimes they really come in handy! There is no doubt that superior nutrition wouldn’t recommend eating this package often. But, for the times when it is a package or nothing, the box will do the trick!

Recently I began sauteing all my rice in a pre-cooking process. The rice is hot in a saucepan or skillet before the water is added. I prefer a skillet for the amount I usually cook.

My current favorite rice, Jasmine, can be temperamental in the cooking process. No matter which variety I choose, I’m finding longer, plumper grains when I saute the grains.

My ‘New’ Tip for Cooking Rice

You will need:
1 skillet with a lid that holds 5-6 cups
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 1/2 cups of rice
3 cups of water
1/2 teaspoons of salt

Heat the oil in the skillet till it begins to shimmer. Add the rice and stir constantly with a fork or spatula till it is all heated through. If it begins to brown, you will have toasty flavored rice. When the rice is heated, add the water to the skillet. The rice and oil will steam up impressively. Add the salt and bring the ingredients to a rolling boil. Then, put the lid on the pan, turn the heat down to low simmer for 20 minutes. This makes a large batch of rice that can be used in recipes or eaten as a side with meats or salads.

How Do You Take Your Rice?

Do you use rice as

an ingredient in a main dish mixture such as Spanish rice, enchiladas, risotto, or pilaf? When I was growing up, my mom made her version of Spanish rice with rice, hamburger and canned tomatoes! We weren’t very spicy, but the dish was this kid’s favorite.
a side dish replacing potatoes or noodles? We didn’t use rice as a side dish in our youth. It takes some ‘rethinking’ to get the diners at this house to do so now.
a dessert like Sticky Rice or Rice Pudding? Sticky Rice is a favorite at our house. Another popular choice is very simple — add some milk, cinnamon and sugar to the rice for a very basic dessert.
the base for a dessert or salad such as Glorified Rice? This is my husband’s favorite.

Tell me about your rice favorites in the comments.

Break or Breakdown

A good walk is better for the mind A regular break away from the desk for a walk with the dog is important for both physical and mental health maintenance. Fortunately, we live in a remote, agricultural area and have space where we can walk around in solitude. We have a maze of ‘trails’ on our property and a field next door that give us the steps without going out on public roads which could prove dangerous to the dog.

Breaks are planned for times of the day when missed calls can be returned when we get back to the desk. Phones are not permitted on breaks unless family calls are in order. Morning stroll is usually exactly that unless we have some mail to go out. Then, we head for the gravel road and the mail box. Good Dog Sandy takes her ‘down/hold’ position in the grass while I walk across the road to put the outgoing mail in the box. I flip the red flag up to wave at the mailman and come back to continue our short break. In the afternoon, we stroll directly to the mail box, repeating our routine in reverse when we check for the day’s mail. In summer, unhindered by a coat, sometimes the stroll includes some ‘walking yoga/upper body training moves.’ I don’t need a talking stick or cane for balance, but often have a walking stick along. Who knows we may have to face off a vicious mouse or snake traveling through the grass.

Other shorter breaks include an hourly reminder that pops up to tell me to stand-up and move, even a little bit. A similar reminder tells me I’ve been looking at the screen for more than 20 minutes and should look somewhere else. In reality, neither of these reminders are consistently on the money. I am NOT that organized! They do get the point across and sometimes they are exactly right. Too much time is about to happen where I’ve been sitting in the same position, looking at the screen.

I’ve read where the computer chair is the new cigarette posing as a quiet enemy to health. The breaks and walks keep circulation going. Breathing fresh air oxygenates our brains making us smarter, wiser and more patient when we return to the tasks at hand.

Breaks Can Be Hard To Find

Recently , our walk time found a car parked along the country road. We watched, but wondered if someone needed a little help. I walked up to the car to ask. The lady in the car told me she is a traveling nurse. Her clients needed to talk to her ‘right now’ and her car was her office! She was probably parked along our road for an hour. Read about working virtually on the road at Bar JD. Virtual & Mobile Along Country Roads That break more than made my day…I seldom meet other virtual people by accident!

When you are working virtually, work smart. Take a break so you don’t breakdown at some point. Virtual work can go on into retirement years with many rewards if we will take care of ourselves. And determine to live long beyond retirement.
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Lin Stepp — Tennessee In The Heart of Her Stories

Lin Stepp pleasantly takes a few different turns in the new novel Daddy’s Girl.

Stepp and her husband have written a beautiful guide book of the mountains around them…The Afternoon Hiker brings a whopping 110 hikes to readers and followers, taking steps through the great Smoky Mountains. Their travels through the mountains and country round about provide foundation inspiration for Lin Stepp’s novels. She has currently written ten novels in the Smoky Mountain collection. These pleasant and inspiring novels are each a separate plot and scenario…they are not a serial collection. So much delightful description to give pleasure to all five senses! Another book Lin Stepp offers is entitled When the Snow Falls under the author name Fern Michaels in a team including two other authors. The short novel is part of a Kensington (publisher) Christmas Anthology.

Lin Stepp’s newest release, Daddy’s Girl takes a view of family connection, friend connection and the way life goes so that sometimes the connections become tangled!

Sometimes the more things seem to change the more they seem the same!!

Olivia is my “main character” — she loves her home town, her home with the beautifully styled gardens — just like the formal gardens of English castles! I loved the descriptions of the gardens.

As Olivia’s high school graduation class plans a 10 year reunion, they each have to face their level of maturity. Some of that immaturity or maturity is connected and reflected by choices each made after graduation. The ‘hot clique’ cold issues still bubbled under the surface for all of them. Olivia had been a passive person, sometimes walking with both sides, but not defending ‘luzers’ in the face of ‘hot’ insults. When her true love from childhood returns, a ‘luzer/misfit/geek’ in high school who has become a successful young adult author, the chemistry and true friendship rekindles. The relationship doesn’t flame smoothly without struggle as each has to come to the fuller maturity they’ve been dodging for 10 years.

Olivia’s flaws along with those of the others make the story move along. With a Christian base, the book is not doctrinal, but follows life and life learning. We all show up in the faces of the characters, more in some than in others. This is the pleasant pattern that I’ve come to enjoy in Lin Stepp’s books. Inspiring and refreshing.

I received a copy of Daddy’s Girl as a gift from the author. I am not obligated to 1leave a review. The book showed up in my mailbox at the end of a stressful working week. Daddy’s Girl gave me a restful, recovery reading time! I told my husband this is one of the things that make me look forward to Lin Stepp’s books. With eloquent writing, she spins a moving story that make reviving pleasure reading for me. Incidentally, these are not ‘chick books’, the descriptions and dialog are frequently enjoyed by men! We’ve reviewed Daddy’s Girl at Cardinal Bluff.com, at my Amazon account, Goodreads and BooksAMillion.

All done with quality description of beautiful country, towns and buildings AND without violence, erotica or vulgarity! That deserves another 5 stars <br />

Defying the Computer Chair In the Freezing Ozarks

Our neighborhood has been flirting with winter all during the typical cold months with unusually warm temperatures and extraordinary amounts of rain.

This week while other parts of the country prepare for some server winter weather, we have our first snow. The ground is barely covered — just enough to disguise the earlier freezing rain slippery surface.

Sandy and I still have to make our tours outside. We both need the steps, even though they are few at a time.

Those Steps in Defiance

I know that the computer chair, while one of my favorite places to be, is not good for me in long term doses. Our 4-5 trips outside every day, walking, meditating, plotting, breathing deep, maybe gardening are important to maintaining a healthy brain and body. When Sandy isn’t here, I do the walk-about on my own because it is a time when I re-arrange the brain cells and dwell on the projects at hand.

A simmer of beans or a tub of bread dough can promise a tasty lunch. They can be left on their own for the time I want to devote to computer work. This small dose of winter weather has inspired us to cook up a package of pinto beans. They’ve been turned into a savory chili con carne and sweet baked beans. Slow cookers in at least 3 sizes are BFFs for virtual professionals!

The colder temperatures and breezes are easier for me to enjoy when I go ahead and put on a worm coat, gloves and hat. When the surface is this slick, I wear shoes with metal screws in the soles to give me some traction! This evening’s breeze made my eyes water and cheeks sting. It was nice to come in to a blaze in the fireplace and a hot cup to sip.

Technology Makes Virtual Possible

Working virtually enables me to be here for the projects of the home while applying an accumulation of skills to the marketing my clients need for their business. I was NOT born a century too late — I enjoy technology and tools which permit me to be ‘cloudish.’ You can learn more about my virtual practice at Bar JD and at the other places where I blog in addition to Ozarks Mystique.

Mother’s Day | Better than “He Went to Jared”

I’ve received a few Mother’s Day gifts over the years from my kids and my husband — they are the most important ones. I won’t bore you with a catalog, just believe me that no matter how or where they acquired the gift that each was the most wonderful thing that happened to me.

Often Dick lets me shop for my own. Since we’ve moved to Missouri, the choice is annual plants many times. This year, I chose a pair of Fiskars telescoping shrub/tree cutters! I worked on one of the big forsythias yesterday and the ‘lopper’ wasn’t long enough! It’s just a big scissor, not power. I like the therapy of trimming without noisy engines or clattering blades.

Throughout the many years, one memory stands out that shines brighter than all others and has been a fond memory. Memory is all it can be for the gift was not a tangible.

One Mother’s Day as we left Church with the three older kids, then all 6 yrs and under, Dick announced that we would be eating out. He had us stop at the store and pick up hot dogs and the trimmings. Then, we went to a park and made a camp fire. In some sort of Mother’s Day phenomenon, I found myself, in my Sunday clothes, standing over a fire, roasting the hot dogs while Dick was watching kids.

I overheard him say, “Every time I turn around, they are into something else.”

No kidding! That little memory has been a sweet one to dwell upon — now he knew! For me, that experience was shinier and more beautiful and valuable than if he “went to Jared.”

How ’bout Them Apples?

Apples were left over from a kids’ meal (the fast food franchise isn’t the topic today) and it seemed WRONG to just leave them. Maybe the kid would be starving later and this little bag of apple slices could make the difference between life and death. So, I slipped them into my purse and we headed out to the good times ahead. And forgot about them.

About a month later, as I clean my purse out to make another long trek, I find this beautifully sealed bag of mushed apples. Thank goodness for good seals because old apple moosh in purses is NEVER appreciated.

Now, the apple slices will go to the worms who in their pin-head brain wisdom prefer microbes from sweet stuff. I admit I didn’t test the moosh to see if it was sweet. The slices never ever looked sweet! They looked green, like extremely TART apples. Which is another surprise because I see this beautiful commercial about the apple grower for fast food apples and those aren’t sour looking apples. Is it time to doubt commercials?

I’ve avoided eating these apples myself, finding some chocolate mashed in its wrapper in my purse more desirable in the face of starvation. I’ve left an apple in a lunch bag and cooler for too long a few times. The ripening gases that are trapped in the bag are about enough to make me swear off apples forever. The gases result in the stink that never ends till I bleach out the lunch container. So, what happens to apple slices more seriously trapped in a sealed plastic bag. Yech.

I began to wonder if any body eats these apples. I found a blog post from August in Yahoo Contributor Network by Tavia Fuller Armstrong with more issues and concerns that I had missed. She says those apple slices are sour, partly because of the Vitamin C dip that helps preserve them till they get to the little box that the kids love. She wrote of some issues with listeria that cause additional concern.

I’m convinced that the apple slices met their highest and best use. They became food for worms who will turn that food into rich, black soil in their cold composting activity.

Now, how about them apples? How long has it been since anyone said that? I haven’t heard it for years till the phrase occurred to me as a title for this post. It used to just be something we said — but I wondered who said it first. According to the Internet, which we do not doubt, the first use was in the movie, Rio Bravo in 1959. I think that if I saw Rio Bravo in 1959, much of it went right over my head even though I might have been watching anything where Ricky Nelson appeared. I’ve viewed it since because a couple years after that, I married someone who later revealed being a fanatical John Wayne fan and avid collector of VHS and DVD movies featuring The Duke.

The original Rio Bravo phrase was “How do ya like them apples?” and more appropriate for this article, because it appears we DO NOT LIKE them apples very much.