Wild Rice with Cherries and Toasted Pecans

Hi folks. Thought I'd pop on here to share this recipe with you. But before I do I'd just like to take a minutes to say thank you for being so sweet while I've been sick. I have read all your emails and comments and am so touched by your kindness. I am doing much better. A friend has the flu so wondered if we both had it, but my thought is really food poisoning. Just with how quick it hit and the symptoms I think I got some bad food. Feeling much better now. Just a bit weak and tired. But then I've been helping out at the barn so that can't be helping. Hoping for a sleep in day on the weekend. Hard to rest during the week with all the chaos that happens around me. Anyhow you all are super sweet and I sure do appreciate it. Means so much to me to have friends and fans who care. You guys are amazing.

So if you recall I told you awhile back my sis had sent me the recipe and makings for a really fab rice dish. If you don't remember or are new, well...awhile back my sis had sent me the recipe and makings for a really fab rice dish. There, now that we're all caught up I can continue. My sis, Deb, is awesome. She is my spice dealer I swear. I get the coolest packages from her and most contain spices or sauces, fun new things to try. This particular one had me intrigued. She knows I love me some cherries, so when she saw this it got passed on to me. I love how she sends all the stuff to make it as well. She knows how busy I get so sending me the ingredients is a sure fire way to get me motivated. If I have to go get those ingredients it could take forever and a day for me to make it. Well I finally tried this and was super impressed with it. It's from the food network and the chef is Claire Robinson. I have to say this really wowed me, and I am not easily wowed. Well, I am but more by beautiful horses, or fabulous outfits, or cool pink handbags, or Ugg boots. Er, sorry about that. Kind of wandered off for a sec. Okay so I was wowed. You will be wowed too. This is a wowser. Now there are some things I would fix. And I am going to leave you hanging on that one until tomorrow as I've already reworked this and am posting the Kimified version then. So with no further ado, or talk of handbags and Uggs or pretty horseys or the coolest sweater I ever say was on page .... geez...okay... on with it now.

Ingredients:Wild Rice with Cherries and Toasted Pecans:

Source: my sis sent me this but it's from the food network courtesy of Claire Robinson

3 ½ cups good quality chicken stock
1 cup wild rice, rinsed well
¼ cup white basmati rice (this is not in the original but my sis knows we're little piglets so she thought it would help bulk up the portions.)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup roughly chopped dried cherries
½ cup toasted and roughly chopped toasted pecans (I did mine in a dry pan for about 5or 6 minutes, stirring often. You could pop them on a cookie sheet and put them in the oven.)
¼ cup parsley (recipe calls for flat-leaf, my sis sent me a wonderful dried version)

Directions:

In a large saucepan over medium heat combine the stock, rices (both wild and white), salt and pepper.

Now bring it to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 or so minutes. Give it a good stir.

Now cover it and simmer another 30 to 40 minutes, the rice should be tender and beginning to split when it's done.

Remove from heat.

If there is any excess liquid you should drain that out now.

Now add your cherries, pecans and parsley. Stir well.

Adjust seasonings if necessary.

Transfer to a large bowl and serve immediately. It's nice to garnish with a bit of parsley on top. Looks pretty.

Serve with a smile.

So are you wowed? Are you saying to yourself..."wowsers"? We sure did. This is one incredible rice dish. There are tweaks happening though. As with any recipe that isn't your own you want to adapt and personalize it. This to me had too many cherries. I know right. When does the Lunatic ever think there's too many cherries. But there is. So be sure to check back tomorrow to see what I've done with this one. A small tweak here and there and it should be perfection. Until you taste it then decide you know what it needs and take it in another direction. Aren't recipes cool. It's like that game when you were little and it started off with one person telling a story and went through 10 people and came back a completely different story. Recipes are like that. It's so much fun to share, tweak, retweak and see what others would do or change. So tweak away my friends. Let the tweaking begin.

*I should really stop making up words. It really drives my spell check over the edge. I think it's close to a mutiny soon. Renegade spell check out for vengeance. That can't be good.*

Toodles and smoochies! xx