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The King of all Rice Makers, the Zojirushi Neuro Fuzzy

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Zojirushi Rice Maker

Cooking rice is something you either don’t think about or you dread making it for fear of burning or under-cooking it on the stove.  I used to be one of those who felt dread at the thought of cooking rice.  I watched an episode of Dinner Impossible a year or so ago that reminded me of the terror as Robert Irvine burned rice three times in a row.  See, it can even happen to the professionals. 🙂

I had resorted to buying boxed rice “kits” and bagged rice that you microwave.  This is akin to using Hamburger Helper for the rice world and although it made me cringe, I did it anyway.  Just as I thought about going through a 12-step program to get away from microwaving rice, I had dinner at a friend’s house who owned a rice maker.  They didn’t just own any rice maker either, they owned a Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 Neuro Fuzzy Rice Cooker & Warmer (1.0 Liter) rice maker and warmer.

The price tag of around $200 is generally the first thing that scares people off from this particular rice maker but trust me, it’s not just “any” rice maker.  First off, it cooks 10 cups of rice and can keep it warm, and does this on it’s own.  You don’t have to put it on the stove as it has a 1000 watt element and you don’t have to watch over it either.  You pour the rice in, add the water, and push the start button.  Come back in 30-85 minutes (depending on how much rice) and it’s done, perfectly.

I’ve had the rice maker for around four years now and it’s resulted in me cooking much more rice for the family.  Whereas it used to be a chore to do, it’s super simple now and even the kids can use it.  I cook rice with many dishes and not only is it easy, but it tastes great.  I also use the rice maker to cook different styles of rice.  I use Jasmine as my main staple but also cook Basmati, rice pudding, rice with coconut milk, and other rice-based dishes in it.

So, how does it do this?  The device works by guaging the moisture content during the cook cycle and adjusts the heat and time left accordingly.  This allows you to cook different kinds of rice with various ingredients and know it will come out properly without intervention.  You can’t beat the ease of use.

The rice is cooked in a removable container that is Teflon coated (ie, non-stick) and has cool-touch handles for easy transport.  The internal steaming lid removes easily for clean-up and the device even comes with a plastic rice paddle.  Once the rice is done you can leave it on warming mode for over 24 hours.  I don’t recommend leaving the rice for much longer as it will dry out.  I tested the temperature of some rice left in for 24 hours and it was at 150 degrees Fahrenheit which is safe for extended food consumption.

Putting the rice in the cooker

Adding the water

Cooked rice!

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Quick Post – Crab Cakes and Fruit Salsa

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Crab cakes with Fruit Salsa

I did a quick but healthy dinner tonight by making crab cakes topped with a fruit salsa.  I also made some spring rolls with crab, onion, noodles, lettuce, fresno peppers, and cilantro. 

The fruit salsa had freshly chopped pineapple, mango, kiwi, fresno pepper, red bell pepper, cilantro and a little agave syrup.  The whole thing was sided with rice, a peanut sauce, and a sweet chili sauce.

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Grilled Calamari – Simple and Healthy

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Grilled Calamari

Ever since I lost a lot of weight a year ago, I’ve kept it off by eating healthy during the work week.  One of my favorite things to eat is Grilled Calamari.  Fortunately for me, Sashimi, a local restaurant in town, has it and does a great job of fulfilling my need of it at least once a week. 

Yesterday it was too cold to get out for dinner so I decided to grill some calamari of my own.  It was a bit too spicy for my wife’s liking but I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Next time I’ll hold back on the chili sauce. 🙂

Ingredients (Feeds Two people):

  • 3 Calamari steaks
  • 1 Teaspoon Chili Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Chili Paste
  • 1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Butter
  • 1 Green Onion
  • 1 Fresno Pepper

Finely dice the onions and the pepper.  Thaw the calamari steaks if they are frozen.  Dry them off completely once thawed.  If they are wet they will not sear properly as you will spend more time evaporating water than cooking the protein.

Heat your All Clad Electric Griddle

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Homers “Home Cooking” Restaurant in Little Rock

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Homer’s has been in Little Rock for a while now and is a place my family visits often for lunch.  They don’t serve the type of food I eat normally (“simple” home southern cooking style that is high in calories,) but I tagged along with some family and friends the other day for lunch. 

If you haven’t been there, it is a small place located near the Little Rock Airport and has a very packed lunch crowd during the week.  It’s very casual and serves typical plate lunch fare like hamburgers, hot-dogs, chicken, fried fish, etc.  Most dishes come with your choice of vegetables (corn, peas, etc.) and a choice of rolls or cornbread.

On the day I went it was much like I had experienced in the past with a large crowd of people and a simple menu to pick from.  Given it was a Tuesday, I had looked for something relatively low-calorie and settled on the special of the day which was Baked Chicken ($6.99).  For my two vegetables I ordered corn and purple hull peas and for my choice of bread, ordered the dinner roll.

Baked Chicken, Peas, Corn

The waitress was very nice and attentive even with the large crowd and our food came out quickly.  The Baked Chicken was described as being marinated in a low-fat sauce and appeared to be slightly breaded.  The breading offsets the low-calorie marinade calories but it wasn’t heavily applied.  The chicken was a breast, on the bone, with a liberal amount of seasoning applied.  I tried to cut into the chicken with my fork but it was too tough to do so without a knife.  I couldn’t really judge the flavor of the chicken given how tough it was and only ate a few bites. 

Fortunately, the purple hull peas tasted great and so did the corn.  The peas were cooked very well and the corn had a hint of sweetness.  I had a small bite of the large dinner roll, that appeared homemade, and it was fluffy with a sweet flavor to it.  I easily could have eaten the whole roll but I watch my calorie intake during the week and had to pass.

I’ve been to Homers before and the food was better then so I’m not going to base future visits on this one experience.  The main problem for me is that I don’t eat high-calorie food during the week and most choices on their menu don’t fit my requirements.  If you want a cheese-burger, fried-fish, or other southern “home cooking,” you should give them a try.  They are very popular with their lunch crowd and you can’t go wrong with many of their items.

(501) 374-1400
Little Rock
2001 E Roosevelt Rd
Little Rock, AR 72206

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Bruschetta with Fig and Goat Cheese

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

One of the things I’ve made that people really liked is my Bruschetta.  One of the more tasty ones (according to others) that I make is made with fig, goat cheese, basil, and honey.  The following is the simple but well received recipe:

Ingredients – Makes 10

  • Loaf fresh sourdough bread
  • 4 Fresh figs (not dried)
  • Honey
  • 8 Tablespoons Goat Cheese (or a soft/creamy cheese of your choice)
  • 5 Fresh basil leaves
  • Butter

Fig and Cheese Bruschetta

Slice the loaf of bread into several pieces, reserving 10 slices for the bruschetta.

Butter each slice and place in a broiler for a few minutes until slightly browned.  I use Butter from Parma, the same that is used in making Parmesan cheese and it’s wooonndderful tasting with a nutty aftertaste.  Remove the bread from the broiler.

Slice the figs thinly and reserve 20 slices.

Top each slice with about 2 Teaspoons of goat cheese.  I say about because it depends on the size of your slices.  It should be a decent amount but not so much that it’s overbearing.

Fold and slice the basil thinly.  You should use the Chiffonade technique.  If you aren’t familiar with it, check out the wiki article.  Sprinkle the basil over the bread slices.

Top each slice of bread with 2 slices of fig.

Drizzle honey over each layered bruschetta.

Broil in an oven until the figs start to boil on the edges.  This should take no more than 3 minutes.  If they don’t start to boil, remove anyway.  The point here is that you don’t want the bread to be too crispy.

Serve and enjoy!

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Mc Alister’s Deli, Little Rock

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Chipotle Chicken Wrap

I met my wife for lunch the other day at Mc Alister’s Deli on Rodney Parham in Little Rock.  I normally like their deli sandwiches and wanted something low-fat and quick.  You can of course order very fattening and high-calorie food there but if you are careful you can have a tasty and healthy meal.  Specifically, I was looking towards a turkey sandwich with no cheese.

Mc Alisters is a chain and is a step above fast-food places like Subway.  It is not a sit-down and order restaurant though.  You place your order at the front counter, take a number (usually,) and sit down while your food is prepared.  They typically bring it out in baskets and that’s the whole process.

We ordered after a few minutes and I had the Chipotle Chicken Wrap ($6.99) with an iced tea.  My wife had the Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap ($6.99).  They didn’t give us a number, which I found odd, but we paid and sat down after receiving our drinks.

Several minutes went by as I watched people who were behind us in line receive their food.  I also watched as they completed their food and left.  After about 30 minutes I went to the register to ask what was taking so long.  Did they have to kill the chickens?  Maybe they were trying to resurrect Caesar to obtain his original recipe?  Anyways, they apparently had lost our order.  The cashier couldn’t figure out how it could get lost and was stumped. 

A manager came out from the back, whispered something in her ear, and they proceeded to offer us a refund and a remake of our order.  Apparently the order had been placed on the completed spinner in the back instead of the to-be-completed one.  We needed to leave but went ahead and requested a re-do.  We also opted to take the refund offer.  Normally I wouldn’t do this but we did get forgotten and the nice gesture was called on.  I applaud them for having he customer service sense to do this and appreciate it.  I’ve been to many places who won’t do anything to rectify customer problems.

Our food finally came out after the 50 minute ordeal.  The wrap is described as “Slices of grilled chicken, fat-free chipotle peach sauce, Romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers and tortilla strips in a wheat wrap.”  My wrap looked good but was messy when I picked it up.  The messy part came from the chipotle peach sauce as it had pooled under my wrap in the basket.  The sauce had a sweet flavor with zero heat in it.  I expected it to be spicy but it did have an ok flavor. The chicken was cooked well and was tender.  The tortilla strips offered a nice crunch but the lettuce was chopped in very large pieces.  The lettuce was so large that it made taking bites difficult.  If the lettuce had been finely chopped the wrap would have been 10x as good.  Sometimes its the little things that count.

I didn’t try my wife’s wrap so I can’t comment on it.  Overall my wrap was not very tasty given the texture was all wrong and the sauce was way too sweet.  I would not order it again.  If I go back I’ll stick with a turkey on wheat and no cheese.  It wouldn’t make the news but then again, maybe it wouldn’t take an hour to eat there either. 🙂

9700 Rodney Parham
Little Rock AR 72227
t: (501) 537-4848
f: (501) 537-4849
Hours of Operation: Sun-Thu: 10:30am-10:00pm; Fri-Sat: 10:30am-10:00pm

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Kitchen Co., A Great Cook’s Store in Little Rock

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

Kitchen Co.

** UPDATE: August 2012, Kitchen Co. has closed. 🙁

I buy lots of cooking supplies locally.  For everything I like to pick up my favorite store in Little Rock is Kitchen Co.  They have been selling online since 1995 when they were known as www.GreatSauce.com.  They are located in the same mall as The Fresh Market and are around the corner from Cheeburger Cheeburger.

According to their description, “KitchenCo. is a mom and pop kitchen and gourmet shop located in Little Rock’s bustling Pleasant Ridge Town Center. We carry the finest names in cookware, bakeware, and kitchen accessories, in addition to a wide assortment of gourmet foods and gadgets. Some of our featured brands include All Clad, Le Creuset, Viking, Wusthof, J.A. Henckels, Caldrea, Riedel, and Schott Zwiesel. We specialize in personal service combined with a genuine knowledge of the products we sell.”

I’ve been a customer of theirs since they opened and can verify that their description is accurate.  I go there often to pick up new pieces of my Cordon Bleu dinnerware set as well as various utensils.  They have a huge selection of bowls, measuring cups, bake-ware, cutlery, cookware, and even small appliances.

They also offer cooking classes on a variety of topics and have a full kitchen in the back of the store.  The last time I was in there they were cooking apple pie that smelled wonderful.  You can sign up for their classes online through their website.  They appear to run anywhere from $35 to $60 (with an average of $40).

11525 Cantrell Road #910
Little Rock, AR 72212
(501) 663-3338

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Chick-Fil-A, Little Rock

By Todd Barron @ FoodieCuisine.com

I don’t normally eat fast food, much less talk about it here, but I must say that the one fast-food joint I crave is Chick-Fil-A

I used to drive 20 minutes to Conway just to go to Chick-Fil-A.  I never liked to deal with the parking at Park Plaza in Little Rock so I avoided going to the one inside.  They then opened one across the street from the mall and I’ve been going there for the past few years.  It’s hard to beat drive through access and when they opened the one on Cantrell (by Fresh Market,) I was overjoyed.

Spicy Chicken Sandwich

The nice thing about Chick-Fil-A is that the sandwiches aren’t full of strange ingredients, nor are they heavy in calories and fat.  One chicken sandwich is worth 9 points in Weight Watchers and that’s not too bad given what you are eating (a fried chicken sandwich.)  Each sandwich has 410 calories and 16 grams of fat if you are counting.

Chicken Strips

My favorite thing to order is the Chicken Sandwich with American Cheese.  I’ve been ordering it for several years and have always enjoyed it. 

I tried the Spicy Chicken Sandwich and it tastes great as well.  The only thing I don’t recommend is the pepper-jack cheese.  It has a strange texture to it and ruined the experience for me.  I think the american cheese adds an acid to it that is much needed.  The Chicken Stripsare also good and I like to order them with the Polynesian sauce.

The chicken is crispy and the batter they coat it in tastes great.  I’m almost always happy with what I order and they rarely let me down.  I didn’t used to like the waffle fries very much but recently they either changed them or the one on Cantrell does a better job of seasoning them.  Whatever they did, they taste better now.  Frankly, I think they started added more salt.

They are closed on Sunday so don’t bother trying on that day.  Other than that, they have the typical hours of a fast-food place and you can find them all over Central Arkansas now.

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