Okay, I admit…my husband is the chef in our house. But there are a few family recipes I have under my belt, and one that my husband can’t seem to master despite several attempts. Ha, you better believe I use it as ammunition when I need to.
Grandma Picklo used to make the most delightful rice balls in the world. You heard me right, I said rice balls. The official name for them is rice croquettes. This has been a recipe in my family for generations. My grandmother used to make this delicious side dish because she had ten kids to feed. This was back in the day when things were not so easy. You could buy rice in bulk, so she learned to be very creative. To this day they are one of my favorite fixings. And my children love them as much as me. In my house when they ask what’s for dinner, and I say rice croquettes, there’s no doubt they will be sticking around.
Here's what you’ll need. Of course, this will depend on the size of your family. We are a family of 5. If you have a smaller family, don’t worry, you will definitely want some of these left over to eat as a midday snack the next day. If you have a larger family, add another cup or two of rice, another egg, and another packet of white crackers.
• Two cups of white rice, not instant rice.
• A packet of white crackers (I prefer salted)
• Half a cup of shredded cheese (be as creative as you want with different flavors of cheese)
• 2 eggs
Pre rinse the rice whichever way you normally would and set it aside. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Stir in 2 cups of rice, lower the heat to simmer, and put a lid on the pot. The rice will take about 20 minutes to cook to the consistency you want. Stir it occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. When it’s done, you want to make sure all the water has been absorbed into the rice. Spoon the rice into a large bowl to cool and set it aside.
Once the rice has cooled, you’ll want to add the shredded cheese. You can use two different flavors of cheese if you want. Stir the cheese evenly into the rice.
Lay the crackers out onto a rolling board and roll them with a rolling pin until they become fine crumbs.
Beat 2 eggs in a bowl and set it aside.
Now here’s where it gets tricky. You have to take balls of rice into your palm and form them into the shape of an egg. This is done by making a little cup with both palms and shaping the rice accordingly. However, you’ll discover after 3 croquettes, the rice will have caused your hands to become super sticky and difficult to work with. This is why you’ll have to rinse your hands with water after every 3rd croquette that you shape. Once you get the croquettes done, lay them on a plate. Then roll them into the egg until completely covered, and roll them onto the cracker crumbs, coating them thoroughly.
Grab the biggest frying pan you have and pour about an inch of oil in the bottom of the skillet. I usually heat with med/high heat to get it started, and then turn it down a little as I go. Once the oil is hot enough, go ahead and lay your croquettes into the skillet. Roll them on each side until they are golden brown. Then take them out and lay them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb some of the oil.
I like to eat them with salt, but there are many different spices you can try. And endless ingredients you can add to the croquettes, whether it be chunks of chicken or ham, chives, etc.
Feel free to experiment with different cheeses and meats. I prefer them with only cheese myself, but the possibility with these babies is endless.
Spirit Walker Series
Book Two
Donnette Smith
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Date of Publication: 3/14/2022
ISBN: 978-1-5092-4082-1 Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-5092-4083-8 Digital
Number of pages: 250
Word Count: 65,142
Cover Artist: Kristian Norris
Tagline: When your sixth sense speaks, believe it.
Book Description:
As a clairvoyant, Jenna Langley has foreseen her fair share of murder. But the night she is haunted by visions of a woman buried alive in a makeshift casket, nothing prepares her for the chilling reality that the victim she saw in her vision is herself.
Having survived a recent tragedy, and now tasked with the duty of planning her wedding, everyone attributes Jenna’s disturbing dreams to stress. Even her fiancé does his best to convince her she is perfectly safe.
But someone wants revenge and Jenna is the target of that obsession. Her only hope for survival is if her fiancé, Detective Cole Rainwater, can root out who wants her dead before time runs out.
Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/GH_Q-HoniLA
Excerpt:
At the same time
a sharp intake of breath filled her lungs, Jenna’s eyes snapped open. Blackness
surrounded her; panic set in instantly as soft whimpers set off a series of
echoes. It took a moment for it to sink in the sounds were her own.
Raising both
hands, her palms struck a hard object not a foot above her head. She slid her
palms over a rough surface, searching, feeling across the top and down the
sides of what felt like a wooden crate.
That embodied
her like a tomb.
She let go a
shriek, crying out in agony, “No! no! please, no!” There was no doubt she was
in the very place that stoked the deepest fear in her heart. Just the way her
vision forewarned. She was buried alive.
Although not a native Texan, Donnette Smith has spent more than half her life living in the Lone Star State. She is an entrepreneur and former business owner of Tailor Maid Services LLC.
After spending a few years working as a journalist for the Blue Ridge Tribune, she realized her love for writing romantic detective novels. Her stories cover a wide range of genres, from horror, time travel, mystery, fantasy, paranormal, and thriller. But one theme stays the same, there is always a detective solving a crime, and a gorgeous victim he would lay down his life to protect.
Donnette’s biggest fascination is with forensic science and crime scene investigations. Her first mystery/suspense novel, Lady Gabriella, was published in 2008. Her second novel was a horror/mystery/suspense titled Cunja and debuted in 2012.
Her latest released novel, book 1 of the Spirit Walker Series, Killing Dreams is a fantasy/romance story and became available in September of 2021. Book 2 of the Spirit Walker Series, Buried Alive, is soon to be released on March 14, 2022.
3 comments:
The recipe sounds absolutely delicious and I can't wait to try it, Donette! Buried Alive sounds like my kind of book and I can't wait to read it! Thanks for sharing it with me and have a spectacular weekend!
Thank you. I hope you have a great week.
Thanks so much for having me.
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