Sunday, January 31, 2016

Chicken and Rice from How to Cook Everything: The Basics

A few nights ago Jenny whipped up a chicken dinner using a recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything: The Basics. Specifically, she used the Chicken and Rice recipe which can be found here online. Our family loved it! Jenny used thighs (with bones) only and skipped the limes. The real star of the show is the rice, which absorbed the stock and juices from the chicken. The rice was fluffy, tender and oozing with flavor. The recipe states that the cooking time, about an hour, is that needed for both the chicken and the rice. That could be so, though we found that although the rice was perfect, the thighs might have been a little--just a little--overdone.


Saturday, January 2, 2016

Vue Grille and Bar--Indian Wells, CA


During the first morning of our Palm Desert vacation over the holidays, we went to the Vue Grille and Bar at the Indian Wells Golf Resort. There, the kids enjoyed the California rolls and the countless number of screens showing every NFL game. The carving station offered turkey and ham and, nearby, you can get an omelet made to order.


I tended to go for the seafood items such as shrimp and lox. The one distinctive item of this buffet not normally found elsewhere is the carmelized pepper bacon. My wife and kids thought it was too spicy, but I thought it delicious.


If there was one disappointment, it was that the buffet did not have everything stated on the menu online (like the pumpkin pancakes). What also wasn't clear from the website, but we were pleasantly surprised to find out, is that kids are roughly half price: $12.95 each for kids and $24.94 each for adults. The adults can have all the mimosas they want at no extra charge.


Vue Grille and Bar
www.vuegrilleandbar.com