This works great with Campbell Farms Gourmet Popcorn Rice, but will also work with any white rice. I suppose it will work with brown or wild rice, but not sure. The 'Rice' button on your microwave is kinda in charge of it. At any rate, this works great at our house - no clumps, perfectly cooked.

1 cup of rice
butter
salt
water

Pour 2 cups water into a round Pyrex bowl with lid. Add a teaspoon of salt (maybe a little more - usually I just pour some in the palm of my hand) and stir it in. Then lay 4-5 pieces of butter to lay on top. Put it in the microwave and push the Rice button. After cooking, let rest for at least 5 minutes with the lid on - DO NOT STIR because this will release the starches, and that is often what makes the rice clumpy.

In the February 2008 issue of Louisiana Cookin', they have a feature on Rice, Glorious Rice! by Poppy Tooker. The article features Campbell Farms' Popcorn Rice, our favorite rice purveyor. When the article comes online, I will link to it.

Have you ever tried Ciroc vodka?
I discovered it after seeing P Diddy on Fox and Friends one morning and was intrigued by the fact it was made with grapes instead of grain (few vodkas are made from potatoes any more). I had settled on Skyy as my everyday vodka, mostly because of smoothness, but also because it is filtered to have few impurities. Skyy is quadrupled distilled and then triple-filtered to reduce congeners, of impurities that purportedly contribute to hangovers. Skyy is still some sort of grain vodka, but so be it. I should also mention that I have had most vodkas such as Grey Goose, Chopin, Stoli, and Absolut so I have a little background. While I am on the subject, these are all good vodkas, but the worst one I have ever tasted is Titos - it has the worst burn I have ever experienced, and I think jet fuel would have better flavor. I know some think it is the best, and maybe I will try another bottle, but I doubt it.

So, on a whim, I bought a bottle of Ciroc and I have to say it is the smoothest vodka I have ever had. It has little burn, and a clean finish with just a hint of fruit. Give it a shot.

We have been traveling to Jasper, TX, Gueydan, LA, and West Monroe, LA during the Christmas holidays, and have enjoyed several days of feasting on gumbo, ettouffee, chicken and dumplings, crawfish, cracklins, boudin, and even more to come. We've toured the Campbell Farms Gourmet Popcorn Rice facility and I have video of that as well as other pictures and video of our travels. Think of Alton Brown's Feasting on Asphalt, but without Alton Brown, a video production crew, television, or a BMW bike. In fact, it will be just my wife and cheap camera shots once they are put up. I will keep you posted.

If you buy everyday rice from the grocery store, I assume you are used to the rather bland, flavorless taste it has. Clumpy, soul-less rice is no way to go through life. There are plenty of flavorful, colorful gourmet rices on the market, and I want to turn you on to one that we
use as our only daily rice.

Campbell Farms Popcorn Rice

This rice has a nutty, popcorn like flavor that is a compliment to any rice-based dish. I have yet to turn someone onto it that does not immediately start using it as their daily rice. In fact, it is not uncommon for us to pick up 50 - 100 lbs whenever we see the Campbells. The price is more that you would pay at a grocery store for ordinary rice, but nevertheless it is a bargain.

The mixes, hot sauces, soaps and lotions are good, too. Throw a couple in with your rice order to save on shipping costs.

The last beef brisket turned out so well, I tried another. Because Wal-Mart was out of Mequite chunks, I used hickory this time. I also used A LOT more seasoning, the same as last time. This brisket was purchased from Sams Club, and it is Angus Beef. I honestly don't know where the last one came from, but I am pretty sure it was not Angus. I was a little concerned that the fat on the brisket was not as thick or well covering as the last one, but it turned out fine.

Because Wal-Mart was out of mesquite chunks, I had to use hickory. I think I like the mesquite on beef brisket better. I also wish I had not seasoned it at all. The beef has enough flavor on its on without help. Cooking time: 6 hours on the smoker, 2 hours in the oven. Internal temperature when pulled was 214. I only rested it about 25 minutes before carving, and I think that was a little short. I carved the smaller end first and stopped a little over half way through the brisket and ate. The rest of the brisket rested for about 45 minutes, and I think was much momre tender, but it could have to do with the thickness, the additional ribbon of fat through it, or the fact that
the thick end only reached 214 - the smaller end probably hit 225 or even higher. Nevertheless, no complaints.

I've decided to try a beef brisket. Most people are scared when trying brisket for the first time, but not me. And just to prove it to myself, I am going to smoke a pork tenderloin as a backup for dinner.

I'm not sure what temperature to smoke it to, but I am going to 200 - 210, similar to what I do with pork. For those of you that think this is too high, remember, the high heat is necessary to break down the tough fat part of the meat and actually make it more tender rather than less tender. Of course, I could be wrong - I'll find out. I wonder if I should have tried salting it like the post on How to Make Cheap Steaks Taste Great? Maybe next time.

Rub:

I mixed one part of Urban Accents Mesa Rosa with Hombres Foods Smoky Chipotle Beef & Fajita Rub.

Cooking Method:

Smoker with charcoal and Mesquite. Kept smoker between 200 and 230. Cooked for 8 hours; 7 hours in the smoker, then 1 hour in the oven at 250, until internal the internal temperature of the brisket reached 214.

Result:

Absolutely suberb. I was a little worried when I read that a brisket under 8 pounds will be tough, as this one was only 3 or 4 pounds. Great smoke ring, melt-in-your mouth fat layer, and the flavor is awesome. Next time, I am going to use the spices more liberally.

I've made a few tests before I posted this link to be sure it worked. I understand the concept, which is brining without the water, but just had to test it first. I also have to go on record that I have not done a "control" experiment, nor have I actually used really cheap cuts of meat (mine have been sirloin strips and ribeyes), but I have to say this method has produced some of the best steaks I have cooked in quite sometime. Do not use this method on tenderloin or Filet Mignon - it makes them just a bit salty (the sirloins and ribeyes have never tasted too salty). My favorite variation is to lightly coat the steaks with some Essence, then apply the salt. I have always used kosher salt for a minimum of 3 hours at room temperature. Let me know how it works!

The reviews are great on Amazon for the Soda Club Seltzer and Soda Maker. I discovered a limited edition colored model on their web site for the same price. Looking forward to being able to make my own seltzer water to go with my vodka. Below is a link to a video on how it works.