Rice for breakfast may seem a bit odd to some, but brown rice paired with fruit is a hearty and delightfully tasty dish to start the day. It’s deceptively filling – one batch of this recipe will feed the two of us breakfast for about a week. (Make this one week and my favorite granola recipe the next, and you’ll get a very good idea of daily wintertime breakfasts in our house.) It keeps superbly and reheats well, although I’ll admit to snacking on it at room-temperature when I’m too distracted with other things to bother with the microwave.

There’s a distinct lack of precise quantities in this recipe, and I truly hope that doesn’t deter anyone from trying it. The first time we made it, Meredith quite literally threw everything into a pan to see what would happen; since then, we’ve measured by her memory. (We usually make this on a weekend morning before we’ve had much coffee.) Leave a comment below if you’d like me to measure the actual quantities, and I’ll be happy to do so.

The lack of a sweetener in the ingredients list is no omission — I find that the natural sweetness of the fruit is more than enough for this dish — but a nice sprinkling of brown sugar certainly wouldn’t hurt if you have a particularly voracious sweet tooth.

Apple-Raisin Breakfast Bake

Ingredients:

• Brown rice
• Salt
• Ground cinnamon
• 1/2 stick butter, cubed
• Dried apple rings
• Raisins
• Water

Preheat oven to 400° F. Cover the bottom of an 8x8x2″ square baking dish with approximately ½” of rice. Sprinkle lightly with salt and liberally with cinnamon. Distribute butter evenly over top. Cover rice completely with apples. Sprinkle an even coating of raisins on top. Fill to within ½” of dish lip with water and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes; reduce heat to 325° F and bake for an additional 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 8-10 servings.

Today, like so many others, was an unplanned dinner day, where we pick and choose random things from the pantry and hope we end up with something good. Our base for this meal was a package of wonderful smoked pork chops from the box of meat* my dad gave us for Christmas. I started with the idea of a traditional pork chops and applesauce meal, and this chutney was born out of necessity: with no apple sauce in the house (and no time to make any before dinner), I decided to make a chutney from the dried apples on the shelf.

I didn’t really have any idea what I was doing, and ended up partially live-blogging the experience (and the resulting cup of tea) on Facebook, which went a little something like this:

1. Boil water to rehydrate apples
2. Pour water on apples
3. Make tea with leftover water
4. Drink tea
5. Add dried cranberries to the soaking water, ‘cos I can
6. Get ass in gear because Mer’s already frying pork chops
7. Drain and chop apples, cursing inwardly at the fruit that is still roughly the temperature of its soaking water
8. Decide to fry this shit up
9. Drink tea while waiting for Mer to finish frying pork

The end result (above), served with a side of cous cous cooked in chicken broth, was a completely amazing dinner that I can’t wait to make again. I only hope tomorrow’s leftovers are as good as tonight’s meal.

Dried Apple Chutney

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups dried apples
• 1/2 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
• 1 quart boiling water
• 1/4 cup dried minced onions
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups hard cider**

Place apples and cranberries in large bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover tightly and let sit 15 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine cider and onion. Let sit.

Carefully drain excess water from fruit, but do not squeeze. Chop apples into bite-sized pieces.

Melt butter in a sauté pan set over medium heat. Add spices and cook, stirring constantly, 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in fruit and vinegar. Increase heat to medium-high and allow to reduce by half. Add salt, pepper, and cider.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has reduced to a light syrup. Serve immediately or cool and refrigerate.

Makes 2 1/2-3 cups.

*Yes, we got a box of meat for Christmas. My dad, a chef, gave us a box of assorted meat and poultry from his local butcher: steaks, chicken, top-quality burgers, and the yummy smoked pork we’re eating tonight. Best present EVER.

**I used Magner’s, our favorite hard cider that the local beer distributor inexplicably imports from Ireland.

For those of you heading off to Labor Day picnics this weekend in the US, why not try this salad for something a bit different? The mint and vinegar are a refreshing combination – mix in a shot or two of tequila for an extra kick.

Sweet-Tart Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 pints fresh strawberries, quartered
• 3 tart apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 leek, washed and very thinly sliced crosswise
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 bunch mint, cut into thin strips (chiffonade)

Toss apples in white wine vinegar to prevent browning. In a large bowl, combine apples, strawberries, and leeks. In separate small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar and butter. Toss salad and dressing; top with mint. Serve immediately.

Serves 6-8 as a dessert, or 10-12 as a side dish