Cheesy Wild Rice Casserole

(slightly adapted from BHG.com)  

(6 Servings, 1 hour total)

Ingredients

1.) 1 6-oz. package long grain and wild rice mix

2.) 1 4-oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained

3.) 2.5 cups water

4.) 1 10-oz. package frozen chopped spinach

5.) ¾ cup chopped onion

6.) 1 Tbsp. margarine

7.) 2 tsp. prepared mustard

8.) ¼ tsp ground nutmeg

9.) 1 8-oz. package 1/3 fat cream cheese, cut into cubes

Directions

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.) In a 2-quart casserole, combine rice mix and seasoning packet with mushrooms. In a medium saucepan, combine water, spinach, onion, butter, mustard, and nutmeg. Bring to boiling, stirring to break up the frozen spinach.  Remove from heat and pour over rice mixture. Stir in cream cheese until melted.

3.) Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Stir mixture. Cover and bake 15 to 20 minutes more or until rice is tender. Stir again. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Overall, I liked this dish – not heavy on the spices, but all of the flavors worked quite well together.  I was actually surprised by the taste.  The first night it was just OK, but after letting it sit in the refrigerator overnight, the flavors really melded together.  This dish does not have a lot of protein, so I added some veggie sausage or ham to increase that nutrient. It is low on fat (especially with using margarine and 1/3 fat cream cheese) and has a good amount of carbs. By adding the extra protein, it makes a well-rounded and filling meal.

Two Stones Pub - Newark, DE

http://www.twostonespub.com/

I have been hearing good things about TSP’s beer list, so I thought that it would be a great idea to go with other craft beer-loving people.  I checked out their menu online before going, just to be prepared.  I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at the restaurant and there were additional vegetarian items.  Always a fantastic thing for me!

We ordered the Jumbo Soft Pretzels as an appetizer for the table.  They were served with spicy beer cheese and beer mustard.  The pretzels had some butter and salt on them, but overall, I wasn’t impressed.  The cheese was standard cheddar and the mustard was a spicy one.  I plan to order a different app next time.  As my entrée, I ordered the Harvest Salad and the Rosemary-Apple Flatbread.  It has been awhile since we ate there, but the salad was pretty standard – lettuce, tomato, dried cranberries – I think that it had a raspberry vinaigrette.  Not overly dressed – nice and fresh.  The Flatbed was a good addition to the menu.  It was served with a butternut squash sauce.  There were four slices (it’s usually an appetizer).  The apple was soft and paired well with the butternut squash.  I would love to order it again (here’s hoping it’s not a seasonal item!).

Earnest & Scott Taproom - Wilmington, DE

http://www.ernestandscott.com/

This new restaurant in Wilmington recently opened at the site where Public House used to be.  It has the same owner as Chelsea Tavern, so I was very much looking forward to trying it.  Overall, it was a nice experience, but they need to work out some of the kinks in regards to service and availability.  They had items on the beverage menu that were not availability and our server didn’t come to our table for over 30 minutes – even though they were not overly busy.  I hope that this is just “new opening” jitters and that my next experience is more positive.

I ordered the Crispy Chickpea Veggie Burger as my entrée.  When it came out, the burger was twice as large as the bun – absolutely huge!  When I was eating it, about half of it ended up on the plate because the consistency was soft enough that if it was in the air and there was no bun for support, it was going to fall apart.  It was served with lettuce, tomato, red onion confit, beer mustard, and Vidalia catsup.  Super tasty!  I actually cannot wait to order it again, but hope that it isn’t as huge so that I can actually eat the whole thing.  The sandwich is not served with fries or chips, so if you want that, be sure to order as a side.  One of the girls in our party ordered the Crispy Polenta (with cheddar cheese and fine herbs).  This had a nice crispy outside and soft, warm, chewy inside.  Not too much cheese on the top, either – delicious!

For dessert, my husband and I shared the Chocolate Torte. I don’t remember what it had in it other than chocolate, but it was some kind of fruit – it wasn’t that good and was very small.  I would definitely not order it again.

I look forward to my next visit to the Taproom – and hope that the service and menu are all up-to-date!


8/12/2013 Update:

My husband and I returned to Ernest & Scott Taproom for some more culinary pleasure.  I asked the server about the Sweet Pea Risotto and this time she said it was vegetarian!  (Previously, I was told that it was made with chicken stock.) 

Since I was not getting the Veggie Burger this time around, we ordered the Truffled Pommes Frites as an appetizer.  The fries were coated with truffle oil, shredded parmesan cheese, herbs that I could not identify, and sea salt.  I liked them – none of the ingredients was overpowering, but I think that they add the cheese and herbs at the end as only the fries on top had those!  Still, good with ketchup (Heinz, of course)!

When the risotto came out, I took a moment to admire the dish: it is a mixture of rice, peas, shiitake mushrooms, asparagus, pearl onions, carrots and herb ricotta cheese and topped with a  poached egg.  The confetti of color was appealing and resulted in a tasty dish.  As would be expected, it has a sweet taste – the peas and pearl onions really do their job!  The vegetables – especially the asparagus and carrots – stayed crunchy and gave a nice texture component to the creaminess of the risotto/cheese.  I fully enjoyed this dish – both that night and for leftovers (although I did eat the whole poached egg the first night!).  I definitely recommend it to anybody stopping by Ernest & Scott.

Barbazzu - Philadelphia, PA

http://barbuzzo.com/barbuzzo/

Friends of mine made reservations for Philadelphia Restaurant Week at Barbuzzo.  They touted it as a nice Mediterranean-style restaurant, so I was looking forward to it.  The Prix Fixe menu had some good options from the vegetarian perspective, but I would like the opportunity to go back and taste from their full menu.  The Prix Fixe option started with two crostinis for each person, one was a Smashed Fava-Goat Cheese Crostini with preserved lemon, mint, and extra virgin olive oil.  It was OK – a little too minty for my taste.  There was also a Smoky Chickpea Crostini with roasted garlic, cumin, and smoked pimento.  I definitely liked this one better (although the rest of the table chose the other one as their favorite).  It was a nice way to start the meal.

For my appetizer course, I chose the Roasted Beet Salad with goat cheese, orange, pistachio pesto, and tuscan kale.  An interesting combination for sure – and pretty good.  The crisp beets were a nice contrast to the goat cheese.  It was refreshing and light.  I ordered thePan Seared Gnocchi for my entrée (of course, without proscuitto).  It was served with kohlrabi and wood roasted mushrooms in homemade truffle butter.  I finished my meal before the other people at the table were halfway done with their’s!  It was really tasty.  The gnocchi was soft and chewy and the truffle butter was creamy.  The kohlrabi – or cabbage to us plebians – and mushrooms were a nice addition of vegetables to the pasta dish.  The dessert options were not appetizing to me – a Salted Caramel Budino or Tiramisu.  I chose the Budino because it had a dark chocolate crust.  It was a vanilla bean caramel pudding topped with even more caramel.  Not exactly what I expected.  I gave my husband the top layer of caramel – once I got to the pudding, it was good – not what I would pick, but definitely acceptable.  It was not heavy at all – a light pudding with a thin chocolate crust. My husband, who loves caramel, said that the all of it was just too much. 

I would like to try this restaurant again, if only to pick my own chocolate-lovin’ dessert!