Wanna' Win A Prize?

Well, I don't know how much of a prize it is, but the winner will get a shout out from me right here on my oh-so-awesome blog. I know. I'm no Paris Hilton or the Pope or anything. But, I'm still fun and exciting, right?

So, here's the contest. Feed me. That simple. I'm on a pretty strict diet because of Little Guy's reflux. We have pulled wheat, dairy, corn, and nuts from my diet. I'm also cutting out gassy foods like beans and broccolli. On top of that, Number One is very allergic to peanuts and eggs. So, I'm hungry. I'm living mostly on M&M's, Andes Candies, raisins, craisins, and prunes. Oh! And rice crispy treats. The good news is that my bowels are very regular. The bad news is that I'm feelin' kinda' hungry.

Sooooo, do you think you have some great recipe? I'm going to commit to try one new recipe a week that is safe for all of us. Where will these recipes come from? YOU!!! I know you people are great cooks, right? If I pick your recipe, I'll post pictures of us eating it as well as the recipe for others to try. And YOU get all the credit. There will be extra credit for anyone who can find a way to sneak veggies into the recipe so the kids will eat it OR for coming up with a sweet dessert. I have such a sweet tooth and raisins are just not cutting it.

This week's winner comes from my good friend, Mindy. She sent me a recipe for Spanish Rice Casserole and it was a total hit with the whole family. I doubled the recipe and have only enough left over for Number One to take to lunch tomorrow. That says a lot. And I already have the King asking when I'll make it again. I did take pictures of the finished product, but will have to post them tomorrow when I can get to the other computer. Here is the recipe:

Spanish Rice Casserole
1 cup pitted ripe olives
1 pound lean ground beef
½ cup chopped onion [or reconstituted dry onions]
1 cup sliced celery [or celery seed/salt]
¼ cup chopped green pepper [or small can mild green chilis]
1 cup raw rice (not instant)
2 ½ cups canned chopped tomatoes
1 cup water
A dash of salt, or omit salt
1 chicken bouillon cube or ½ tsp. chicken flavor base (make sure gluten-free)
2 or 3 teaspoons chili powder
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cut olives into large slices. Brown the beef in the oil in a pot. Add the onion, celery, and green pepper or chilis. Cook, stirring, until browned. Stir in the rice, then add the tomatoes, water, seasonings, and olives. Bring to a boil, then cover, turn down to low heat and simmer for 20 minutes or so until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed. Stir, then serve.

I made it with fresh celery and green peppers and put in only 2 tsp. of chili pepper even though I doubled the recipe. (We're spice wimps). The other thing I did which was a HUGE hit was to load it with cheddar cheese after taking my portion out. They couldn't get enough of it!!!

Thanks for the recipe, Mindy! I ate very well tonight all thanks to you.

For those who want to enter this very high profile contest, you can e-mail me at eyes4ears@cableone.net with your recipe or you can post your recipe in the comment section of this post. I can't wait for you all to fill my belly!