Perfectly Sticky White Rice Recipe

I love sticky white rice. I made some to go with the Sesame Ginger Chicken & Carrots I made for dinner this evening and I got to thinking about how long it took me to learn how to cook it just right. I failed a few times and ate some I wasn't happy with a few more times than that. I do not own a fancy rice steamer or anything. I thought about it in the past but decided that I don't cook rice enough to make the expense worthwhile. So, it was me, my sauce pan and practice.

Part of my problem is that I like to buy the real jasmine rice. I find it in the foreign foods section of my local grocery store or from random local Asian food markets.

There are not always cooking instructions on these bags and I have even had a few bags that didn't have any English wording on them at all. So, here I am, saving you the trouble of trials and errors. Whoopie!

Perfectly Sticky White Rice Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup Jasmine Rice
2 cups water

1. In a medium sauce pan with lid, stir together the rice and water. (I prefer non-stick pans here)

2. Heat to boiling while uncovered and then stir again.

3. Cover and reduce heat to very low, barely a simmer.

4. Leave it alone. Less is more when cooking sticky rice. Do not stir it. I know it's hard but seriously, put that spoon down. And maybe don't lift the lid a million times like I used to.

5. Simmer for @ 20 - 25 minutes or so. Keep an eye on it until you do not see water bubbling up around the grains anymore. 

6. When you no longer see water, remove from heat and leave covered until ready to use.

This will yield about 3 cups when fully cooked.


That is it. Pretty easy. I try not to stir it too much after it is done cooking in order to help retain the sticky. If you want it to look neat, try scooping the rice onto plates using an ice cream scooper. Gives it that cute rounded top.

I keep mine stored in an airtight container, like this:

I also make sure that my measuring cups are completely dry before scooping out any rice. Introducing moisture could lead to mold so it's better to be safe.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to let me know when you try this out and how it works out for you. Peace!

Ginny's Fantastical Zucchini Craisin Bread Recipe

Good morning World! Adding recipes to my blog was on my To-Do list so, here is my first one. Enjoy and please let me know if you try it out...especially if you like it.

Ginny's Fantastical Zucchini Craisin Bread Recipe

Preheat oven to 350°

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 cup sugar
2 cups shredded unpeeled zucchini
1 egg
1/4 cup cooking oil
handful of Craisins (up to 1 cup)
1/2 cup of nuts (optional)

1. In a bowl, mix together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cloves and baking powder. Set aside.

2. In a separate mixing bowl or standing mixer, combine the sugar, zucchini and eggs until just mixed. Add in the oil and mix again.

3. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.

4. Gently fold in the Craisins (and the nuts, if you are using any).

5. Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan @ 5"x9"x3" (or any pan of similar size ie: 8x8, 9x9)

6. Bake in the oven for approx. 55 - 65 minutes or until a toothpick or butter knife inserted comes out clean.

7. Cool for about 10 - 15 minutes and enjoy. (I like mine sliced and covered in butter or spread.)

** Alterations: If you are looking for a heartier bread, try using half white flour and half whole wheat flour.

** Note: I keep mine in the refridgerator, heat up slices in the microwave as needed and use it all up within a few days.

You may have noticed that I use way more zucchini that other similar recipes. As a mom of five kids, I am always trying to find ways to get more veggies and nutrients into their bodies. Hiding them in delicious baked goods works so very well. I do the same with my carrot cake, banana breads and much more. I hope you enjoy this recipe. Feel free to comment about your experiences and/or share pictures on my Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/SuperMomTangerineDreams

Find me on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ginnylouden/

If you liked this post, you may also like Please DO Hide the Veggies.

I Will Miss You

As we sat together, just the two of us on a rare and special date, I watched you eat a popsicle, cherishing each and every bite like it was the best thing you had ever tasted; red and blue melted popsicle dripping from your chin. It was all I could do not to cry while sitting and watching you in a little booth at the Dairy Queen. In that moment, it all hit me so hard and I have been meaning to write this for you.

My dearest daughter,

I will miss you. I know that you are not going anywhere, not anytime soon at least, seeing as you are only four years old. But I will miss you just the same. I am blessed to know you and proud to be your mother. Everyday I wonder and hope that I am doing right by you, my only girl in a sea of brothers. I can relate, as I was raised with five brothers of my own. I guess we were destined to be, two peas in a pod. A pod of testosterone that we must wade through together, you and me kid.

Why am I saying that I will miss you? Because I know that our time together gets closer and closer to an end with each passing day. Time is flying by, slipping through my weary fingers like sand. Maybe I squeeze a little to tight sometimes, trying to hold on to as many grains of that sand as I can. Then I remember that I am supposed to let the sand slowly slip away and hope I let it out in all the right places.

I know I loose my temper sometimes. I know I get stressed out and that it is not your fault. You went from being the little baby princess in a house full of big people, the apple of our eyes, the highlight of our days to being the middle child and a big sister to baby twin brothers all in a day. We have our good days and bad and I need you to know how very much I love you. I love you as much now, if not more, than the day you were born; a freezing cold evening on a Blue Moon that I will never forget and cherish forever. You are still my princess. You are still my apple. You still brighten all of my days.

But you are changing, as you should. You are no longer my sweet little baby girl that I wished for for forever. As much as I adore the little girl you are blossoming into, I will miss you and all the little pieces of the past you. I will miss holding your tiny body in my arms and the smell of your freshly washed baby hair. I will miss humming in your ear while I sway you to sleep, rocking side to side, hip to hip. I will miss picking out your clothes and cutting up all of your food. I will miss you running through the sprinkler in the yard in just your undies, without a care or a worry because you don't know yet the kind of world we live in. I will miss the way you eat your favorite foods with gusto, never worrying what others think or that you have food on your chin. I will miss the way you can't tell a knock-knock joke right to save your life. I will miss standing unnoticed outside your bedroom door while you play and make voices for all of your little stuffed animal friends. I will miss the day you stop carrying around your most favorite raggedy stuffed polar bear everywhere we go. I will miss your need for me in all your precious ways.

I will also miss all of the not so fun parts of you, like when you scream at me and slam the doors. I will even miss when you bicker with your brothers and have an accident in your underwear. I will miss the way you tell me you hate the dinner I cooked and that you like the hair on my butt. (She was not talking about my butt ;-) I will miss cleaning up after you when you are puking sick. I will miss telling you "no" all of the time and you making it seem like I ran over your puppy each and every time I utter that tiny word. I will miss being shot with the daggers from your eyes, piercing me through the heart every single time.

I will miss all of these things, both the good and the bad, because it is all part of the journey of being your mom. These are the things that make it real and I am grateful to share them all with you. This journey that I wish would last a little longer than it should. A journey that I try not to take for granted, but know I fail at miserably here and there. I need you to know how very much I love you, forever and always, no matter who you are or who you become.

And I am looking forward to the rest of the journey, the twists, the turns and everything in between. I hope you are, too.

Love,
Mom

Back To School Tech Sweepstakes!

Hey all! I am very excited to be part of my first joint giveaway with many of my fellow Mom Bloggers. The nice thing about these joint giveaways is that the prizes can be much bigger and better, just like this one that I am going to share with you.

Who's kid wouldn't freak out if you won them an HP 14" Chromebook PC? Which parent out there wouldn't love a $500 Visa Gift Card to help out with all of the back to school expenses that are, sadly, right around the corner? Or how about this amazing backpack and supplies prize pack? Just keep on reading and enter for your own chance to win one of these fabulous prize packs!

Welcome to the Back To School Tech Sweepstakes!

At Mom Powered Media, we believe in higher education and want to help our network readers get there. To help you do just that, we are giving one lucky reader a $500 Visa Gift Card and HP 14″ Chromebook PC. There will also be 20 second place winners to take home Back To School Prize Packages. So what are you waiting for? Let's get BTS ready, tech-style! Special thank you to our supporting co-host bloggers: Monica's Rants, Raves & Reviews, The Jenny Evolution, Memoirs of a Clueless Woman, My Dairy-Free Gluten-Free Life, My Daylights, Barbara's Beat, Saving You Dinero, Shaping Up To Be A Mom, Robyn's View, Coupons and Freebies Mom, A Hen's Nest, Budget Savvy Diva, Mutterings Of A Mindless Mommy, Your Sassy Self and Nest Full of New. Open your sleek, next-generation HP Pavilion 14-Q020NR 14" Chromebook PC to get online, fast. You can access your favorite websites and Google Chrome apps on the 14-inch diagonal HD display in seconds. HP 14″ Chromebook PC features:

• Intel Celeron 2955U Dual-Core processor 1.40GHz
• 2GB DDR3 SDRAM system memory
• 16GB solid state drive
• 802.11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN
• Intel HD GMA Graphics
• Webcam
• SD memory card reader
• 1 x USB 2.0 port, 1 x USB 3.0 port, 1 x HDMI port, 1 x Acer converter port
• 3-cell lithium polymer battery for up to 8.5 hours run time
• 2.76 lbs, 0.8" x 11.3" x 8"
• Genuine Google Chrome OS Software

One grand prize winner will receive a $500 Visa Gift Card and HP 14″ Chromebook PC. Twenty additional winners will also receive a Back To School Prize Package.

Giveaway ends August 15th at 11:59pm, open to US and Canadian residents, ages 18+. Excludes Quebec. Only one entrant per household, per address. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Enter using the giveaway form below. Good luck!

Entry-Form

Disclaimer: The participating bloggers were not compensated for this post. No purchase is necessary to enter. One entrant per household, per address. Void where prohibited by law. Winner(s) will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. The sponsor(s) will be responsible for product shipment to winner(s) of this sweepstakes. This event is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by, or associated with, Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest. Contact teri@mompoweredmedia.com if you have any additional questions or comments.

What Am I Looking Forward to the Most?

My husband asked me the other day if I was 100% happy with the house we picked out and the whole having to move and let go of our current first home. I assured him that I am. No need to worry about me. Our current home will have a place in my heart forever but I am glad to be moving. Our family really needs this. As for what I am looking forward to the most? ... DECORATING!

Seriously. It is going to be Ginny Heaven! A new place. A fresh palette. More spaces. The possibilities make me straight up giddy!

If you want to tag along on my home decorating journey, be sure to come check back here for the next few months or so. (You could always "follow" my blog ;-) I will be blogging about my process and progress, complete with before and after pictures of each room I finish. I have already started Pinterest boards for a few of the rooms. (So fun!) If you love this whole decorating thing as much as I do, feel free to check out my boards or follow them. Here are some links, just click on each caption for the pictures:

http://www.pinterest.com/ginnylouden/new-house-living-room-inspiration//

http://www.pinterest.com/ginnylouden/new-house-dining-room-inspiration/

http://www.pinterest.com/ginnylouden/new-house-master-bedroom-inspiration/

** Thanks for stopping by. Please take a moment to click on the TopMommyBlog button to the right of the page. **

Support Yours Truly: The Mom Blogger

Mom Bloggers are a "thing". We're kind of a big deal. ;-) There is a huge community of us all over the world. I am proud of being a mom blogger. I wanted to take a moment to let all my readers know how YOU can help me do better and be better and reach some goals I have set for myself. If you enjoy my blog, even a little bit, I would appreciate all of the support I can get.

With the house prep and the move and the pile of kids I have (hee hee) I have been quite busy and have not been able to blog/write as much as I would like to. After the move is behind me, I want to take my blog to the next level. I will be able to start hosting reviews and giveaways on my sub-blog more often. I want to continue sharing my journey as a mother of five who is still trying to find herself throughout the chaos. I would also like to start incorporating more posts about kids crafts and cooking/recipes, as those are things I really enjoy doing. The possibilities are endless.

There are opportunities for mom bloggers who are a strong force in the community and I would like to become a bigger part of that. I have my eye on a conference or two in the future where I could meet and network with other mom bloggers, many of which are on a very professional level and have broad fan bases. There are forums where I could learn about being a better writer, reaching a bigger audience and maybe branding or getting some advertisements to pay for small ad spaces on my blog. The more fans and readers and followers I have who support me, the better my chances are of getting to that next level.

There is a new project that The Weather Channel, or possibly one other production company in New York, are trying to start up as a regular feature spot in order to highlight/interview different mom bloggers that they like and I am a possible candidate. I am currently in the "loop" and hope to be chosen for one of these interviews in the not so distant future. It also appears that if this all goes well they just might have a "permanent" project for some of the mom bloggers and that would be fantastic! Fingers crossed and by supporting my blog in the ways I will list soon, you could help me get there.

So how exactly can YOU as an individual help me out and support my mom blogging efforts? Here is a list:

Like my blog page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuperMomTangerineDreams?ref_type=bookmark

Follow me on Instagram: http://instagram.com/virginialouden

Follow me on Twitter: (Which I currently only use to share other mom blog giveaways) https://twitter.com/VirginiaLouden

Follow me on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ginnylouden/

Another VERY helpful option is to click on the TopMommyBlog icon that is always on the right of my blog page and it looks like this:

This icon will bring you to their website and each click puts my blog up a little bit higher on their ranking list. I am currently #14 in my blog category "Everything Else" and am ranked @ #390 overall (out of thousands). The higher my ranking, the more readers and possible followers/supporters I can reach. The more supporters I have, the better giveaways I will be able to host and the better possible projects I could be chosen for. There are quite a few websites like this one, but this is my favorite to use so far. I have access to many other bloggers and forums where we can share and help each other. There are also links to opportunities, like The Weather Channel one, that I would not have heard about otherwise. By clicking on the harmless link every time you stop by my blog you are being very helpful. If you happen to really love mom blogs, you could also find some other great ones via this site, while you are there.

If you like a particular blog post of mine, please share it. At the bottom of each of my posts are buttons you can click on to share it on Facebook, Google + it, Tweet it, email it and so on. I would love if ya'll did this. <3

Other things that being a great mom blogger can lead to are book deals, celebrity interviews and maybe even being included in projects in magazines and so much more. I love to write and would love to stay home with the kids and make it a more substantial part of my life.

Lastly, there is an icon that looks like this on the right side of my blog:

I would LOVE it if you would follow me. Every little bit helps and I appreciate you all so much. Have a wonderful day and happy reading!

How to Feel Like a Kid Again: A Letter From my Twin Toddlers

Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Bye. Hi. I am Z and this here is my twin brother, E. Hi. We noticed Mommy's tushy has been dragging a bit lately; she is on the higher side of thirty after all. Seeing as we are wise beyond our year and some months, we thought we would take a moment to give you all some tips and tricks to help unleash your inner child and feel youthful again. Who doesn't want that, right?

1. If you see something that you want just take it. It needs to be broken immediately. If you can't take it apart within the first minute or so, it is probably best to bang it on something really hard, repeatedly. If that doesn't work, we suggest throwing it at someone who isn't looking at you or expecting it at all. That is the best.

1. When you sit down for a meal that someone else has cooked for you, make a big deal about it. Put a bite in your mouth using your whole fist or even both fists. This is completely acceptable in public, too. Don't worry. It is a compliment to the chef, for sure. If the food happens to be extra saucy or cheesy, they want you to put some in your hair. Everybody who's anybody knows that is what the extra sauce is for. And if you do it just right you will get a bubble bath right afterwards, maybe even with fun colored water and extra toys.

1. If you do not like the food you tasted, just let it fall right out of your mouth, right onto your shirt or lap. You could also scoop it out with your fingers and fling it as far from yourself as possible. If your Mommy is nice, she might hold out her hand and let you spit it into her palm. If she does this, it is best to add a little extra drool to really make it count.

1. Look someone in the eye when you poop. The redder your face gets, the better. You never truly know how someone feels about you until they have watched you poop. This is key.

5. If someone else is getting attention, the only way to get it back on you is to hit them in the back of the head with your toy xylophone. You can pick one up at most toy stores. This will be the most effective way to have all eyes on you. It is super fun.

1. When you are finished with something like a toy or a book or maybe the milk in your sippy cup, drop it on the floor wherever you may be. Someone else is sure to pick it up for you. No need to take all of those extra steps and tire yourself out. If there is any milk left in the bottom of your cup, you will want to shake the cup a lot until some drips onto the carpet...you know, for your homeys.

1. No one wants to be alone, ever. So, follow your favorite people around most of the time. Especially when they are in the bathroom. This will give them the chance to return the favor and look you in the eye when they poop, too.

1. If you are a prankster, like us, you have got to try this one. If you feel a little sick in your tummy, do not tell anyone. There is a chance you will have to go somewhere soon so you should definitely wait until you are all buckled into your car seat and have been driving for a while. If you wait for just the right moment to barf, Mommy makes the craziest face you will ever see and starts driving all wonky. It is awesome. Totally worth it, trust us.

1. When you are in public, like a store or something, and you see something out of your reach that you want to hold, freak out with everything you've got. Yell, flail, whine, drool, the whole shebang. If you have the space, you could even lay down on the floor and kick while you scream. Even if you don't get what you want, or even remember what it was, it will have been so worth it. It is energizing.

1. Be naked. Whenever and wherever possible. Running naked is the bee's knees.

So there it is. By trying out a few of these tips in your boring adult day to day lives, you are sure to feel more youthful or at least be seen as so. Remember that "no" means "yes" and "yes" means "yes" but the only word you really need to know how to say is "no." YOYO! (You're only young once!)