Authentic Mexican Rice

So Hannah sent me this great recipe for Mexican rice. I really like it and make it a lot. I have a jar of the tomato bouillon powder instead of cubes because that's easier to me---I will be making this rice until the end of time because the jar is so amazingly large. You can find the original recipe here. You should go to that post because she gives great tips for making perfect rice. She also includes instructions for adding some veggies that I've never added---it's probably yummy but I haven't done it, so I wanted to post the recipe the way I've made it.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
• 1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil)
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/4 medium onion, finely diced
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 2 tomato bouillon cubes, chopped (these can be found in the Mexican food aisle at Walmart or your local grocery store)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/4 cups water

Instructions

• Rinse and drain the rice in a fine mesh strainer.
• In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the oil. Add the rice and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the rice is lightly golden brown all over (about 10 minutes).
• Add tomato sauce, garlic, and diced onion to the pan. Stir. Add the tomato bullion cubes, salt, and water
• Cook, stirring, until bullion cubes are completely dissolved. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes or until the water is completely absorbed.  Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.

Reuben Dip

This dip is super delicious! We can't get enough. I don't know where it came from originally---I got it from my father-in-law.

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese, cut into bits and softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup drained sauerkraut, chopped
• 1/2 lb cooked lean pastrami, chopped fine
• 2 tsp finely chopped onion
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tsp spicy brown mustard
• 1 cup ungrated swiss cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine well the cream cheese, sour cream, sauerkraut, pastrami, onion, ketchup, mustard, and Swiss cheese. Transfer dip to a small ovenproof casserole dish and bake covered for 30 minutes, until bubbles form around the edges. Remove the cover and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until it begins to turn golden.
3. Serve with rye/pumpernickel crackers/breads. Any good multigrain cracker will do!