honey almond rice

This is a very expensive tasting dish that is relatively inexpensive to make.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup white rice
1 cup water
12 almonds (shelled, whole)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon honey

Cook the rice according to the instructions on whatever variety you have. While the rice cooks, take the almonds and chop them up, slivers are best (if you prefer to purchase them prepared slivered almonds will do fine). Melt the butter over low heat and stir in the honey. You should get a sauce that is thicker than melted butter alone but still thin enough to pour. If necessary you can add additional butter to the mixture. Your rice should call for the end time to sit, not on heat, and finish up. Before you place the cover on it, after fluffing with fork, add the almond silvers on top of the rice. Serve on plates and drizzle the honey-butter sauce over the rice.
When I serve this dish I normally serve it with steamed carrots and potstickers. The potstickers I buy frozen and prepare while the rice cooks.

Serves 2-4 depending on serving size of rice.
Cost (rice only) - minimal, estimating about $0.40 per serving maximum.
Cost (rice, steamed carrots and potstickers) - Depending on prices for the frozen potstickers in your area this will probably run between $1.00 and $1.75 per serving (including 3 potstickers per serving)

Alternate preparation: You can cook and sliver chicken to add at the same point as the almonds. Pork works acceptably as well. I do not recommend beef for this alternate preparation.

Tom...

Ribs

This recipe will work on either pork or beef ribs:

Ingredients: Ribs (pork or beef) - 2 pounds
Barbecue sauce - 1 cup
water
Pepper
Garlic powder or essence

Take the ribs and place them in a crockpot with enough water to cover them. Put crockpot on low. Add most of the barbecue sauce, leaving out just enough to put a light coating on the ribs when they come out. Add 1/2 teaspoon garlic essence (or powder). Let simmer for 8-10 hours. Remove ribs and place on plate, spoon barbecue sauce in a light coating on the ribs and pepper to taste. If these ribs are too moist for you you can also place them in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes after removing and saucing them. This will dry them out some.

Alternate method of preparing recipe.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Make sure ribs are thawed and place them in a 13 X 9 pan (deep). Cover halfway with water and add most of the barbecue sauce. add garlic essence or powder (1/2 tsp). Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 90-120 minutes. Remove ribs from oven and place on plate. Cover ribs with a light coating of barbecue sauce, pepper to taste, serve. Once again with this recipe if the ribs are too moist for you you can place them back in the oven without the water and aluminum foil for 30 minutes to dry them some.

Alternate spicings:
Increase garlic essence or powder to 1 tbsp and skip barbecue sauce for garlic ribs.
Replace barbecue sauce with your choice of hot sauce for spicy ribs. In this case you may wish to reduce the overall amount used from 1 cup to 1/2 cup

Makes 4 servings
Pricing per serving: I frequently get pork ribs for 99 cents a pound or cheaper, beef ribs are slightly more expensive on average but figuring on a 1/2 pound serving of ribs pricing is as follows:
beef - $1.00 - $1.50 per serving
pork -$0.75 - $1.00 per serving

Tom...