Arley's totally awesome kitchen tips

Lately I’ve been buying the cheap rice, but last week I splurged on the Asian sticky rice. As the rice soaked up the yummy stir fry juices I remembered why the sticky rice was worth the extra couple dollars. I didn’t know the difference between regular rice and sticky rice until my roommate Esther showed me the error of my rice cooking ways. And when Logan and I started dating I quickly found out he too was a sticky rice convert. Truthfully, Logan’s rice cooker was one the reasons I pursued the relationship with him.

Between my reminiscing about rice and the ridiculous amount of daytime food shows I watch lately, food is on my mind. So, what better to blog about than the five kitchen rules I live by. Here they are:

1. Always, always splurge for sticky rice. As I say, once you go sticky all other rice seems icky. :)

2. Condiments add zest to a meal. It’s always good to have some fancy add-ons at your table for guests to enjoy. I love mayo, but a dish of mayo in the middle of the table doesn’t look quite as sophisticated as a dish of mayo with a little Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce. Mayo and Sriracha has become favorite sauce. I eat it on everything from sandwiches to potato chips. Sometimes I even just eat it on my fingers!

3. It’s good to mix up dishes with different spices. It keeps your taste buds on their toes. If you don’t know what spice to add, go with cumin. It’s one of the most versatile of the spices. Need to give your chili some extra kick? Go for it. Want something extra in that Asian dish? Why not. Are your pancakes tasting a little flat? Okay, so this spice may not work for EVERYTHING, but you get what I mean.

4. Every couple weeks it’s good to prepare a catch-all meal. Last week I made jumbalaya. The meal created the opportunity to throw in the leftover pork loin from the night before and lots of veggies from the garden. “Catch-all” meals are a great way to use up leftovers without making if feel like they are leftovers. Some of my favorite catch-all meals are chili and any kind of stew.

5. Keep a stand by meal in the freezer. Occasionally, I’ll cook extra and freeze the leftovers. This works well for lasagna, chili, ham and beans, Korean barbecue and any kind of soup. I keep these meals on hand for days that I’m busy or just feeling lazy. Let them de-thaw and them pop them in the oven or stove top and wahla! These homemade frozen meals give the illusion that I have it way more together than I actually do.