Thursday, July 23, 2026

BUTTER RICE #recipe @vmburns

VMBURNS:  The first time I made Butter Rice, I didn't have a yellow onion. The only onion I had was a red onion. An onion is an onion, right? Well, kind of. I knew the red onion would have a bit more of a bite to it than the yellow onion. No problem. I used a little less of the red. The taste was fine. The issue came in the color. The red onions looked purple against the white rice, which was a little weird. However, I couldn't really taste the onions. The second time I made this, I used yellow onion, but didn't have 3 cups of chicken broth. So, I substituted water. Again, the rice tasted fine. What's my point? My point is this recipe is flexible. There are only a small number of ingredients and it's pretty hard to mess this up.



  • BUTTER RICE





    INGREDIENTS

    • 1/3 Cup Butter
    • 1/2 Medium Onion, finely diced
    • 1 1/2 Cups Rice
    • 3 Cups Chicken broth
    • 2 Bay leaves

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Melt butter over medium heat in large saucepan. Add in onion and sauté for 5-6 minutes. Stir in rice and coat in the butter.

    2. Pour in remaining ingredients. Cover, bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and about 15 minutes.

    3. Turn heat off rice, but keep on the burner for 10 minutes to steam. Fluff rice with a fork, remove bay leaves, and serve as desired. 


      1. READERS:  Onions? Red? Yellow? Or, no way? Let me know in the comments below. 



      MURDER AT FIRST SLICE (ARC)



      As Maddy’s wedding day approaches, friends and family descend on the little town of New Bison, Michigan, to celebrate—so much so that Maddy wonders if there might be another happily-ever-after in store for her widowed father and innkeeper Mrs. Law. Unfortunately, she also has to deal with an unhappy couple: feuding cousins Hannah and Dorothy, who haven’t spoken in decades. Maddy can only hope the spectacular wedding cake crafted by her head baker doesn’t wind up as ammunition in a food fight.

      But she doesn’t have to wait long for a wedding disaster to strike. When the imperious Dorothy crashes the rehearsal dinner—with several uninvited guests in tow—and starts battering everyone with constant complaints, the drama reaches reality-show levels. And the next day, Dorothy is dead . . . with Hannah standing over the body, bloody rolling pin in hand.

      Nobody in town believes Miss Hannah could commit murder. But a detective newly relocated from New York doesn’t know the sweet, memory-challenged Hannah the way the locals do—and the evidence seems open-and-shut as an oven. Now, with her sous-sleuths the Baker Street Irregulars, the bride-to-be is busy digging into Dorothy’s past to catch a killer before she cuts the cake . . .

      21 comments:

      1. It sounds so good Valerie! I would not complain about the red onions one bit!

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. It was actually, quite tasty. I just didn't love the color.

          Delete
      2. I don't seem to notice a difference in taste so either color onion is fine with me. Although I think I use mostly yellow, I see those sold around here more than the red.

        ReplyDelete
      3. Looks easy and delicious. I''ll be trying this one this week. Gotta be the yellow onions yellow onions so they aren't visible to he who "doesn't like onions" but eats them in whatever I cook. LOL

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. LOL - I didn't taste the onions at all, so I think you're safe.

          Delete
      4. Thanks for such a delicious and easy side dish, Valerie! I think that any type of onion would work since they're cooked, and a sprinkle of green onions just before serving would really perk up the onion flavor.

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. Kim, I think you're right. Also, if the onions are finely diced, then you want really taste them.

          Delete
      5. My best friend's mom used to make this when I was a kid, but I'd forgotten about it. Time to try it again--thanks, Valerie!

        ReplyDelete
      6. If I have a choice, my preference is no onions. But if I have to use them, I'd prefer the red/purple onions Although, the yellow ones are often the most economically priced johnlong83@rocketmail.com

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. John, this dish would work without the onions just fine. And, I'm living proof that the red onions work in this dish, too.

          Delete
      7. I love flexible recipes. They make it so much easier to throw something together when in a hurry...my life these days! Thanks!!

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. I love flexible recipes, too. Seems like life is complicated for all of us.

          Delete
      8. Mix and match! We use whatever onions we have on hand. This sounds like a great recipe, Valerie.

        ReplyDelete
        Replies
        1. It turned out well, apart for the purple bits. I seriously couldn't even taste the onions.

          Delete
      9. Sounds simple and rich.
        I use sweet onions for just about everything.

        ReplyDelete
      10. Valerie, I've never had rice prepared this way, but it sounds delicious! I'd probably use red onions because that's what we usually have on hand. It's nice to know the recipe is so flexible, making it easy to adapt to what you already have in the kitchen.

        ReplyDelete
      11. Looks yummy. I usually use yellow onions to cook with and red raw in salads, on burgers, etc. I cannot wait for your newest book!!

        ReplyDelete
      12. Nice rice recipe, Valerie! I am allergic to onions, so no matter what color, I'll pass. JOY!!! Luis at ole dot travel

        ReplyDelete
      13. Nice easy recipes. And it's always a yes to onions for me. I prefer Vidalia but also like yellow. Red is a little sharp for me. aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com

        ReplyDelete