Here's to you, Rice Monster

Rice monster [rahys MON-ster]
noun

1. A large, grotesque, and frightening mythical creature or life form that arose from grossly mutated rice Oryza sativa.

2. Someone who eats a lot of steamed rice and loves it.  Often used as a term of endearment for a person, most likely of Asian origin, who unabashedly eats bowl after bowl of rice.
Note: rice is filled not only to the brim of the bowl but also protrudes upward like a hill, doubling the capacity of the bowl. 

I was fortunate enough have met a Rice Monster that fit the second definition from the dictionary.  A true Rice Monster is rare for he has characteristics that are inherent to his being, which cannot be defined by a mere dictionary.

A Rice Monster is kind and understanding.  He bravely weathers the fiercest of my temper tantrums that devastate like a sudden tsunami.  He takes bullying, unkind words, and dismissive comments with stride and finds a silver lining in the worst misuses of the English vocabulary and abuses of immature impulses. With a penetrating infrared gaze of a honey bee (or was it fruit fly?), he see beyond icy shells of crusty pessimism, devilish horns of intolerance to the kinder inner warmth that I'm not positive I possess.   Thus, he zealously forgives whatever rash mistakes, selfish transgressions, and punishable sentiments that even I myself sometimes cannot because not everyone can be as kind, loving, and rice-loving person as he.

He is willing to sacrifice time, energy, and comfort so that others like me can reap in its rewards. Yet he asks for nothing in return but a home for his heart to belong. A request extremely difficult to deny...The reason is perhaps the following. Though at times begrudgingly, he willingly plays the weaker characters in videos games whose skills mainly consist of blind, stun, and a few soft punches that might be able to destroy enemy monsters before they die of old age. This is so I can play the stronger one, so I can kill enemy hordes by the second, and so I can boast about my unquestionable, unparalleled skill.

He is fiercely confident, though not arrogant, often a difficult balance to strike.  He believes that as long as he has rice, he can just Kimchi this and Kimchi that to make everything taste good.  He believes that as long as he keeps loving, giving, understanding, caring, and forgiving, he will prevail.  I am inclined to believe it is true. Once a Rice Monster reveals his true form, he is dangerously contagious. He steadily and patiently instills willingness to give, readiness to forgive, and a growing confidence to love. Hand in hand with a rice monster, obstacles are undaunting and the will to persevere is strong. So let's Kimchi this and Kimchi that for many years to come...and eat lots of rice.

Here's for you, Rice Monster!

Black Rice with Raisins and Goji Berries

Ingredients:
2 cups of black rice
2 cups of gluttinous white rice
1 cup of large raisins
1/2 cup of dried goji berries
water
honey

Instructions:
1. Soak black rice overnight in rice cooker
2. Add in gluttinous white rice, raisins, and goji berries.
3. Fill rice cooker with water as if you're steaming 4 cups of regular rice
4. Press a button to cook rice mixture
5. Drizzle some honey over the top of rice (if you want, though I think it's sweet enough without honey)

My favorite childhood rice snack (without the oil and sugar)!!

My very first pie!

Double Chocolate Berry Pie

Inspiration: "Lonely Chicago Pie" and "Strawberry Oasis Pie" from the movie Waitress. 

I didn't follow a recipe because I was missing a lot of ingredients like butter, milk, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Worry not, my pie turned out extremely well!  My parents, who are by not means desserts people, have been raving about it all night long :-).  And, this recipe is super simple! 

Recipe

Ingredients:

10-15 fresh strawberries diced (sorry, I lost count of strawberries because I ate some along the way...)

1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries

1 1/2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of soymilk (was a bit nervous about this but all is good!)

1 egg, beaten 

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

1 9-in graham cracker pie crust (from the store)

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Combine beaten egg, brown sugar, soymilk, vanilla, and cornstarch. Mix well.  Then mix in strawberries and blueberries

3. Pour mixture into a small pot with medium heat and stir for ~5mins or until everything is mushy and gooey

4. Melt 1 cup of chocolate in microwave for 90 secs and spread liberally over the bottom and sides of the pie crust

5. Pour berry mixture from pot into pie crust, on top of melted chocolate. Do not mix.

6. Bake pie at 400 degrees F for 20 mins

7. Melt remainder 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in microwave for 60 secs and spread liberally over the top of pie

I know modesty is a virtue but YUM!