Although my birthday is not until the end of the month, my husband bought me a new wallet and a wonderful Elite Gourmet steam/rice-cooker from Maxi-Matic. The appliance is a ten-cup rice cooker with a steamer attachment, a vented glass lid, a removable aluminum cooking pot, and a keep-warm function along with accessories such as a spatula and a measuring cup.

 

I love the option of cooking two food items at once. With my old Rival steamer, I had to cook one food at a time (rice and anything else separately). I plan to cook more than rice in my new steamer, of course, but it’s also ideal for vegetables (especially broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, asparagus and Brussels sprouts). I dislike veggies-in-the-can, finding them too soft and virtually tasteless. Steamers cook vegetables to a perfect consistency without losing important vitamins and minerals.

 

However, cooking in the new steamer will have to wait until next week. I’m in the midst of several time-consuming projects at the moment, so tonight’s dinner will consist of hot dogs with macaroni and cheese (or mac and chiz, as I like to call it). While thankful for the early birthday gifts, I told my husband he’s still on the hook for a Kyoto dinner when the real day arrives (August 29), to be followed by a bowl of chocolate-chip-mint ice cream.