Cook rice in 2 3/4 cups boiling salted water until tender, about 45 minutes. Do not stir. Spoon into a strainer and rinse with cool water. Let stand.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread walnuts in a shallow baking pan and bake until toasted, 10 to 15 minutes.
In large bowl whisk oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and a grinding of black pepper. Add cooled cooked rice, walnuts, apricots, scallions, celery and celery leaves. Toss with fork until combined.
Spoon into a plastic container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Trailblazer CookiesWine matches: chilled FishEye Moscato or Sweet Red.Makes about 4 dozen 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened 1 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar 3 large eggs, at room temperature 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/2 cup quick cooking (not instant) oatmeal 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon coarse salt 2 cups chocolate chips 2 cups dried fruit (combination of raisins, figs, prunes, dates, cherries, cranberries and/or apricots, snipped into small pieces) 1 cup coarsely chopped almonds
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray with nonstick spray or lightly butter two large baking sheets.
Beat butter and brown sugar in an electric mixer until light and creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Add vanilla.
In separate bowl stir flours, oatmeal, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until blended. On lowest speed, gradually beat in flour mixture until well blended.
Add chocolate chips, dried fruit and almonds and fold into batter with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until blended.
Drop batter by heaping tablespoons onto prepared pans, placing cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake until edges of cookies are golden and tops are set, 13 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly on pans before removing.
Packing Tips
•Tables at established campgrounds or parks can get pretty grungy. Bring a plastic tablecloth with you and secure it with duct tape so it doesn't blow away. Or, pack some cloth napkins that can do double duty as placemats wherever you decide to picnic.•Just because you're roughing it, doesn't mean you can't add a little panache to your portable feast. For extra impact, serve foods on non-breakable plastic ware in an array of vibrant colors. •Packing wine bottles for a picnic or camping trip can be cumbersome. To avoid breakage and lighten your load, opt for a three liter wine box with its own pouring spout. It holds the equivalent of four standard size (750 ml) bottles, making it an environmentally-friendly wine choice that's easier to transport and serve by the glass. Learn more at www.fisheyewines.com.
About Family Features Editorial Syndicate
This and other food and lifestyle content can be found at www.editors.familyfeatures.com. Family Features is a leading provider of free food and lifestyle content for use in print and online publications. Register with no obligation to access a variety of formatted and unformatted features, accompanying photos, and automatically updating Web content solutions.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=2043335
Add to Digg Bookmark with del.icio.us Add to Newsvine
Matthew Barksdale
mbarksdale@familyfeatures.com
1-888-824-3337
http://editors.familyfeatures.com
