1/2 lb. hickory smoked bacon, coarsely chopped
	3/4 c. Uncle Ben's converted white rice, uncooked
	1 small onion, diced
	2 cloves garlic, minced
	1 green pepper, coarsely chopped
	2 T. cilantro, chopped
	1 1/2 t. dark brown sugar
	1-14 1/2 oz. can of stewed tomatoes, Mexican recipe
	12 oz. water
	1 t. cumin
	1/4 t. chili powder
	1/8 t. baking soda
	1 T. red wine vinegar

Depending on your tastes * and/or your caloric fears * coarsely chop and fry about 1/3 to about ½ a pound of bacon until it is very crisp in a heavy aluminum or cast iron pan; discard all but about 2-3 Tablespoons of the fat. Sauté the onions and garlic in the fat until just translucent, then add the rice and sauté (about 3-4 minutes) as if you were making fried rice. (If you like your rice spicier, simply dice some Jalapeno peppers and sauté them along with the onions and garlic.) Add the tomatoes and about 8 oz. of water; add about half of the chopped green peppers and half of the bacon pieces. Add the cilantro and other spices and simmer the mixture, covered, until almost all of the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes or so. The tomatoes and water will deglaze the brown bacon and onion residue from the bottom of the pan and add lots of flavor to the dish. Stir the mixture and place in an oven that has been pre-heated to 350 degrees. Bake, covered, for about 20 minutes. Uncover the rice and stir in the remaining chopped green peppers and bacon pieces and bake for another 10 minutes. The green peppers added last will be just tender but should remain bright green. If you don't have the time, you can take the short of putting together the entire recipe and then simply baking in the oven for an hour; make sure to remove the cover for about the last 10 minutes of baking.