October is the third annual Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, delicious features, chef profiles, unique articles on everything food, as well as the winners of our "Best of Dining 2009."

I have nine empty jars that I'm soaking in my kitchen sink to remove the labels. I need the jars for making holiday presents of vanilla and lavender sugar. Each is a used Seeds of Change Simmer Sauces jar.

When I need a 20-minute meal, this is my go-to ingredient. They are all classic Indian favorites: there's a traditional Tikka Masala, a creamy, turmeric infused Korma from the Delhi region; a medium-hot bell pepper flavored Jalfrezi; and my personal favorite, the spicy Madras.

Each variety is made with 100 percent certified organic ingredients, is completely vegetarian, and the company give one percent of its net sales to advance the cause of sustainable organic agriculture worldwide. There are even $1 off coupons available at the Web site, seedsofchange.com.

The preparation tips on the side of the jar are simple. Sauté a lean protein until done (suggestions are tofu and fish), add sauce, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Serving suggestions include vegetables, naan bread or rice and a generous helping of thanks. Cute. Typically, I add the vegetables right into the mix as well to make it a one-pan dish. Frozen veggies work great, especially green peas.

I always serve with rice. I steam my rice to ensure perfect fluffiness every time. Invest in a rice steamer basket that can fit in the bottom of one of your saucepans. Don't bother with an electric rice cooker, unless you really like both eating rice daily and single-purpose kitchen gadgets.

Steaming rice with a basket is easy. First, par-boil the rice for about five minutes, drain and set aside. There's no need to measure the water or the rice. Treat it like you would if you were boiling pasta, you just need enough room for the grains to move in the water. Next, add about one-inch of water to the pan and put the steaming basket inside. You can even do this in the pan you par-boiled your rice in. Finally, put the par-boiled rice on top of the steamer basket and put on the stove top on high heat, covered tightly for about seven to 10 minutes. The small amount of water you added to the pan will boil, steaming your rice perfectly.

I've made the sauces with everything from shrimp to sausage and they're always good. Embarrassingly, my absolute favorite protein to add, without question, is thin slices of sirloin, sautéed in peanut oil. I am completely aware that the cow is sacred in India, so my apologies to Padma Lakshmi, Mother Teresa, Ravi Shankar and all the kids in "Slumdog Millionaire," but it's really quite delicious.