Mushroom Risotto

  What goes better with Wildflower Honey & Lavender Roasted Chicken then some yummy earthy risotto??  I was totally inspired to make this when I saw some beautiful mushrooms at the local market.  So I picked some up and away I cooked!

Recipe from the Italian - The Essence of Mediterranean Cuisine Cookbook

Here's what you need:

1/3 cup dried wild mushrooms, preferably porcini

1 1/2 cups fresh cultivated mushrooms

juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/3 cup butter

2 TBsp parsley, finely chopped

4 cups beef or chicken stock

2 TBsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 cup medium-grain risotto rice (I used arborio)

1/2 cup dry white wine

salt and fresh ground pepper

3 TBsp freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

How to make it:

Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl with about 1 1/2 cups warm water.

Soak for at least 40 minutes.

Rinse the mushrooms thoroughly.

Filter the soaking water through a strainer lined with paper towels and reserve.

Wipe the fresh mushrooms with a damp cloth and slice finely.

Place in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice.

In a large heavy frying pan or casserole melt one third of the butter.

Stir in the fresh sliced mushrooms and cook over moderate heat until they give up their juices, and begin to brown.

Stir in the parsley, cook for 30 seconds more and remove to a side dish.

Place the stock in a different saucepan.

Add the mushroom water and simmer until needed.

Heat another third of butter with the olive oil in the same pan the mushrooms were cooked in.

Stir in the onion, and cook until it is soft and golden.

Add the rice, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes to coat it with the oils.

Add the soaked and sautéed mushrooms and mix well.

Pour in the wine and cook over moderate heat until it evaporates.

Add one small ladleful of the host stock.

Over moderate heat cook until the stock is absurd or evaporates, stirring the rice with a wooden spoon to prevent it from sticking to pan.

Add a little more stock and stir until the rice dries out again.

Continue stirring and adding the liquid a little at a time.

After about 20 minutes of cooking time, taste the rice.

Add salt and pepper.

Continue cooking, stirring, and adding the liquid until the rice is al dente, or tender but still firm to the bite.

The total cooking time of the risotto may be from 20-35 minutes.

If you run out of stock, use hot water, but do not worry if the rice is done before you used up all the stock.

Remove the risotto pan from the heat.

Stir in the remaining butter and Parmesan cheese.

Grind in a little black pepper and taste again for salt.

Allow the risotto to rest for 3-4 minutes before serving, then ENJOY!

Bianco Pizza con Pomodoro e Basilico

     I was thumbing through a Cooking Light magazine and came across this recipe.  It looked so good I had to make it and I was right, it was delish!      

Recipe from Cooking Light

What you need:

1 (10oz) Italian cheese-flavored this pizza crust 

1 tsp cornmeal

Cooking spray

3 TBsp basil pesto (refrigerated or homemade)

1/2 cup shredded fresh mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

1/2 cup sliced small tomatoes

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves

Crushed red pepper (optional)

How to make it:

Preheat broiler to high.

Place a baking sheet in oven; heat for 10 minutes

While baking the baking sheet heats, place crust on another baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.

Lightly coat crust with cooking spray.

Spread pesto evenly over crust, leaving a 1 inch border; sprinkle mozzarella evenly over pesto.

Dollop ricotta, by teaspoonfuls, evenly over mozzarella.

Slide crust onto the preheated baking sheet, using a spatula as a guide.

Broil 5 inches from heat for 5 minutes or until cheese begins to melt.

Remove from oven; top evenly with tomatoes, black pepper, and basil.

Sprinkle with red pepper, if desired.

Slice it up and in ENJOY!

Wildflower Honey & Lavender Roasted Chicken

     Scrolling through my favorite cookbook, The Vineyard Kitchen, I noticed this recipe and thought I should make this.  There is lavender growing everywhere around my house, so this would be a perfect recipe!  It was delish!     

What you need:

4 sprigs lavender with flower plus 8 for garnish

1/4 cup wildflower honey

Salt

8 sqaub (but I used 2 chickens)

Fresh ground black pepper

2 TBsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for rubbing the birds

1 TBsp unsalted butter

1 cup dry white wine

How to make it:

Mix together the 4 sprigs of lavender, honey, 2 Tbsp of water, and 1 tsp of salt in a medium saucepan and heat gently until the mixture simmers.

Turn off the heat and let the lavender steep until ready to use.

Cut off the neck, the wings tips at the second join from the tip, and the tail of the squab (chicken).

Season the cavity of the birds with salt and pepper and tie the birds (this can be done up to a day in advance; cover and refrigerate the birds).

Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

Rub the birds with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 2 Tbsp of olive oil and 1 Tbsp of butter to coat the bottom of the pan.

Let the butter brown lightly, then add the birds to the pan breast side down.

Do not crowd them in the pan.

Sear them in two batches if necessary.

Sear them until all sides of the birds are golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Adjust the heat as needed if the pan gets too hot and starts to smoke.

Turn the birds as necessary with a pair of tongs.

Be careful not to break the skin.

Remove them from the sauté pan and place them in a large roasting pan.

Drain the excess grease from the sauté pan. 

Add the wine to the sauté pan and bring to a boil.

Scrape the pan to remove an caramelized juices and bits of meat.

Reduce the hear and simmer until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

Pour the wine over the birds.

Brush the birds liberally with the reserved honey mixture.  

Roast in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Baste the birds with the pan juices and brush with more honey.

Roast another 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and brush one last time with honey.

Check for doneness, if still raw, cook a little longer.

If fully cooked, let the birds rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Search the birds on a platter with the accompaniments of your choice.

Garnish with lavender sprigs and ENJOY!

Holy Hoecakes

     Every year I try and do something fun and themed, for my birthday.  Like last year my friend, Kristi and her family, celebrated my birthday with us Great Gatsby  style.  And it just so happened that my friend, Tori, and her family were stopping by for a night around then.  So it only fitting to throw a True Blood inspired birthday dinner.  Tori and I used to hang out on Sundays, munch on Chipolte or Wing Stop, enjoy a bottle of wine, and marathon binge on True Blood.  Oh, how I miss those days.      But before they arrived, which was later that afternoon, I thumbed through my True Blood: Eats, Drinks, and Bites from Bon Temps cook book for a tasty breakfast to make.  I settled for these yummy Holy Hoecakes by Lettie Mae Daniels.  If you are a Trubie, you know exactly who Lettie Mae is, for those of you who don't...then I guess you need to go watch some True Blood.  Anyways...I'm a big fan of Mush, which is fried up polenta.  These were sort of the same thing.  However, you use white cornmeal and it's fried in bacon grease. They are oh so yummy with some maple syrup drizzled on top!

What you need:

1 cup white cornmeal (I only had yellow, so I used that)

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup boiling water

2 TBsp bacon fat (rendered from about 4-5 slices of bacon)

maple syrup for serving

How to make them:

Combine the cornmeal and salt in a medium bowl.  

While stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, pour in the boiling water in a steady stream.

Beat until smooth.

Let stand a few minutes.

Heat the bacon fat in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.

When very hot (but not smoking), reduce the heat to medium-low.

For each hoecake, drop about 2 tablespoons of the cornmeal mixture into the skillet and pat gently into a flat circle, about 4 inches in diameter.

Cook several hoecakes at a time until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side, turning with a wide spatula.

Transfer to a plate.

If needed, add more bacon fat to the skillet to make the remaining hoecakes.

Drizzle with maple syrup and serve with some eggs, fruit, and the bacon you fried up, then ENOY!

Chicken Tetrazzini

Adapted from All Recipes

What you need:

1 lb cooked and drained spaghetti

5 chicken breasts (cooked and cubed)

1 cream of onion soup (10.75oz)

1 cream of chicken soup (10.75oz)

2 1/4 cups water

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 cubes chicken bouillon

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Place cooked spaghetti ino a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Place chicken on op of spaghetti.

In a medium saucepan, heat together the soup, water, butter, and bouillon.

Bring to boil, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Then pour over the pasta and chicken.

Sprinkle top with cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Then ENJOY!

Chicken Pot Pie

Adapted from Recipes that Crock

What you need:

32oz chicken broth

2 cans of Cream of Chicken Soup (10 3/4oz cans)

2 cups milk

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cooked and cubed

2 cups frozen peas and carrots (or mixed veggies, that's what I used)

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp pepper

4 TBsp cornstarch

4 TBsp water

1 can of refrigerated biscuits

How to make it:

Put the chicken broth, soup, milk, chicken, veggies, salt, and pepper into a 6-quart crock pot and stir well.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours OR high for 3-3 1/2 hours.

Once hot and bubble, remove 4 cups of gravy.

Put the gravy in saucepan over medium-high heat.

Mix the water and cornstarch together.

When the gravy comes to a boil, add the cornstarch and water mixture.

Stir continually until gravy thickens.

When gravy thickens, remove from the heat and pour back into the crock pot.

Preheat oven to 375˚F.

Ladle mixture into small ramekins.

Top ramekins with 1 or 2 raw biscuits smashed together to cover the filling.

Poke a small hole in the biscuit to let the steam vent out while cooking.

Bake the pot pies for about 8 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

Take out of oven and let cool, then ENJOY! 

Friday Food Favorites: Brianna's Champagne Caper Vinaigrette Dressing

     The other day the hubby brought this home....I tried it on my salad and I was in LOVE!  It has a sweet mustardy type of taste, so GOOD!  It has become my favorite dressing!  Great to marinate chicken or steak in too!

Through together a salad with some capers, boiled egg, 

Parmesan cheese then drizzled on some of the vinaigrette.

AWE-SOME-NESS!

You should definitely try it out!

Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Recipe from Overtime Cook

Here's what you need:

4 sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into small cubes)

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp dried basil leaves

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 TBsp extra virgin olive oil

How to make them:

Preheat oven to 450˚F.

Line a cooke sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Toss to coat everything evenly.

Spread in a single layer on prepared cookie sheet, place in the oven.

Bake for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.

Remoce from oven and serve hot.

ENJOY!

Friday Foodie Favorites: Giada De Laurentiis' Pork Chop Milanese & Lemon Thyme Risotto Meal Starter Kit

     So this week, I wanted to cook up some pork chops, but was kinda in a time crunch.  I didn't want to make the same ole pork chops I usually make and I didn't feel like searching for a new recipe just so I could go out and buy all the ingredients I didn't have to make it.  So, while picking out a birthday present at Target I decided to check out Giada De Laurentiis' boxed meal starter kits to see if anything sparked my interest.  Well, I was in luck, I found this one to make Pork Chop Milanese with Lemon Thyme Risotto.  I thought PERFECT! I already had the pork chops defrosted, I just needed to pick up a couple of lemons, the rest of the ingredients were included in the starter kit or I already had at home!

All you need are some pork chops ( I used ones without the bone),

EVOO, Veggie oil, eggs, butter, lemon, and the starter kit.

I started on the Risotto first...

toasted it in some EVOO, then added water and seasoning pack.

Brought to a boil, added the rest of the water, and let simmer

for 20 minutes or so.

Next started on the pork chops.

Heated the veggie oil on medium heat.

Whisked the eggs in a bowl, poured the bread crumbs in another bowl.

Seasoned the pork chops with salt and pepper, 

then dipped (one at a time) into the bread crumbs,

then egg wash (let extra egg drip off), 

then back into the bread crumbs.

Placed them in the pan, let cook 4-6 minutes on each side

(depending on how thick or thin the pork chops are).

I sliced up some lemons to squeeze over the chops.

Served it with a nice green salad and there ya go!

ENJOY!

Friday Foodie Favorites: Giada De Laurentiis' Herb Foccaccia Bread & Tuscan-Style White Bean & Fire Roasted Garlic Soup

     I my search to find some new Foodie Finds I came across this Herb Focaccia and Tuscan-Style White Bean & Fire Roasted Garlic Soup mixes that I thought I would give a try!

I just followed the directions on the back, which were quite easy with a small list of ingredients.

It turned out pretty good, definitely going to try some more of Giada De Laurentiis' food products.

Monthly Menu: Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas, Refried Beans, & Mexican Calabacitas

    Hola everyone! Tonight we dined on some yummy Mexican food!  When it comes to Mexican food, I'm pretty picky.  I like enchiladas but usually only cheesy ones on flour tortillas with no onions...like I said, picky.  Or should I just say, selective...haha.  Anyways, I found this recipe on Pinterest though looked pretty good so thought I would give it a try.  I actually made it ahead of time and froze it for a later date like today!
August 10th: Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas, Refried Beans, & Mexican Calabacitas 

Enchilada recipe from Recipes, Food, and Cooking.

Mexican Calabacitas recipe from Food.com.

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

10 flour or corn tortillas

2 cups cooked chicken (shredded)

2 cups Mexican Blend cheese (divided use)

salt and pepper

3 TBsp unsalted butter

3 TBsp all purpose flour

2 cups chicken broth

8 oz cream cheese (divided use)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 (4oz) can diced green chillies

How to make them:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 9 x 13inch pan.

Mix chicken, 3 oz cream cheese, 1 cup cheese, salt and pepper.

Roll up chicken mixture in tortillas and place in pan seam side down.

In a sauce pan, melt butter, stir in flour and cook 1 minute.

Add broth and whisk until smooth.

Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

Add cream cheese and stir until melted.

Remove from heat.

Stir in sour cream and chillies.

Pour over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.

Bake 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Place under the broiler for 3-4 minutes to brown the cheese.

Let cool for a bit then ENJOY!

Mexican Calabacitas

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini (peeled and diced)

1/3 can sweet corn (drained)

1/3 medium onion (chopped)

1/3 can Rotel Tomatoes (diced)

2/3 clove garlic (finely chopped)

1 1/3 TBsp olive oil

1/4 lb Mexican cheese (shredded)

How to make it:

Place oil and chopped garlic in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add zucchini and onion, cooking until onion is tender.

Add corn and tomatoes.

Cover skillet and simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When mixture is well heated, add cheese.

Mix and serve, ENJOY!

Monthly Menu: Cheesy Lasagna, Fresh Green Salad, & Warm Sliced Baguette

     Ciao everyone...if you haven't guessed by the title of this post or my greeting, it was Italian night in our house tonight.  I love making lasagna, it is so simple and delicious!  Plus, you can totally make it ahead of time and freeze it till you're ready to bake it up for dinner, which is EXACTLY what I did with this one! August 7th: Cheesy Lasagna, Fresh Green Salad, Warm Sliced Baguette

Ingredients:

10 sheets lasagna noodles (cooked)

1 container (15oz) ricotta cheese

2 eggs

1 (24oz) jar of favorite pasta sauce

1 lb ground beef (cooked and drained)

2 cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)

1 cup parmesan cheese (grated)

How to make it:

Prepare pasta noodles according to the package directions, drain.

Lay the pasta out on a cookie sheet and cover with a damp paper towels.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray the bottom of a 13x9 inch baking dish with non stick cooking spray.

Combine ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

In a nonstick pan, brown the ground beef, drain, set aside.

Spread 1/4 cup pasta sauce on bottom of prepared baking dish.

Mix ground beef with remaining pasta sauce.

Layer 4 or 5 noodles on top of the pasta sauce in the baking dish.

Top noodles with some ricotta mixture, then some mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese.

Next top with some of the beef mixture.

Repeat layering: noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, beef mixture until reach the top of the baking dish.

Sprinkle some remaining cheese on top.  

Cover with foil, bake for 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Uncover, let top cheese melt and turn golden brown.

Take out of the oven, let stand for 10 minutes to cool then ENJOY!!

Monthly Menu: Turkey Cheeseburger, Curly Fries, & Cucumber Tomato Salad

     I was recently asked if I knew of any good turkey burger recipes...so I did some searching and found one that looked pretty good.  Supposedly it is Oprah's "Favorite" turkey recipe, so if it's good enough for her, then why not give it a try! And I'm glad I did, it was very delightful and tasty!
August 5th: Turkey Cheeseburgers, Curly Fries, and Cucumber Tomato Salad

Found the recipe on Food.com.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup scallion (thinly sliced)

1/2 cup celery (finely chopped)

3 granny smith apples (peeled and diced, I used only 1)

1/8 cup canola oil

4 lbs ground turkey breast (I only used 1/2 lb, since I didn't want to make a lot of patties)

2 TBsp salt

1 TBsp ground pepper

2 TBsp Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce (I omitted this, since I don't like Tabasco)

1 lemon (zest and juiced)

1/2 bunch parsley (finely chopped)

1/4 cup Major Grey Chutney (pureed)

How to make it:

Sauté the scallions, celery, and apples in the canola oil until tender, let cool.

Place the ground turkey in a large mixing bowl.

Add sautéed items and the salt, pepper, Tabasco, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, and chutney.

Shape into eight 8-oz burgers.

Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Season the turkey burgers with salt and pepper.

Place on a preheated, lightly oiled grill.

Grill each side for 7 minutes until meat is throughly cooked.

Let set for 5 minutes then Enjoy with some fries and a salad!

Monthly Menu: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, & Buttery Peas

     The other day I pre-made three mini meatloaves and froze them.  Today, was meatloaf day, so I just thawed one out and put it in the oven.  It was very tasty!
August 4: Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, and Buttery Peas

Found the meatloaf recipe on Sweetie Pie's.

Ingredients:

Loaf

1 lb ground beef

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 cup onion (chopped)

1/2 cup bell pepper (chopped)

1 egg (lightly beaten)

8 oz canned diced tomatoes with juice

1/4 quick-cooking oats

Topping

1/3 cup ketchup

2 TBsp brown sugar

1 TBsp mustard

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all meatloaf ingredients well and place in a loaf baking pan.

Shape into a loaf.

Mix ingredients for the topping and spread on the loaf.

Bake for 1 hour then Enjoy!

Monthly Menu: Baked Chicken, Sautéed Squash, & Mac and Cheese

     I know it's August third, but it's only day 2 of our Monthly Menu Planning since we went out to eat last night to celebration the hubby's promotion.  
August 3rd:  So, for today's scrumptious meal we dined on Baked Chicken, Sautéed Squash, and Mac N Cheese...oh so good for such a simple meal!

Baked Chicken recipe from Betty Crocker.

Sautéed Squash recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

 (Boxed Betty Crocker Mac and Cheese)

Baked Chicken

Ingredients:

1 TBsp unsalted butter

2/3 cup Original Bisquick mix

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 whole chicken (cut up)

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 435 degrees.

Melt butter in a rectangular baking dish (13x9x2 inches) in the oven.

Stir together Bisquick, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Coat the chicken with the Bisquick mixture.

Place skin sides down in the dish (dish and butter should be hot).

Bake 35 minutes, flip chicken.

Bake about 15 minutes longer or until juice is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut.

Let cool a bit and Enjoy!

Sautéed Squash

Ingredients:

1 TSsp olive oil 

1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic (finely minced)

3 medium zucchini (sliced about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, in rounds or half moons)

3 medium yellow squash, sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, in rounds of half moons)

2-3 tomatoes (chopped)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated)

How to make it:

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, sauté the garlic and onion in the olive oil until the onions start to turn translucent, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn't burn, about 3-4 minutes.

Add the zucchini and squash, tossing well with the olive oil mixture.

Saute over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.

Add the chopped tomatoes.

Continue cooking and stirring until the zucchini and squash are tender and tomatoes have broken down, about another 2 minutes.

Toss the hot mixture with the parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately and Enjoy!

Monthly Menu: Orange Teriyaki Pork Chops, Steamed Rice, & Sautéed SnowPeas

     So, recently I've taken up on monthly menu planning again.  With Liam going to school pretty soon, I thought having a scheduled menu for the month would definitely answer the question..."what's for dinner?"  I decided to look through Pinterest for some new recipes.  I found some great ones to try out.  I also plan on pre-making some meals to freeze to have on a later day.  

     August 1st: I kicked off our menu with making Orange Teriyaki Pork Chops, Steamed Rice, and Sautéed Snow Peas.  

I found a great recipe for the pork chops from Instructables.

Ingredients: 4 to 6 boneless pork chops (the thin ones work great) 3 green onions (thinly sliced) zest of one orange juice of one orange (about 1/3 cup) 1 TBsp butter 2 to 3 TBsp Teriyaki Sauce 2 to 3 pinches of brown sugar

How to make them: Add the butter to a pan and cook the green onions and zest until they start to get fragrant and soften. Add 1 tsp of teriyaki sauce at this point and stir till combined. Pull them out of the pan and pop them into a small bowl, set aside. Salt and pepper the pork chops. Brown them quickly in the same pan over medium-high heat. Be careful not to over cook. Once the pork chops are brown, turn the heat down to low and pour in the orange juice. Add 1-2 TBsp of teriyaki sauce to your liking. Add the green onions and zest back into the pan. Add 1-3 pinches of brown sugar to the pan. (depends on how sweet you want it) Stir all together and let simmer for 15-20minutes with a lid cracked. Take out pork chops with completely cooked. Continue to reduce the orange juice mixture into a sauce to thicken up to your liking. Serve the Pork Chops over some Steamed Rice along side some sautéed Snow Peas and Enjoy!

Balsamic Thyme Pork Loin

Original recipe found at Food Marriage

Ingredients:

Pork Tenderloin (I used a 3 lb one)

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

3 cloves of garlic

Thyme

Salt & Pepper 

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Cut off any of the extra fat/white skin off the pork tenderloin.

Peel your cloves of garlic and slice them into smaller pieces.

Cut slits in different parts of the pork and press the pieces of garlic into those slits around the meat.

Brush the meat with balsamic vinegar to coat it completely.

Drizzle with just a bit of olive oil then sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes, checking the temperature around 20 minutes, then again at 25 minutes, then at 20 minutes. 

The pork should be at least 145 degrees in all places.

Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes.

Slice your meat, it should be a little pink in the middle, Enjoy!