Creamy Risotto

For the home chef, cooking a risotto dish could be a little but intimidating and it's rumored to be difficult. Despite it being a little bit labor intensive, the actual process is quite easy and doesn't require a lot of measuring. The recipe below is rich and creamy and delicious as is, but is also a basic creation that can be altered and turned into a full meal.  Add in ideas: asparagus, peas, different herbs and spices, mushrooms, proteins, cheeses, or even try replacing the white wine with red.  Roll your sleeves up and get ready to stir!

*Recipe yields around 3 cups cooked*

Ingredients:

1 cup Arborio rice, uncooked

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter

1 shallot, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine

2 32oz boxes chicken stock

Parmesan cheese, freshly grated to taste

Pour chicken stock into large pot and heat until warm, cover and reserve.

Heat olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan. Add garlic and shallots and cook for 1 minute until shallot is translucent.

Add Arborio rice to saucepan and stir into garlic and onion mixture cooking for 1-2 minutes before adding liquids. Add wine to pan and cook/stir until absorbed by rice.

Add one ladle of warm chicken stock to rice mixture at a time, stirring constantly until absorbed. Repeat until rice is cooked through - usually takes around 20-30 minutes.

Add Parmesan cheese to cooked risotto to taste and serve immediately. 

Italian Stuffed Peppers

Italian Stuffed Peppers is a classic comfort dish that my husband and I can remember our mom's making when we were growing up.  I used to eat them as a single gal because it's so budget friendly, but have continued preparing them into my married life because my husband thinks my recipe tastes just like the one from his childhood. This is a fantastic winter dish that's warm and hearty and my version offers a little kick with the addition of apple cider vinegar. Goes perfect with crusty bread (see my recipe for Irish Soda Bread) and a salad. Full of veggies - you are eating a whole green pepper!

Ingredients:

4 green peppers, seeded/tops removed

1 lb lean ground beef or sirloin

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 tsp garlic, minced

1/2 tsp basil

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 cup cooked brown or white rice

1 can (7oz) tomato sauce, divided

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp shredded cheese of your choice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large skillet on medium-high.

Brown ground beef, onion, garlic, and seasonings until beef is cooked through.

Add cooked rice, apple cider vinegar, and half of the tomato sauce. Stir to combine and heat through.

Fill each pepper with filling mixture and top with remaining tomato sauce. Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes. Remove cover, add cheese to each pepper and cook for additional 15 min until cheese is bubbly and peppers are soft. 

Irish Soda Bread

I have a rather inconsistent history of baking breads from scratch, especially when yeast is involved. After a Thanksgiving with Parker House Rolls that tasted like hockey pucks, I hung up the towel. I have a love for what my husband and I call "crusty bread" and using it to accompany heart warming soups, sop up pasta sauces, or to be served simply with sweet cream butter. We usually purchase an artisan style loaf at our local grocery store, but I've decided to come out of bread baking retirement to try my hand on a loaf native to my husband's heritage. The best thing about Irish Soda Bread - no yeast!!  This version is simple and rustic but there are other variations using dried fruit or herbs for a change of flavor.

Ingredients:

Butter to grease baking sheet

3 2/3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

Preheat over to 425 degrees. Grease large baking sheet well with butter and set aside.

Whisk dry ingredients in large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined. Make a well in the center and pour in most of the buttermilk reserving a small amount.  Mix with hands until a soft dough forms. If the dough is very dry, add the remaining buttermilk.

Turn dough out into well floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. If dough is sticky, work in more flour from surface. 

Form into 8-inch circle on greased pan and cross-cut into dough.

Bake for 25-30 minutes until bread forms a golden brown crust.  Serve with butter, jam, or olive oil for dipping.

Amogio Sauce & Marinade

About 7 years ago my family was at a popular authentic Italian restaurant in Kansas City and we had a dish with a little something called Amogio. This versatile sauce is a traditional Sicilian favorite used to accompany meat, but with a base of lemon, butter, and olive oil it also pairs well with pastas. In trying to recreate the sauce we first tasted, I came up with the recipe below and my family had used it as a staple ever since. Not only do we spoon the sauce over a dish, but you can use it to marinate any protien.  We usually serve with chicken, but the tangy flavor also lends well to pork chops and fish. Bonus - freezes well in ice cube tray so make a big batch!

Ingredients:

1 cup olive oil

1 stick butter

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 tbsp dried onion flakes

1 tbsp parsley, dry spice

1 tbsp sweet basil, dry spice

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Place all ingredients into a small sauce pan and set burner to low-medium setting. Stir occasionally as butter melts and bring sauce to a low boil. Once sauce has achieved boiling, turn off your burner.

If using immediately as a sauce, spoon over meat or pasta. If you plan on using as a marinade, cool for 30-45 minutes.  Reheat any leftover sauce on low in a sauce pan.

Iced Lemon Cookies

Boy, do I love lemon everything!  My wedding cake was lemon poppyseed if that tells you anything. I'm more of a cook than a baker and a lot of times when I bake it starts with a box, but I set out to bake something from scratch to bring to the in-laws and was inspired by this recipe I found for soft buttery lemon cookies with a sugary lemon glaze. Simple ingredients and most of them you should have on hand making this a budget friendly treat.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flower

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

Zest from 2 large lemons

1 cup butter, unsalted at room temp

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

5 tsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in small bowl - set aside.

Combine granulated sugar and lemon zest in small bowl using hands until fragrant. 

Beat butter and sugar/zest mixture until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.  Slowly beat in flour mixture on low until a dough forms. 

Scoop dough by tablespoons and form into ball by rolling in the palm of your hand.  Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet and gently press down on dough balls with the palm of your hand. 

Bake for 12-14 minutes until cookies are a slight golden brown on bottom. Rest on cookie sheet for a few minutes and transfer to cooling rack. Cool completely before icing. 

Combine glaze ingredients and dip the top of each cookie and return to cooling rack. Glaze will set up in 20 minutes.  Cookies will stay fresh for 2-3 days in airtight container. Yields around 3 dozen cookies. 

Slow Cooker Salsa

My husband is somewhat of a salsa snob. Can't be to "tomatoey", has to have just the right heat, needs to have optimal texture - chunky but not TOO chunky.  I dared to try concocting my own for a New Years Day pot luck with the family and to my surprise, it got his stamp of approval.  I originally set out to make a fresh blender salsa (trying out the new Ninja we got for Christmas), but found that they used mostly canned ingredients because there was no cooking involved. I came across a few recipes for one pot and slow cooked salsas with fresh produce and combined a few of those ideas to my tasting.  Another perk, budget friendly - $10 for a recipe that makes around 5 mason jars full of fresh salsa.  Happy 2014 - enjoy!

Ingredients:

7-10 fresh Roma tomatoes, whole

1 28oz can whole tomatoes

1 white onion, peeled and quartered

2 small jalapeños, tops removed

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon honey

1 lime

1 bunch cilantro

Salt to taste

Place first 7 ingredients into slow cooker and set to low for 2 1/2-3 hours until fresh Roma tomatoes skins have split from meat of tomato.

Transfer slow cooked ingredients to blender.  Remove cilantro leaves from stems and add to blender and lock lid. Pulse 7-8 times until the salsa consistency is to your liking. *For smaller blenders, split into 1-3 batches for pulsing but ensure to place end result of batches into one bowl and stir to mix.

Add salt and juice of 1/2-1 lime to your tasting. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour to cool and then refrigerate.

*For a milder salsa, cut recipe down to 1 jalapeño or cut lengthwise to remove rib and seeds.