Comfort Food for the Soul: Bacon and Ham Risotto

I am currently having a rough week and really needed to let loose.  Cooking for me is extremely therapeutic and helps me relax.  I came up with this lovely and tasty risotto comfort food combo this afternoon.  Let me know what you think. :)

Ingredients:

• 3 slices bacon
• 3 small pieces of ham
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup risotto (arborrio rice)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 ounces of bella mushrooms, stems removed and diced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 quart of beef broth (you won't use all of it but pretty close to it)
• 1 cup of shredded pepper jack cheese
• Parsley, a few sprigs for decoration
• EVOO, 2-3 tbsp

What to do:

1. In a medium sauce pan add the EVOO and heat at medium high.  Add the arborrio, onion, bacon, ham, mushrooms, and butter.  Stir continuously until browned.  Browning is important here-you want to get tons of flavor out of the bacon, ham, and onion here. I browned mine for about 10-15 minutes.
2. Now add beef broth, about 1 cup at a time until dissolved.  Then continue to add another cup until the arborrio stops absorbing it. Taste test to make sure the arborrio is tender.  If not, be patient, and keep adding more beef broth until it dissolves.  Stir constantly or it will burn on the bottom. 
3. Once the arborrio is nice and tender, please remove from the heat.  Please add the pepper jack cheese and stir in until creamy and smooth.  
4. Serve in shallow bowls and place 1-2 sprigs on top for decoration. 

Enjoy!

Recipe from: Holly

What Gets Your Taste Buds Going?

What kind of recipes do you prefer?

• New and adventurous
• Quick and easy
• Robust and flavorful
• Decorative and bright

I always like to hear from my fans.   Please feel free to comment and share your ideas!  :)

Happy feasting! 

One of my favorite restaurants in the city is the Slanted Door.  The picture below is from our last meal there:

Chicken Picatta and Lemon Risotto!

Ingredients

• 2 lemons
• 4 chicken breasts, sliced in half so they're thin
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp capers
• 1 cup italian breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp flour
• Pepper
• 1 cup marsala wine
• 1 cup arborrio (risotto)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 onion
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese

What to do

1. Chop the onion and heat the onion, butter, and arborrio in a medium sauce pan.  Lightly brown them.  
2. Add 1 cup of beef broth and bring to a boil.  Add more broth as it heats through until it's done absorbing. 
3. Meanwhile, heat some EVOO in a frying pan.  Now dredge the chicken breasts in eggs (stir them up in one bowl) and then the flour and italian breadcrumbs mixed together in a second bowl.  Place each chicken breast in the frying pan.  Cook for about 3-4 minutes per side until browned on each side and done. 
4. When chicken is done, place on a plate to the side and cover with foil.  Continue cooking the remaining chicken breasts and do the same when done.  
5. Once the chicken is done, keep the chicken brownings in the pan for flavor and add 1 cup of marsala wine, the juice of 1 lemon, and 1 tbsp capers.  This serves as the sauce for your chicken.  Serve with 1-2 tbsp of sauce for each chicken breast.
6. Once the arborrio is done absorbing beef broth (usually about 1 quart of beef broth on average, cooking for 20 minutes), add the juice of 1 lemon, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, and stir together.  Remove from heat.

Serve it up and enjoy!

Recipe from Holly, my specialty!

Scrumptuous Flank Steak with Salsa Verde :)

Ingredients

• 1 pound of flank steak
• Salt and pepper
• 2-3 tomatoes
• 2 cups fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1/2 lemon, zest and juice
• 1/3 cup EVOO, plus some for the grill
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

What to do

1. Place parsley, capers, EVOO, lemon zest and juice, dijon mustard, and garlic in food processor and blend until smooth.
2. Heat up grill (I used an inside grill pan) to high and coat lightly with EVOO.  Season the steak with salt and pepper.  Place steak on grill and cook until medium rare (2 minutes per side if thin, 4 minutes per side for thicker steak). 
3. Remove from pan and serve with sauce and sliced tomatoes topped with salt and pepper.  

This is pretty healthy and tasty! Enjoy!

Recipe from Food Network cookbook.

Sweet, Tasty, and Healthy Ribs w/Savory Veggies!

Ingredients

• 1 cup ketchup
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 8 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 rack of baby back ribs, cut in half
• Foil
• A mixture of your favorite veggies: I used zucchini, squash, onions, red pepper, green pepper, mushrooms, etc.
• EVOO
• Salt and pepper
• Rosemary
• Red Pepper Spice
• Oregano
• Garlic powder

What to do

1. Preheat the oven to 200. Put each half of baby back ribs in foil.  Mix together ketchup, brown sugar, red wine vinegar in a measuring cup.  Pour sauces on top of the ribs evenly and add onions and garlic half to each set of ribs. 
2. Cook for about 4-6 hours, until the meat falls off the bone. Make sure to keep them covered in foil and add some water if it gets dried out.  
3. Meanwhile, cut all your veggies up and toss them in a bowl.  Add some EVOO, rosemary, salt and pepper, red pepper spice, oregano, and garlic powder.  When there's about an hour and a half left, please place the veggies in a pan and cook until slightly browned and tender.  

Enjoy!

It's a Baking Day!

Muffins and cupcakes galore!  Because I didn't have a lot of time, I used the packaged goods from the store but it was super tasty.  My tips for the muffins, is to be careful with the measurements and temperature.  For the cupcakes, give them plenty of time to cool down before frosting them.  Frost them gently and then add some sprinkles for decoration. Enjoy!

Cupcake Perfection!

My Muffin Perfection!

 

These cupcakes were for my friend Gina's birthday.  I think they were a hit! :)

Rosemary Chicken Perfection!

This is a new recipe I tried with my personal spin on it and it immediately became a new favorite.  It was truly AMAZING!  If you try a new recipe this week, this is THE one!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound of potatoes, cut into bite size pieces
• 10 ounces of mushrooms halved
• 3 lemons, halved
• 2 sprigs of rosemary, 1 tbsp of rosemary leaves
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 garlic clove, smashed
• 1 pinch of red pepper spices
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 4 chicken breasts, skinned or not (your choice)

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 425. Boil the potatoes in a pot of water with salt for 10-15 minutes until tender.
2. Meanwhile, stack the garlic, salt, rosemary leaves, and red pepper spice on a cutting board.  Dice and smash into a paste.  Then place the paste into a medium bowl.  Add the juice of 2 lemons and EVOO and stir it up.  Add the chicken and mix to coat.  
3. Place the chicken breasts in a skillet and brown on both sides.  
4. Take an 11 x14 pan and place the potatoes in the bottom, add the halved mushrooms next, add the browned chicken breasts, coat with the juice of one more lemon.  Place the halved lemons inside the pan.  Place the 2 sprigs of rosemary in the center.
5. Cook for 20-25 minutes until browned and done.  

Enjoy!

Recipe inspired by the Food Network, some modifications...