Garden Risotto - CEiMB

Jessica was the lucky recipe picker this week. Check hers out here (as well as the recipe). I have just recently been introduced to making risotto but have not tried it without mushrooms. And I love peas!

This recipe was easy, flavorful and good. It paired perfectly with the brats that we grilled out tonight too!

Check out all the other risotto dishes HERE.


Don't forget....there are only 2 more days left for the Giveaway!

Honey Fruit Salad

This recipe is fast, easy and so good. The Hubster can't get enough and eats it until it is gone. I made the recipe twice and the leftovers do not stick around very long in the fridge. I served it with chicken pot pies and it was such a good side for that dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

2 medium firm bananas, chopped

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 cups fresh raspberries

2 cups fresh sliced strawberries

5 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine the bananas and berries. In a small bowl, combine the honey, lemon juice and poppy seeds. Pour over fruit and toss to coat. YIELD: 8 servings.

Jewel Roasted Vegetables - CEiMB

I wish I had more positive things to say about these jeweled veggies. I am struggling though, REALLY struggling. The only thing that comes to mind is that the dish was colorful.

Marie from A Year From Oak Cottage chose the recipe. You can find the recipe HERE or on page 244 in Ellie's cookbook. Be sure to check out what my fellow CEiMB members thought. I think that others enjoyed it much more than we did.

I considered not making the dish but didn't want to skip. I haven't skipped any yet. I am not a huge veggie fan and the list of veggies I do like is short. A vegetarian is something I could never be. I decided to halve the recipe, make it anyway and hope that I would be pleasantly surprised.

Since carrots are on my short list of vegetables that I like, I thought that I could just eat those if I didn't like the rest. The Hubster complained the entire time I was making the recipe and was not hopeful either.

The recipe was easy to prepare and looked nice in the dish. When it came out of the oven, the veggies were not tender. I thought that maybe it would have helped to cover the carrots, sprouts and garlic while they roasted for an hour. Everything except the beets were hard and crunchy. I was expecting tender and soft. The thyme taste sensation was not up my alley either. I seriously couldn't get the taste out of my mouth for hours after dinner. It was my first time eating beets too. I thought they tasted like dirt. The Hubster felt the same way and was much harsher in his opinions than mine. I highly doubt that this recipe will be prepared in our house again.

Mac & Squash - CEiMB

I might have been in the minority for this recipe, but it was NOT enjoyed in our house. I so wish that I had halved the recipe like I had been considering. However, I usually am a huge fan of Mac & Cheese. I made this over a week ago and it is still sitting in our fridge. The Hubster and I just don't want to look at it again. I just have to throw the rest away.

The recipe was chosen by Supplicious. It looked so good and sounded wonderful. Seriously, Macaroni and Four Cheeses....doesn't that sound delicious? It should really be called Mac & Squash. I couldn't taste any cheese. The only thing I could taste was squash. And lots of it. Before I put it away, I actually dumped about 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese into the pan. The Hubster ate some for lunch the next day and said that it did taste better. However, neither of us have touched it since then.

I doubt that I will be making this one again. If I do make homemade Mac & Cheese, it will not be with a "healthy" twist. It looks like others really enjoyed this recipe though. Check out the other Ellie Cooks for their reviews. You can find the recipe on page 168 in Ellie's cookbook.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Oven Baked Wild Mushroom Risotto

I am not sure where I stumbled across this recipe, but it is delicious. This was my first time making risotto and I can say with certainty that I will be making it again. I really like mushrooms and this has a great mushroom and Parmesan cheese flavor. We ate it as a meal and it is very filling. However, I am thinking that the next time I make steaks...this would be a great side.

Oven Baked Wild Mushroom Risotto
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side dish

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
8 ounces fresh, dark gilled mushrooms
2 1/2 ounces butter
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
7 ounces Italian Carnoli rice
5 ounces chicken stock
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste

To finish:
2 ounces parmesan cheese, shaved into flakes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat parsley

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl with 2 cups of boiling water poured over them. Set aside to soak for 30 minutes. Slice the remaining mushrooms about 1/4 inch thick.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add the onion. Cook it over gentle heat for about 5 minutes to soften, then add the sliced mushrooms, stir well and leave to the side for the time being.

When the dried mushrooms have had their half hour soak, place a sieve over a bowl. Line with a double sheet of paper towels and strain the mushrooms through this, reserving the liquid in the bowl beneath. Chop the mushrooms finely and then add them to the mushroom mixture in the pan. Keep the heat low and let the onions and mushroom sweat gently for about 20 minutes, in order to release all their juices and flavour. Do not colour.

Put a shallow casserole dish into the oven to warm.

Add the rice to the mushroom mixture and give it a good stir to coat it with butter. Add the chicken stock along with the strained mushroom liquid. Season to taste with some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring up to the simmering point, then pour the whole mixture into the warmed casserole dish. Stir once and then place it on shelf in the middle of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 20 minutes exactly.

Remove from the oven and gently stir in the grated parmesan cheese, turning the rice grains over. Put back in the oven and bake for 15 minutes further. Remove from the oven and serve immediately, spooned out onto warm plates and garnished with the shavings of parmesan cheese and a sprinkling of parsley.

Delicious Dinner

Creamy Cucumbers

INGREDIENTS:

4-5 cucumbers (peeled and sliced thin)
1/4 cup white vinegar (or more to taste)
1 pint whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Peel and slice cucumbers thinly. Put in large mixing bowl. In another small bowl, combine whipping cream, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix and pour over cucumbers. Toss. Refrigerate until served.

I found this recipe in one of my Taste of Home magazines. I don’t really follow the recipe anymore though and just mix it to taste to our liking. I think that it tastes much better the next day as left-overs.

Green Bean Stir Fry

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon peanut butter
3/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
4 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:
In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, garlic, sesame seeds, brown sugar and peanut butter; set aside. In a large skillet, stir-fry the green beans in oil until crisp-tender. Remove from the heat. Add the soy sauce mixture; stir to coat. Delicious! I got this recipe from All Recipes. I used fresh green beans from our garden. YUMMY!

Chicken Pot Pie

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

DIRECTIONS:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
2) In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3) In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4) Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5) Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

NOTES: This recipe originally came from All Recipes. I found it on another blog though. I used a store bought rotisserie chicken and there was plenty of chicken. I also used a Yukon gold potato that I cubed and added to the chicken, carrots, peas and celery. Before baking, I brushed the top of the pie with egg to make it golden brown. I originally made two pies about a month ago, we ate one and froze the other. We ate the frozen one this evening. This is “lick your plate clean YUMMY!!!!!” Ben loves it and I am sure that I will be making these pies again in the very near future.

I originally posted this on my old blog on 8/6/08.

Balsamic and Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

1 large head cauliflower, florets cut into 1 inch thick slices
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20-30 minutes
1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2) In a medium bowl, toss cauliflower with oil, marjoram, salt and pepper until coated. Spoon onto a large rimmed baking sheet lined with non-stick foil. Bake 15-20 minutes or until cauliflower starts to soften and brown.
3) Remove from oven. Toss cauliflower with vinegar and cheese. Return to oven; roast 5 to 10 more minutes or until cheese melts and any moisture has evaporated.

I got this recipe from the Food section in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel yesterday. It was very good for only 88 calories a serving (makes 6 servings)!

I originally posted this recipe on July 25 on my old blog.