Risotto with peas and shallots

Risotto probably ranks as one of my favorite foods in the world. So creamy, cheap, and you can throw almost anything in it, and it works. Tonight I was suffering from I-didn't-go-to-the-grocery-store-itis, but I had some arborio rice, and my risotto was born. Risotto can be a bit time-consuming, and you have to stir it constantly, but the end result is worth it. My risotto had white wine, chicken broth, olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, frozen peas, fresh lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese. I made a bit of bacon for husband's dish, and he really enjoyed it.



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Big, fat, failure

Sometimes, despite the best of intentions, things can go awry.  I experience this in the kitchen last week as I attempted to make a smashed split pea and barley soup (a copy cat recipe from a California Pizza Kitchen dish).  I learned a valuable lesson, that sometimes you DO know better than a recipe, and that I need to learn to listen to my cooking intuition. 

I followed the recipe to a T, and I knew while cooking that there were a few things that just weren't right.  For one, the recipe called for way, way too much liquid.  Secondly, it told me to squeeze lemon in the pot in the beginning of the cooking process, rather than at the end for a fresh zap of acid.  The liquid turned what was supposed to be a thick puree into a green, over liquidy mess.  It was gross.  The lemon has soured and turned bitter after cooking for almost 2 hours, and it was also gross.  All in all, a kitchen failure that won't be repeated anytime soon.  YUCK!

I did find some kitchen success, however, I forgot to take pictures.  I cooked with a friend on Saturday night, and we made a roast chicken.  It was delicious, stuffed with lemon, sage, thyme, rosemary and garlic, both under the skin and in the cavity.  We cooked it with potatoes and carrots, and added a little bit of water to the pan halfway through the cooking process which created a thick jus.  It was amazing, and such a winter comfort meal on a cold-ish night. 

Tonight the plan is a simply shrimp dish that I haven't made for a long time.... but, part of me just wants to either try the gnocchi again or simply cook up the tortellini that I have in the fridge.  I'm feeling a bit lazy again (Husband awoke at 4am which means I also awoke at 4am).  I may save the shrimp for tomorrow night when I'm feeling a bit more ambitious.  I also have to do some baking for my work Christmas party on Wednesday morning.  We are having a brunch, and tonight I need to start preparing my Banana Foster Bread (to-die-for), and then Wednesday morning I'm making a baked cheese grits casserole.  Hopefully it all comes together without too much trouble.  I can't believe the holidays are so close!

Braised beef short ribs

Running short on time, but wanted to post my Sunday night dinner-- slow braised beef short ribs. Really delicious, although I will take more care next time to trim more fat off. They got fall-off-the-bone tender. Served with a little orzo mixed with a pat of butter and some parmesan. The sauce from the ribs was great on top.



Searing the ribs.



Finished product in the pot.



And on my plate!

Will post recipe later.



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Lazy cooking

Part of what makes cooking within reach on a (mostly) daily basis is having some stuff in your back pocket that can be whipped up in a matter of minutes after a long day.  Homemade pizza is my go-to meal. 

I do some cheating here.  I don't make my own dough from scratch.  I buy a package of 89 cent dough mix, and add a half cup of hot water.  Use some flour to roll it our, and BAM, dough!  Easy, cheap, not homemade, but fairly close.  I also cheated by not using homemade pizza sauce.  I really like the Barilla Tomato and Basil Sauce.  It has great flavor, low in calories.  I do make my own sauce from time to time, but when it's about quick and easy cooking, a good jar sauce works for me. 

You can top your pizza with anything you'd like.  I use part skim shredded mozzarella, part skim ricotta cheese, a sprinkle of goat cheese, and turkey pepperoni.  The end result tasted so good, even better than delivery pizza to me at a fraction of the cost.  Not the world's most beautiful pizza, but really tasty.  Two thumbs up from my husband. 

Please forgive the quality of pictures, I've been taking them on my phone to expedite the process instead of using my camera!

Comfort Food

I think everyone has different ideas of what constitutes comfort food, but I think most revolve around a few common factors.  Warm, hearty, traditional.  It's finally gotten cold here in Houston, so I was looking for a meal that embodied my idea of comfort food.  On the menu last night:

Beer Braised Chicken
Blue Cheese and Bacon Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Brussel Sprouts

The beer braised chicken was a recipe that I took from Claire Robinson's show 5 Ingredient Fix.  Some people might find 5 ingredients lazy, but I appreciate it.  I think that there is cooking that definitely involves building flavors using lots of ingredients.  I also believe in showcasing the real flavor of food, and if you use 5 fresh, tasty ingredients, sometimes that is all you need.  Salt and pepper don't count, since they are things that most people generally have on hand.  I made a couple of modifications based on what ingredients I had on hand.

Beer Braised Chicken
3 Chicken Breasts (original recipe called for a whole chicken in pieces with skin and bones-- I didn't have that on hand)
5 slices centercut bacon (original recipe called for 3 slices of applewood smoked bacon, center cut is leaner, so I used a couple more slices)
1 shallot and 1/2 of an onion (original recipe called for fennel, again, I didn't have it)
1 bottle of dark beer
2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 400.

Slice bacon and crisp up in dutch oven.  Remove crispy pieces, and sear chicken on all sides.  Remove chicken and sweat onions and shallots until translucent. 

Add bottle of beer and scrape brown bits off the bottom of the dutch oven.  Add chicken back to the pan, cover, and place in the oven.  Flip chicken on the other side after 20 minutes, and cook for another 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven, place chicken on a plate and cover with foil.  Simmer beer sauce and add vinegar.  Keep simmering until sauce thickens and reduces. 

Spoon sauce and crumble bacon over chicken and serve. 

It was good.  I used a bottle of Kona Pipeline Porter beer, which has some Kona Coffee in it.  It was a throwback to our Hawaiian honeymoon, and I thought it gave nice flavor.

As for the sides, they were easy-peasy.  I had some little potatoes on hand, so I quickly sliced and boiled them, used my potato masher, and added a bit of salt, pepper, half and half, and a dab of FF sour cream to taste.  Then I crumbled a bit of gorgonzola.... and stole some of the bacon that I rendered for the chicken and threw it in as well.  As my husband put it, I really hit on a winner.  Smooth, creamy comfort. 

Finally, I have been loving a veggie that I used to hate.  Roasting vegetables is an amazing way to bring out a nutty flavor and make them something special.  Both my husband and I used to hate brussel sprouts, but after having them roasted at a dinner party, I've fallen in love.  400 degrees (happily, the same temp as the chicken-- important when you only have one oven!), wash and slice them, a little olive oil, salt, and pepper...

 Roast them till the edges start getting a bit brown.  And ta-da, dinner is ready!

Homemade gnocchi

I love gnocchi. Love it more than pasta because of the soft, dense but chewy texture. I found an easy enough looking recipe online, and I decided it would be a good place to begin my quest.

Homemade Gnocchi

1 or 2 medium baking potatoes
1 egg
1 to 1 1/2 cups flour (check the consistency of the dough, as more as needed)

Peel and boil potatoes until fork tender. Use mesh sieve or potato ricer to work potatoes through (I pushed mine through a mesh strainer). Mix well with egg. Add flour and mix. Once flour is incorporated, moved dough to well-floured surface and knead. Let dough stand for 15 minutes.











Take a section of dough, and roll out to an inch thickness, and cut 1/2 inch pieces. Press fork tongs into gnocchi pieces. Throw into salted boiling water for 2 minutes.

How did mine turn out? Pretty well, I think! I probably could have used a bit more flour in my dough, but I was pleased. Topping possibilites are endless. I topped mine with a tablespoon of butter, chopped fresh thyme and rosemary, squeeze of fresh lemon, and a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese. Tasted so clean and light despite the dense gnocchi. I served with roasted brussel sprouts. Yum!










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My Kitchen Wishlist

I got married in April, and my registry consisted mainly of kitchen goodies for me (and I suppose by default for my husband, since he gets to eat the fruits of my labor).  Unfortunately, we still don't have a lot of room for everything that we received, but I have taken a few of my favorite thing that I use frequently.  They include my Wusthof Chef's knife, wooden cutting board, nonstick skillet, and my Le Creuset dutch oven.  Love.  Love deeply. 

Somehow, though, my wishlist has continued to grow....



The king of all mixers



For all the bread I plan to make!



A real multi-tasker.



The Rolls Royce of steak knives.

A longer list could easily be made, but it's time to not be greedy.....  The top of my wishlist? 



I lust, I yearn, I burn.....

The beginning of my story

Why, hello, friend, fellow blogger, random happen-uponer of my ramblings. My name is K, and I am a 28 year old wife, nonprofit employee, and budding home cook. I love food, recipes, cookbooks, food blogs, magazines.... anything that I can get my hands on. Until I was 22 years old, my cooking skills were limited to Easy Mac, frozen pizza, and take out. After going to law school and getting my first apartment, I began to watch the Food Network, and I got excited about cooking. My mother, grandmother, and aunt were all terrific cooks, and I finally decided that I wanted to join their club. There have been many missteps along the way and a 1.5 year cooking hiatus while I moved back in with my mother and got treatment for cancer. After moving into my first apartment with my husband, I decided one of the things that I wanted to bring to our family was a strong tradition of home cooked meals. I began by following recipes to the T, and I have gradually become confident enough to begin inserting my own touches to recipes. I'm still no culinary master, but I think I've grown in my ability to cook intuitively.

However....

I'm still lazy on a lot of nights, and I turn to things like frozen pizza, take out, or restaurant cooking. Those things not only waste money, but they also waste my waistline. I also have a problem in the other direction of spending entirely too much at the grocery store on items that I only use once and discard. My goal is to not only eat the majority of the meals at home, but also to become budget wise by shopping seasonally, clipping coupons, reading the weekly circular for deals, buying ingredients with multiple uses, and purchasing more food locally. It is my goal to chronicle this journey in this blog, and hopefully inspire others to become home-cooking savvy and penny wise. I know there won't be perfection every step of the way, and I also plan to highlight any special restaurant meals that I eat. Emphasis on making restaurant meals "special" instead of ordinary.

Thank you for joining me along this journey!