These are the Days...

Sugarland is one of my all time favorite country groups. Justin and I went to a concert in Shreveport for our anniversary this year. They were absolutely amazing...those guys know how to put on a show!! This song is one of my favorites, and I was listening to it this morning while I was walking. It kinda sums up how I'm feeling in my life at the moment. We are at a standstill with the baby thing. My doctor says we shouldn't try until April...ugh. But....I am trying to be positive and view this time as a blessing rather than dwell on the fact that I am NOT PREGNANT. In an effort to stay positive (and keep my mind occupied) I have decided to use the next 9 months to get healthy and do some things I won't be able to do when I finally do have a baby. These are the days!
Here are a few things on my list right now:

1. Try to eat better.
2. Yoga
3. Run a 5K, and maybe a 10K
4. Learn to play the piano...finally
5. Learn to speak some Italian

We'll see how many of these I cross off. So far, I have done yoga twice this week and I have started a running program called "Couch to 5K" (that sounds pathetic, right?). And, I ordered a piano book from Amazon and dusted off the old keyboard...

On to the eating better thing...I am trying to get more veggies and fruits in, not so much dieting (I love food too much for that, that's where the running comes in!). Here is what I made last night:

Risotto with sweet peas, broccolini, and mushrooms

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups broccolini (baby broccoli), steamed
1 1/2 cups shitake mushrooms, sauteed in EVOO
2 cups Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed


Heat the butter and oil together in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil and butter. Pour in the wine, stir until all the liquid is absorbed. Reduce heat to low. Add 1 cup of the broth and cook until absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining broth, 1/2 cup at a time, waiting until each portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next. Continue this process until all liquid is absorbed. Stir in the Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Puree 2 cups of the peas in a blender or food processor. Just before serving, stir in the pea puree until fully incorporated, then fold in the remaining whole peas, broccoli, and mushrooms.

Yummy, and loaded with veggies!

Back in action....with a new favorite!!

Ahhh. I am so glad to be cooking again! I have been looking forward to the day when I would feel "almost normal" for a while now. I think, maybe, it's here.

First off, it's time to update my "Kitchen gadgets I'm dying for" list. For my birthday, Mary Kay (Justin's mom) got me the Microplane box grater. Check. I haven't used it yet, since I haven't done much in the kitchen since then...but, it is awesome! I can't wait to use it. Last, but certainly not least, Justin got me an early anniversary gift yesterday. I went to a cooking demonstration at Williams Sonoma with my co-worker, Annie. Afterwards, we were looking around, drooling over everything in the store when I saw it....Le Creuset 20% off sale! I showed Justin. He said "pick out which one you want...happy anniversary!" AAAHHH! 6 and 1/2 quart oval french oven. Check!



So...I decided to use my new french oven for EVERY thing I make this week. Here's to breaking in my new favorite gadget!!

The Maiden Voyage:



Last night, I decided to make the risotto recipe we learned in the Williams-Sonoma demo, with a few modifications. Here is the base recipe I used:

Spring Vegetable Risotto

Williams Sonoma

5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups arborio rice
1 lb. zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 cups frozen baby peas
1/4 cup minced fresh mint
2/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Cook the risotto:
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the broth and wine to a gentle simmer, then maintain the simmer over low heat.

Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter with 1 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, until all the grains are opaque and well coated with the fat, about 1 minute. Add 2 cups of the simmering broth mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid is absorbed, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to add the liquid about 1 cup at a time, stirring occasionally and adding more only after the previous addition has been absorbed.

Sauté the vegetables:
While the rice is cooking, in a fry pan over medium heat, warm the remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil. Add the zucchini and sauté just until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the peas and cook, stirring, until thawed and heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Finish the risotto:
When the rice is tender and creamy but the grains are still al dente at the center, after about 22 minutes, stir in the sautéed vegetables and the mint and cook for 1 minute to heat through. Stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper, divide among shallow bowls and serve immediately. Serves 4.


I wasn't really a huge fan of the mint in the recipe. I mean, it was good, just not my thing. Plus I wanted to add some meat to make the dish a little more "husband-friendly". Here are my modifications: While the rice cooked, I baked some prosciutto in the oven until it was crispy, then stirred it in at the end. I sauteed some mushrooms with the zucchini. I used parsley in place of the mint. It turned out really pretty and yummy....see:





Tonight, my mom was here. We had already planned on having my favorite meal: tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. Since I was using my new french oven, I decided to make homemade tomato-basil soup. (don't get me wrong, I love my Campbell's, but I wasn't about to heat that up in my Le Creuset!) Here is the recipe I used:

Tomato- Basil Soup

Cooking Light

4 cups chopped seeded peeled tomato (about 4 large)
4 cups low-sodium tomato juice
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 cup (4 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
Basil leaves, thinly sliced (optional)

Bring tomato and juice to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes.

Place tomato mixture and basil in a blender or food processor; process until smooth. Return pureed mixture to pan; stir in milk, salt, and pepper. Add cream cheese, stirring well with a whisk, and cook over medium heat until thick (about 5 minutes). Ladle soup into individual bowls; garnish with sliced basil, if desired.

For our grilled cheese, pressed the velveeta(yes!)sammies on my panini press. Delish!



Two days, two recipes, and I am already in love with this pot. It is perfect...plus, it's pretty!!

Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

Wow! What a busy week we've had. Thursday was Match Day...the day Justin found out that we get to stay here in Jackson for him to do his residency! Such a blessing! No moving to Buffalo, or Orlando, or anywhere. We get to stay right here!
I did NO cooking last week because it was full of breakfasts and dinners and such. Yummy! Probably gained a good 5 pounds. Mom was here tonight and I made Chicken and Mushroom Risotto from Food and Wine. It was really good. I love risotto! So versatile...soft and creamy! Mmmmm. Here is the recipe

Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

Food and Wine

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound mushrooms, cut into thin slices
2/3 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
5 1/2 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock, more if needed
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. In a large pot, heat the butter over moderate heat. Add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Cook until the chicken is just done, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the mixture from the pan. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer.

2. In the large pot, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir until it begins to turn opaque, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the wine and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt to the rice. Cook, stirring frequently, until all of the wine has been absorbed. Add about 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and cook, stirring frequently, until it has been absorbed. The rice and broth should bubble gently; adjust the heat as needed. Continue cooking the rice, adding broth 1/2 cup at a time and allowing the rice to absorb it before adding the next 1/2 cup. Cook the rice in this way until tender, 25 to 30 minutes in all. The broth that hasn't been absorbed should be thickened by the starch from the rice. You may not need to use all the liquid, or you may need more broth or some water.

4. Stir in the chicken and mushrooms, the Parmesan, and the parsley and heat through. Serve the risotto with additional Parmesan.


Heavenly...like old-fashioned chicken and rice, all grown up!