Roasted Red Pepper & Parmesan Risotto

The only thing you need to know about this recipe is that I made it twice in one week! The only change I made from the original was to used roasted red peppers that were in a jar vs. roasting my own. We are on quite the risotto kick here, and this one was wonderful!

Roasted Red Pepper & Parmesan Risotto
4 c. vegetable (or chicken) broth
2 t. olive oil
1 large shallot (or 1/4 c. onion) finely diced
1 c. arborio rice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large red bell pepper roasted, or 1 canned roasted red pepper
1/2 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan
1 T. butter
salt and pepper to taste

Heat broth over low heat. Meanwhile, chop pepper, onion and garlic. Set each aside separately. Heat olive oil in medium pan. Saute shallots (or onion) until translucent. Add rice and garlic and saute for an additional minute. Add wine and chopped pepper. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add 1/2 c. broth and cook until almost absorbed. Repeat until rice has cooked for about 25 minutes or is al dente. You will not use all of the broth. Remove from heat and add butter, cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Greta and Miles rating: They adored this!!

Cheddar Chipotle Scones

Seriously, what is better than a warm scone on a winter's day? These scones were fabulous! I can't believe they only have 3 tablespoons of butter! Next time I make these, I will use even more chipotle. The flavor was great, but I personally would have liked it even stronger. That being said, the kids loved these and they were not even close to being too spicy for them. This recipe is from Serious Eats. I could not believe how flaky these were, and I even subbed Greek yogurt for the sour cream! Try these, they would be fantastic with some spicy Italian sausage added.

Cheddar Chipotle Scones
2 c. AP Flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3 T. butter, cold and cut into small pieces

3/4 c. sour cream (I used Greek yogurt)
1/2 c. sharp shredded cheddar
1  minced chipotle pepper in adobo
1 T. water
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350.Combine dry ingredients and cut in butter using pastry blender or 2 forks, until resembles coarse crumbs. Combine sour cream, cheese, pepper, water and egg and mix well. Fold into dry ingredients mixing just until combined. Knead into 8" round slab and cut into 8 wedges. Bake for 15-25 minutes until golden.

Mushroom and Parmesan Risotto

Don't you love getting a new cookbook? I very rarely buy cookbooks, so I usually only receive them as gifts. For Christmas this year, I received the cookbook, Fresh Flavor Fast. I recently borrowed this book from the library and immediately added it to my Amazon wishlist! Needless to say, I was very pleased to receive this book. This next recipe was an absolute hit. I will be adding it to our family's favorites for sure. I made a few changes to the original recipe and the recipe below is how I prepared it at home.

Mushroom and Parmesan Risotto
29 oz. chicken broth
2 c. water
3 T. butter
10 oz. mixed fresh mushrooms (I used baby bellas and white buttons)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 c. Arborio rice
1/2 c. sherry
1/2 c. grated Parmesan

In medium saucepan heat chicken broth. Meanwhile, in large saucepan, heat 1 T. butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to plate. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 1 T. butter and onion to large saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add rice and stir. Cook 1 minute.Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.
Ladle 2 c. of hot broth into saucepan with rice. Stir occasionally and cook until almost completely absorbed, about 5 minutes. Repeat, adding 1 c. of broth at a time and cooking until liquid is almost absorbed before adding next cup. Cook until rice is al dente and creamy (about 25 minutes). You may not use all of the broth.
Remove from heat and add Parmesan, 1 T. butter, and half of mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with remaining mushrooms and additional grated cheese.

Greta and Miles rating: They both LOVED this. Greta even asked if she could have it for snack a couple of hours after dinner!

Top Recipes of 2010

Here they are! Our family's Top Ten favorite recipes from the past year. Happy New Year!
1. Mushroom & Pecorino Tarts

2. Tom Kha Kai Soup

3. Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

4. Walnut & Honey Pizza

5. African Peanut Soup

6.  Mom's Clam Chowder

7.  Sweet Corn and Cheddar Pancakes

8. Kale Chips

9. Sugar Cookie Bars

 10. Butternut Squash Lasagna

 

Root Vegetable Cobbler

Comfort food. Mmmmmmm.  I was recently very blessed to receive a lot of free produce and a bunch of other goodies! Few things are more exciting to me than free food!! One of the things I received was a few bags of winter vegetables; turnips, parsnips and rutabagas. My search for the perfect recipe began. I found several that sounded good, but ended up coming up with my own concoction. This meal is perfect for a winter's day. You could really use any combination of  root or winter vegetables- butternut squash, potatoes, carrots or any combination would be lovely. This is a new favorite!


Root Vegetable Cobbler
6 c. cubed root vegetables (enough to cover the bottom of  a 9x13 pan) I used carrots, parsnips, rutabagas and turnips
1 small onion, diced
1 t. olive oil
1 1/4 c. vegetable broth
2 T. flour
2/3 c. milk
1 t. dried rosemary
For the topping:
2 C. flour
1 T. baking powder
1 t. salt
6 T. butter
2 eggs
1/2 c. sharp cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Steam vegetables and place in 9x 13 baking dish. In saucepan over medium heat, saute onions in oil. When onions are tender, add broth and milk (reserve a small amount of milk to mix 2 T. flour in, then add to saucepan as well). Simmer until thickened and pour over vegetables.
To make the topping, combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut butter into pats and combine with flour mixture using pastry blender. When mixture resembles coarse meal, add eggs, milk and cheese. Stir gently just until combined. Shape into small biscuits and cover vegetables. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

Greta and Miles rating: They both adored the biscuit topping. Greta enjoyed the veggies and Miles had a few.

Hello Kitty Cake Pops

Our little girl decided that she would like a Hello Kitty birthday party this year.  Upon researching Hello Kitty cakes online, I stumbled upon some Hello Kitty cake pops. I love Bakerella and have oogled over her cake pops in the past, but have never made them. The best thing about this recipe is that you can use any flavor of cake and any flavor of frosting! And the recipe is so simple and the possibilities for decoration are endless. My Hello Kitty cake pops may have looked like a kindergartner made them compared to Bakerella's, but everyone at the party thought they were great, especially my 5 year old, which is all that counts!

Hello Kitty Cake Pops
1 boxed cake mix
3/4c.- 1c. packaged frosting
white chocolate chips
white candy melts
lollipop sticks
styrofoam block
pink heart shaped sprinkles
red and yellow round sprinkles
black frosting gel

Prepare cake as directed on box and cool completely. When cooled, crumble cake and add frosting. Stir well with wooden spoon. Shape into 1" balls and chill in refrigerator. Melt small amount of candy. Dip lollipop sticks in a little of the melted candy and insert 1/2 way into cake balls. Once they have set, insert lollipop sticks into stryofoam. Dab a little melted candy onto the balls where you would like the ears to be. Quickly place a white chocolate chip on melted candy for ears. Allow to set. Once they are set, Melt the remaining candy melts and dip heads into melted candy to cover completely. I found using a small spoon to cover the heads and spinning gently helped to coat the balls without them falling off the lollipop stick. Place back in styrofoam to set.
To decorate faces, I used the melted candy as glue to adhere the bow and eyes, melting more candy as needed. Use frosting gel for eyes and whiskers. Store tightly covered in a cool dry place for up to 1 week. Do not refrigerate.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

I made these little babies to pack in our teacher's gifts for Christmas presents this year. I added white chocolate chips and chocolate chips to some of them. I think I made about 4 batches of these total! This is a fabulous recipe. I am always looking for great cookie recipes that do not require chocolate chips. The recipe is from Williams-Sonoma. Enjoy!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 t. vanilla
1 2/3 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat. Add dry ingredients and stir. Roll dough into 1-2" balls and coat in confectioner's sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes.