Champagne Risotto

I have never made risotto because I heard it was hard. It is a lot of work but not hard at all. We got a lot of champagne as wedding gifts and we really don't drink it so I found this recipe to use some of it and it was worth the work my arm went through stirring non-stop. I also added shrimp sauteed in olive oil and garlic.

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (I needed 4 cups)
12 asparagus spears, cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 shallot, finely chopped
3/4 cup Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
3/4 cup Champagne (I used 1 cup)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I used 1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Blanch the asparagus in the chicken stock for 2 minutes. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon. Set the asparagus aside and keep the chicken stock at a low simmer.

In another medium saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the shallot and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the Arborio rice and stir to coat in the butter. Continue toasting the rice, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes more. Add the Champagne and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in the asparagus, remaining butter, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.

Cucumber Salad

In my on going quest to get Mike to eat more veggies I made this cucumber salad. It is like a salad we get when we go out to sushi and he likes. I could eat it all day.

1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 cucumber
1/2 carrot (I used a whole carrot)

Mix the white vinegar, black pepper, red pepper flakes and vegetable oil in bowl with sealing lid. Slice cucumber as thin. You can slice or grate the carrot, I grate it. Once everything is in the bowl put the lid on and shake to combined everything. It just gets better the next day. I like to try and make it the day before we are going to eat it.

Vicki's Mom's Pistachio Cake

I stole this recipe from Vicki's blog. Very much worth stealing.

Ingredients for Cake:

1 package yellow cake mix
1 package instant pistachio pudding
3 eggs
1 cup club soda
1 cup oil

Ingredients for Frosting:

1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 package instant pistachio pudding
1 envelope dream whip

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix all cake ingredients together, mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into greased and floured bundt pan (I made them in regular sheet cake form and cupcake form). Bake for 50 minutes (see cake package for baking times on cake or cupcakes). Cool in pan for 15 minutes. Turn onto rack and cool completely. Blend all frosting ingredients with an electric mixer and beat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Cut the cake into 2 layers, frost in between layers, then reassemble the cake and frost the outside. Keep cake refrigerated

Artichoke Chicken

I am trying to get Mike to eat more veggies so I tried this artichoke chicken and he loved it!

1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (I used 1 cup)
2/3 can of artichoke hearts, chopped roughly
1 teaspoon garlic powder (I used 1 tablespoon)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Mix mayo, parmesan cheese, artichoke hearts and garlic powder in bowl.
Spread over chicken and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until top browns slightly.

Roasted Asparagus

I love asparagus and roasting is it is really easy!

one bundle asparagus
olive oil
salt
pepper

First bend one spear of asparagus until it breaks on it's own toward the bottom. Trim the rest of the spears to match. I also peel the asparagus. Arrange on cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15- 20 minutes.

Turkey Florentine Meatballs/loaf

I have made this recipe in meatloaf form and mini meatball form for parties. Both are great. The meatballs are also really good with spaghetti.

1 box frozen spinach, defrosted in the microwave
1 1/3 pound (1 package) ground turkey breast
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large egg
1/4 cups milk
3/4 cup bread crumbs, 3 handfuls
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, 2 palm fulls
Coarse salt and black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Wring defrosted spinach dry in a clean kitchen towel. Place turkey in a bowl. Add the spinach, onion, garlic, 1 large egg,1/4 cup milk, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, salt and pepper. Mix well. Form into 12 large balls, tons of mini balls or meatloaf. Arrange on a nonstick cookie sheet and roast 20 minutes (meatloaf will take longer), or until cooked through. I add marinara sauce for dipping.

Chicken Salad Wraps

This is one of my favorite recipes ever. Very simple to make if you have a small food processor or some of time to chop. Very much worth it. It is designed to be a wrap but is also good as a sandwich.

10 cups coarsely shredded coocked chicken (from about 3 store bought roasted chickens)
2 cups roasted red, drained, patted dry, and coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups paper-thin slices red onion
3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups (about) Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Salt and freshly ground pepper
24 butter lettuce leaves (from about 3 large heads)

I usually chop the bell peppers, and onion in my mini food processor. Place shredded chicken in large bowl. Add chopped bell peppers, red onion, almonds, caper in bowl and mix until well combined. Season with salt and pepper as you like. Dress with red wine vinaigrette as desired. Remove butter lettuce leaves from head and place spoonful of salad wrap and enjoy!

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup olive oil

Combine the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually add the oil and blend until emulsified.

Chicken-Chorizo Stoup

I honestly can't stand to listen to Rachel Ray talk but I really like some of her recipes. I found this one while looking for something with chicken and roasted red peppers. I really scored here! YUM

1 pound chicken tenders, cut into bit size pieces (I used chicken breasts)
Salt and Pepper
3/4 pound chorizo sausage, diced (the kind I usually buy was all gone so I got chicken andouille)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic roughly chopped (I used more because I LOVE garlic)
1 red bell pepper, chopped (I used roasted red peppers)
1 medium onion, chopped
6 small red potatoes, diced (I used yukon golds because that is what I had)
1-15 ounce can fire roasted chopped tomatoes
1-15 ounce can dark red kidney beans, drained
1 quart chicken stock

Heat olive oil in large stock pot. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to olive oil. Lightly brown chicken for 2 to 3 minutes. Add chorizo and garlic. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Add peppers, onions and potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes, then stir in tomatoes and kidney beans. Add chicken stock and bring soup to a boil. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 5 additional minutes. Top with cheese if you like, I do!

Yum Yum Beef Stew-Crockpot

I have made my first crock pot meal and it was a hit! We had a few friends over and I was nervous but everyone loved it! Very easy!

2 tablespoons oil
1/3 cup flour
2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat
head of garlic (we really like garlic but you can use less) minced
4 potatoes cut into bite size pieces
1 pound (small bag) baby carrots sliced in half
1 16 ounce can beef broth
1 can condensed French onion soup plus one can water
1 12 ounce bottle Amber Bock beer

Place flour in ziplock bag with beef stew meat. Coat the beef stew meat with the flour. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add beef stew meat to skillet and brown for 3 to 5 mins. Place beef stew meat in crock pot. Add garlic, potatoes, carrots, beef broth, french onion soup plus one can water and beer to crock pot. Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or until vegetables are tender.

G-ma's Alligators

These no bake cookies are a HUGE family favorite. My aunt kept the recipe hidden for a long time from everyone but shared it with me for the first time last Christmas. I have heard them called haystacks by other people but I had never encountered them before Grandma A made them. It took me few trials to get the just right . Make sure you do not over boil or under boil or they will not set up right.

1 stick margarine
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sugar
3 cups Quick Quaker Oats
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla

Bring margarine, cocoa, milk and sugar to a boil and boil 1 minute (no joke 1 min only!) Take off burner and add oats, peanut butter, walnuts and vanilla. Spoon by teaspoon onto waxed paper. Let set up and enjoy :)