Monday, February 25, 2013

Seriously Easy Risotto

Have you ever attempted making risotto? It's the one culinary dish that absolutely terrifies me. Why does risotto scare me so? I blame Food Network.

I distinctly remember watching Next Food Network Star a couple summers ago and the challenge one week was for the contestants to cook a celebrity dinner with Wolfgang Puck as the guest of honor. One of the contestants absolutely screwed up the risotto so bad that Wolfgang stood up from the table and insisted on taking the poor contestant back into the kitchen to teach her how to make risotto the right way. That scene seriously intimidated me into making risotto. (Watch it here)

So call me crazy, but I decided to make my very first risotto for Dusty on Valentine's Day. The secret to the risotto is that I cheated. I made a foolproof, idiot-proof, can't-mess-up, seriously easy baked risotto from Ina Garten. Dusty and I have seriously got a foodie-crush on Ina's cooking. Every single thing I've made from her has been wonderful. I was so impressed by her easy Parmesan Risotto, I had to share it with you!


Easy Parmesan Risotto by Ina Garten
{4-6 servings}

-1-1/2 cups Arborio rice
-5 cups Chicken Stock (divided)
-1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1/2 cup White Wine
-3 tbsp Butter (diced)
-2 tsp Salt

-1 tsp Pepper
-1 cup Frozen Peas

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the rice and 4 cups of the chicken stock in a Dutch oven. Cover and bake for 45 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove the Dutch oven from the oven, add the remaining cup of chicken stock, the Parmesan, wine, butter, salt, and pepper, and stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, until the rice is thick and creamy. Add the peas and stir until heated through.


I told you it was easy! Go make this for your family and friends and impress them!

Recipe from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa)

Monday, February 11, 2013

Valentine's Day Menu

Aaaugghhh! It's starting to happen again. School is getting insane and free time to make yummy new creations is decreasing.

Must. Fight. This.

My first Senior semester of nursing school has kicked off with a bang! I spent last week on ATU and had a blast. Previous semesters we were only assigned one patient, now we get to pick our own patients and we get to have two! Juggling the two patients and having more responsibility with freedom is awesome! I'm totally loving it. On Wednesday I get to spend 12 hours at the ICU and can hardly wait because I'm so excited! I seriously can't wait to be a nurse.

Don't worry. I'm not a total loser. My life isn't just school. It's also working on Orthopedics, cooking, baking, date nights with Dusty, shopping and....The Walking Dead.

Ok. Maybe I'm kinda lame right now. But oh my gosh! The Walking Dead is on Netflix, which means Dusty and I watched 2 seasons in like 3-4 days. Nerd alert! 

Well, that pretty much sums up where I've been the past week or two. Work, school, homework, and watching an obscene amount of zombie killing on Netflix. Also, I've been planning one of my favorite meals of the year besides Turkey Day.....Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day is the one day I like to go all out and show off my culinary skills to Dusty. Since good seafood is a luxury in Montana, I love to make something fishy and fancy for the big day of love. I found these beautiful babes at Costco this weekend....

And they are going to taste so good broiled with a lemon-chive butter and served over a creamy parmesan risotto with roasted green beans! It will be my first attempt at making risotto, so wish me luck!

While I'm spending my 12 hours on Wednesday in the ICU, Dusty is in charge of making a Red Velvet Cake with the classic frosting. On our first V-day spent together 5 years ago, Dusty surprised me and made a Red Velvet Cake for me. I know it's the typical Valentine's Day dessert, but it sure is special to me!

If you are struggling to think of something special that has some WOW-factor, then I've got the perfect Valentine's Day menu for you....

Impressive and fancy!

Seriously seductive ;)

The perfect side dish!

And finally, the most delicious and decadent dessert...
This dessert is super impressive, but so easy!

What are you making for your sweetie? Are you eating out or staying in? 
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...