Lemon Risotto

I tasted this dish last weekend at a wedding shower.  The hostess, Tammy Clark presented this dish inside   lemons & it was so yummy.  I couldn't wait to make this for our moms on Mother's Day.  It is not a difficult dish to make, but it is time-intensive. So, I won't be making it frequently, but it's definitely worth the time & effort ocassionally.

LEMON RISOTTO

4 cups chicken broth
1/2 c fresh lemon juice

3 T unsalted butter
2 large shallots, diced
1 1/2c Arborio Rice
1/2 c dry white wine
1/2 c  and 2T grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c mascarpone cheese
zest of 1/2 lemon
3/4 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp ground pepper
2T parsley
 

In a medium sauce pan, bring broth and 1/4 c of the lemon to a simmer

Set aside for later and keep hot over low heat.

In a different medium pan, melt 2T butter, add shallots and saute until tender- about 3 minutes
Add rice and stir until the rice is coated

Add wine and remaining 1/4c lemon

Simmer until the liquid is evaporated- about 3 minutes
Add broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring and simmering each time until liquid is evaporated

Continue until all liquid from sauce pan #1 is in the rice- about 20 minutes

Remove from heat

Stir in 1 T butter, 1/2 c parmesan cheese, mascarpone cheese, lemon zest, salt and pepper

Spoon into bowls or hollowed out lemons

Sprinkle 2 T parmesean cheese and parsley across all servings (I topped mine with asparagus)

Carrot Souffle

This dish is one of Stephen's all-time favorites.  We first tried this at the home of some folks in my first church in Knoxville.  Mary Frances Rule made this & faked out all of her dinner guests (as I do each time I make it).  This looks just like a sweet potato souffle, but it's made entirely with carrots!  Since I am not a big sweet potato fan, but I love carrots, this works out well for me!  

This is such a fun dish to make & see the surprise on people's faces when you tell them it's made from carrots!

CARROT SOUFFLE

2 lbs. carrots

3/4 c. butter, melted

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. sugar (I use Splenda- not pictured)

2 tsp baking powder

6 T. flour

6 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Cook carrots in water until soft

Mash carrots or blend until smooth

(I used my baby food maker for the above instructions because it steams & processes the carrots in the same machine)

Blend carrots with butter until smooth

In medium-size bowl, combine other ingredients and mix well

Add mixture to carrots & butter in a souffle/casserole dish

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes

I forgot to take a picture of the final product, but it looks a lot like sweet potato souffle!

Frogmore Stew

Disclaimer:  This dish is intended to be fed to large groups of people.  Something is just lost when trying to make it for one (or even two), but it's still so good & the recipe is the same.  I tried to make it for myself last week & it was good, but part of the fun is eating this meal with others.

This is one of my all-time favorite foods- especially in the middle of the summer when fresh shrimp, corn & potatoes are easy to come by.  Ideally, you'd make this meal, cover a large table with newpaper and dump the entire contents onto the table for folks to enjoy with their hands.  Although I'm posting this recipe now, I'll probably re-post it again this summer when I do it the "right way".

This is also a "practice makes perfect" meal- the more you make it, the more you learn how you like it...how much of each ingredient per person, how long to cook each ingredient, etc.  Just give it a try...you really can't fail.

FROGMORE STEW

1 package Kielbasa sausage, sliced

Red New potatoes (think about 2 potatoes per person), quartered

Shrimp (1/2 lb usually feeds 2 people unless you've got some folks who love shrimp)

Corn on the cob (figure on a cob per person), halved

Old Bay Crab/Seafood Boil Seasoning Bag (not pictured)

Fill a large pot with water and put on stove at medium-high heat.

Add Old Bay seasoning bag and potatoes to water as it comes to a low boil.

Allow potatoes to boil for about 10 minutes or until moderately tender (check with a fork).

Add corn on the cob to pot (this is a preference thing...however tender or firm you like your corn).

About 5 minutes later, add shrimp to pot.

Shrimp only need to cook until pink & warm (2-3 minutes)

Drain entire pot.

Dump contents onto newspaper-covered table (or serve in bowls).

Serve with cocktail sauce & drawn butter.

Breakfast Casserole

Everyone has tasted a version of this delicious breakfast dish.  I don't actually have a recipe per se- I've made this several times & now I just "throw it together".  However, this particular recipe is most closely related to the recipe my friend Turner's friend Amelia makes.

 BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

1 lb. sausage

6 eggs

1/4 c. milk

6-8 pieces of bread (use whatever bread is in the house at the time)

cheddar cheese, grated

salt

pepper

Cook sausage & break into small pieces

Drain & set aside

Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray

Tear (or cut) bread into small pieces & place in dish

Top bread with sausage

Whisk together 6 eggs, milk & add salt & pepper to taste

Pour egg mixture over bread & sausage

Top dish with cheddar cheese

Cover with plastic wrap & keep in refrigerator overnight (this step can be skipped if desired)

Bake at 350 until cheese is bubbly 

Pineapple Pork Tacos

I forgot to take pictures of the early stages of this dish, but thankfully Stephen reminded me at the end.

This was a delicious meal & very quick & easy to make.  I had no idea that pork can be broiled so quickly & come out so well.  I will definitely be using this method a little more in the future.

(I think I got this recipe from myrecipes.com, but I can't remember for sure.)

PINEAPPLE PORK TACOS

1 white onion, thickly sliced

2 c. fresh pineapple chunks

1 lb. pork tenderloin, thinly sliced

8-12 corn tortillas, warmed

1/2 c. roughly chopped cilantro

lime wedges

Arrange rack in over 6 inches from heating element

Preheat broiler

Arrange onion & pineapple on foil-lined baking sheet

Broil, stirring twice, until softened and slightly brown 8-10 minutes

Transfer to platter & keep warm

Arrange pork on same baking sheet & broil

Stir twice until cooked through and golden brown 6-8 minutes

Transfer to platter with pineapple and onions

Toss gently

Spoon onto tortillas

Top with cilantro & serve with lime wedges

Romaine Chicken Wrap

I have no idea where I saw the idea for this recipe, but after cooking a little extra chicken this week, I decided to give this a try.  It was a big hit for lunch today- super easy to make & very tasty!

ROMAINE CHICKEN WRAP

Chicken breast pieces

Romaine lettuce

Parmesan Cheese, shredded

Creamy Italian dressing (or Caesar dressing)

toothpicks

Boil chicken breasts for about 20 minutes 

Cut chicken into bite size pieces

Place several pieces on top of romaine lettuce leaf

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese

Roll up lettuce leaf & secure with toothpick.

Serve with a side of dressing for dipping

Snickerdoodle Chex Mix

I'm not a huge fan of regular Chex Mix...I don't eat a ton of salty snacks & a lot of Chex Mix has nuts in it (an allergy issue for me).  However, I found this recipe for Snickerdoodle Chex Mix (I think it was in a magazine on an ad for Chex) and it's pretty tasty.  It may actually be a little bit too sweet for me (I tend to like fairly bland foods, I guess), but it's a good snack.

SNICKERDOODLE CHEX MIX

1/4 c. sugar (or Splenda)

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 c. cinnamon Chex

2 c. regular Chex

4 cups popped popcorn

1/4 c. butter

 In a small bowl, mix sugar & cinnamon; set aside

In a large bowl, mix cereals & popcorn

In a microwavable bowl, microwave butter for 40 seconds

Pour over cereal mixture, stirring until evenly coated

Microwave uncovered 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute.

Sprinkle half of sugar mixture evenly over cereal mixture; stir.

Sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture; stir.

Microwave 1 minute longer.

Spread on waxed paper or paper towels to cool.