Bacon, Chicken, and Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is SOOOOO worth the effort, and this is the most AMAZING risotto I've ever had!

4 cups chicken stock (homemade or store bought)
1/2 - 3/4 pound chicken breast tenderloins, cut into small pieces
6 bacon slices, chopped
1 cup chopped shallots
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
4 garlic cloves, minced
4-6 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/3 cup Red Zinfandel wine (I used 7 Deadly Zins)
1/2 cup fresh grated parmigiano reggiano
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (I used about 1/4 teaspoon of each)

1. Bring chicken stock to a simmer in a medium sauce pan (do not boil); keep warm over low heat.
2. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken breast tenderloins and cook through. Remove to plate.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add bacon to pan; cook 8 minutes or until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove bacon to plate.
4. Add shallots, thyme, and garlic to drippings in pan; cook 6 minutes or until shallots are tender, stirring occasionally. Add oil and stir in mushrooms; cook 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add rice, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in Red Zinfandel; cook 1 minute until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 cup stock; cook 4 minutes, or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining stock 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of stock is absorbed before adding the next (about 3 1/2 minutes per 1/2 cup, or about 25 minutes total).
5. Remove from heat; stir in cheese, salt, and pepper. Serve in bowls and sprinkle each serving with chopped bacon and grated parmigiano reggiano.

To make a vegetarian version, double up on the mushrooms (you can even use a different type mixed with the cremini, for flavor variation - shitake or oyster mushrooms are good), use vegetable stock instead of chicken, and add 4 cups of baby spinach at the end of Step 4 and cook for 1 minute before removing from heat.

Sorry about the weird yellow light in the first picture. It's from the light over my stove, and I don't have a yellow filter for my camera.

Tropical Banana Bread

Had some ripe bananas, so decided to make bread with Ethan this morning.  I started with a very basic recipe and adapted it a bit.  It made a delicious after-school snack this afternoon!

Tropical Banana Bread

Prep: 15 minutes ~ Cook: 1 hour ~ Other: 10 minutes

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I typically use saigon cinnamon - it has a deliciously sweet flavor)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed rip banana (about 3 bananas)
1/3 cup vanilla lowfat yogurt (I used Stonyfield Farm)
1 teaspoon coconut extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, stirring with a whisk.
3. Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, yogurt, and coconut extract; beat until blended. Add flour mixture (all at once); beat on low speed just until moist.
4. Spoon batter into an 81/2 x 5 inch loaf pan, greased or coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

NOTE: I will try this recipe with shredded coconut (in addition to the coconut extract) at some point, but I didn't this time because not everyone around here likes the texture of it. I'll also try it with chocolate chips sometime when I'm having chocolate withdrawals! :)

Asian Cole Slaw

This recipe is SIMPLE and AMAZING!!!

SALAD
2 packages ramen noodles, crushed (you can use any flavor, but I prefer Oriental)
16 oz package cole slaw mix
3/4 to 1 bunch green onions
1 to 2 large celery stalks
1/2 cup sunflower kernals
3/4 cup slivered almonds

DRESSING
slightly less than 1/2 cup vegetable oil
2-3 teaspoons sesame oil
slightly less than 1/3 cup white vinegar
1/8 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
2 ramen noodle spice packets (from the noodles used in the salad)

1. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a 2 cup container.
3. Pour dressing over salad and mix until well combined.

ENJOY!

NOTE:
The original versions of this recipe do not call for sesame oil or rice vinegar, but I find that both add a uniquely Asian flavor that goes so well with the other ingredients.  I typically use a little less than 1/2 cup of vegetable oil when I add the sesame oil, and a little less than 1/3 cup of white vinegar when I add rice vinegar.  If you don't use the sesame oil and rice vinegar, then use the full 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and full 1/3 cup of white vinegar.  I've also added water chestnuts, on occasion, for extra crunch, but I actually prefer it without them.

A Wikipedia Experiment

I'm bored, so I decided to go to Wikipedia and pick a random starting article, and see where it leads in 10 random clicks on any link (internal to Wikipedia) within the article. Here are the results:

Went to Wikipedia.com, clicked on "Random Article"

1 - First up, "Charlie Chan's Murder Cruise"

2 - From there to "Pacific Ocean"

3 - On to "trade wind"

4 - And now to "doldrums"

5 - Next up, "prevailing winds"

6 - Which led to "Bernoulli's principle" (quite interesting)

7 - And on to "Isentropic process" (also interesting)

8 - Which led to "volume"

9 - Next to "Dimensioning"

10 - And finally to "United Parcel Service (UPS)"

Charlie Chan to UPS in 10 moves.  Fun stuff!!!  And I actually read every article! :)

Rock Climbing Party Favors

P decided she wanted a rock climbing party for her friends this year.  Rock climbing party (?) Cool (!!!), but what kind of themed favors do you do for a rock climbing party???  This is what I came up with - a cupcake with jelly bean "rocks" on top, tied in a pretty bag with a carabiner key chain attached.  I think they turned out cute! :)

And Now, the Birthday Pics......

Here are the pics from the rest of Paige's birthday.  She had a simple party at home with family tonight! :)  A fun end to a great day!!!!!!

The Birthday Girl's 1st Day of School

Today is little Miss P's 6th birthday!!! It also happens to be her 1st day of 1st grade.  Here are a few before school pics.  Birthday pics to follow soon!  Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!!!

Peach & Cherry Crumble

I made this recipe for dessert last night, after a meal of ribeye that I seared then finished to medium-rare to medium on the grill, served with a red wine jus, and roasted potatos, made with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, and parsley. This was taken from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa at Home. The original recipe calls for blueberries, but the kids ate the entire container, so I improvised and used cherries. It was awesome! :)  And sorry, no nutrition info for this one, but coming from Ina Garten, and loaded with all this butter and sugar, it ISN'T good for you! (So much for watching my calories).

Peach & Cherry Crumbles

Prep time: 25 min ~ Cook time: 45 minutes 

Serves 5 to 6

For the fruit:

2 pounds firm, ripe peaches (6 to 8 peaches)

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup fresh cherries (or blueberries if you're going with the original recipe)

For the crumble:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 pound (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, diced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Immerse the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until their skins peel off easily. Place them immediately in cold water. Peel the peaches, slice them into thick wedges, and place them in a large bowl. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, granulated sugar, and flour. Toss well. Gently mix in the cherries (or blueberries). Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or custard cups.

NOTE: I threw mine all into a large baking dish rather than individual servings.

3. For the topping, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas. Rub the mixture with you fingertips until it's in big crumbles, the sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Place the ramekins on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, unil the tops are browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Beware: This mixture gets to pea size pretty quickly.  I was sidetracked from having a conversation with Miss P. and in that brief time, it turned into something resembling cookie dough, so I had to start all over.

Tip: If you want to make these early, store the assembled, unbaked crumbles in the refrigerator and bake before dinner.

Serving suggestion: Serve warm with vanilla ice cream!

Ham & Cheese Scones

So, not being too big on scones, I decided to be adventurous and give this recipe from Cooking Light a try. I'm not sure what a scone is technically supposed to even be like, since I don't usually eat them, but I suspect it's not quite like these.  That being said, these were quite yummy, if you're a buttermilk biscuit kind of person.  They tasted just like the buttermilk biscuits my grandma used to make - the ones I didn't like as a kid, but love now - only with ham and cheese thrown into the mix, rather than being slathered with butter and jelly.  The cayenne gives them a good kick without adding too much heat, and they smelled so good baking! The only substitution I made was a reduced-fat mix of monteray jack and colby, rather than cheddar, because I didn't have cheddar on hand.  They were good with the colby-jack, and I'm sure they'd be just as good, if not better, with the cheddar. They would be extra yummy slathered with butter, but I'm watching my calories, so I opted to skip the butter slathering festivites.

Ham & Cheese Scones

Prep: 15 min. ~ Cook: 20 min.

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup (3 ounces) reduced-fat shredded extra-sharp cheddar

3/4 cup finely chopped low-sodium ham (about 3 ounces)

3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk

2 large egg whites

Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 knives) until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cheese and ham. Combine buttermilk and egg whites, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 or 5 times with floured hands. Pat dough into an 8-inch circle on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cut dough into 8 wedges, cutting into but not through dough. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve warm.

Yield: 8 servings (seving size: 1 wedge)

CALORIES: 217 (30% from fat); FAT 7.2g (sat 4.1g, mono 1.6g, poly 0.4g); PROTEIN 10.4g; CARB 27.1g; FIBER 0.9g; CHOL 26mg; IRON 1.8mg; SODIUM 519mg; CALC 235mg

Tip: The less scones are handled, the better. Sir just until moist, and use a soft touch when kneading and patting the dough!

Strawberry Strips

I made these YUMMY, amazingly easy cookies this morning with P & E.  They're so easy and SO delicious!  The cookie is very rich and buttery, so using a high-quality butter makes them extra awesome!  The original recipe uses raspberry preserves, but I'm not a fan of anything raspberry other than actual raspberries themselves, so I substituted strawberry.  Any flavor preserves would work and I plan to experiment with all different flavors...I think blackberry will be next!!!

Prep: 20 min ~ Cook: 20 min ~ Other: 10 min

1/3 cup granulated sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 large egg white

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Cooking spray

1/3 cup strawberry preserves

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoons milk

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Beat granulated sugar and butter with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add vanilla and egg white; beat well. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, stirring until well blended (dough will be stiff).

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each portion into a 12-inch log. Place logs 3 inches apart on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Form a 1/2-inch deep indentation down length of each log using an index finger or end of a wooden spoon. Spoon preserves into indentation. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a cutting board.

4. Combine powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract; stir well with a whisk. Drizzle sugar mixture over warm logs. Immediately cut each log diagonally into 12 slices (do not separate slices). Cool 10 minutes. Separate slices and transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Yield: 2 dozen (serving size: 1 cookie)

CALORIES 75 (30% from fat); FAT 2.5g (sat 1.5g, mono 0.7g, polu 0.2g); PROTEIN 0.7g; CARB 12.4g; FIBER 0.2g; CHOL 6mg; IRON 0.3g; SODIUM 56mg; CALC 4mg

DH tests for 1st Degree Black

DH recently tested for his 1st dregree black belt in TKD.  Here are some pics!

Before testing

Forms

A Little Rest

Sparring

Board Breaks

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

This recipe was taken from The Cooking Light Complete Cookbook.  This was my first time making them, so I didn't adapt the recipe, although next time, I'll make the glaze with powdered sugar and milk, rather than lemon juice.  The tang of the blueberries and the lemon zest was plenty, so my preference would be for the glaze to be a little sweeter.  They're also very good warm!!!

Prep: 20 min ~ Cook: 20 min

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup fresh blueberries
Cooking Spray
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Make a well in center of mixture.
3. Combine buttermilk, lemon rind, and egg; stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Gently fold in blueberries.
4. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until muffins spring back when lightly touched. Remove muffins from pan immediately, and place on wire rack to cool.
5. Combine lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Drizzle glaze evenly over cooled muffins.

Yield: 1 dozen (serving size: 1 muffin)

CALORIES 187 (23% from fat); FAT 4.8g (sat 2.7g, mono 1.4g, poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 3.7g; CARB 32.6g; FIBER 1g; CHOL 30mg; IRON 1.1mg; SODIUM 264mg; CALC 59mg

NOTE: These did come from Cooking Light, so although they still aren't GREAT for you, they're somewhat healthier than a typical calorie-laden store-bought muffin.