I could have named this post a number of things

Sheri and Shauna

The first post title could be "If you don't know how to drive safely in a construction zone, stay the hell off of the highway."

The second post title could be "Overdosing on damn good chocolate-banana bread causes coma."
The third post title could be "Successful first gluten-free dining experience in a restaurant."

The fourth post title could be "I laid around and did mostly nothing on this vacation but I did think about this."

Now, the explanations for all of these.

The first actually kind of goes with the second and third. I was on my way to Chicago to meet up for dinner at Vinci with Shauna James Ahern and two other wonderful women, Cari and Tina. What should have taken just under an hour to drive took over two hours because of a nasty accident 17 miles from my home. Yes, it took me an hour and a half to go 17 miles. Thank goodness that Shauna, Cari and Tina were willing to wait to have dinner until I finally got there. I always feel horrible when I see an accident like that but more than likely, the people involved in the accident were driving well above the speed limit and weaving in and out of traffic. There's a reason for the reduced speeds in construction zones - the lanes are usually narrower and rough, people. End of rant.

I sincerely hope that the people involved in the accident are okay.

I ate well, even though I was stressed to the max. Their panna cotta was amazing (I ate one bite and fell in love with a dessert that I had never been terribly impressed with - I made a batch for my dessert tonight LOL) and the hen cooked under a brick was succulent and delicious.

Tina and Cari

Since Shauna was in the area, I decided to make her chocolate-banana bread (in her book) on Friday. Big mistake. I ate half the pan in the first sitting and another big wedge yesterday afternoon after pigging out on gluten-free goodies at the monthly Gluten Free Wikiduke meeting. I forced myself to put the rest in the freezer and have had to repeatedly tell myself to STAY OUT OF THE FREEZER.

So that basically covers possible post titles 1 through 3.

I had mentioned at some point last week that I had recipes brewing, which was true. I just didn't have the motivation to make anything other than that banana bread. For the last two weeks, I have had a cold that started in my head and dropped with the weight of an elephant into my chest. I spent most of Thursday sleeping - slept most of Friday afternoon, too. Yesterday I spent chasing around doing stuff and today I had to do my cooking thing for the boss.

I did manage to clean my kitchen and bathroom. I also started the closet changeover from spring and summer clothing to fall and winter.

I decided that enough was enough and that I was going to make myself something good to eat. There's nothing like a good steak, roasted brussels sprouts, and potato pancakes to make your cold sit on the back burner for a little while.

Potato Pancakes with Green Onion and Gruyere

From my head

4 large potatoes, peeled and grated (about 4 cups total grated)

2 eggs

2 tbsp potato starch

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

1/2 cup gruyere cheese

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

Grate the potatoes and chop the onions. Place into a colander and press to push out as much moisture as possible. Set aside, allowing to drain.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, potato starch, cheese, salt, and pepper together. When the potatoes and onions are drained well, place them into egg mixture and fold to combine.

Melt the olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When the mixture is hot but not smoking, drop the pancake mixture by 1/2 cupfuls into the skillet, pressing with a metal spatula or the back of the measuring cup to flatten them out. Cook on the first side until golden brown (about 5 minutes), then flip and do the same on the other side.

Makes 6 to 8 pancakes. If you are making more than one batch, keep them warm by placing them in a 200 degree oven until ready to eat.

Delicious days of almost-fall

I love fall. Well, mostly. The weird temperature changes I can do without. But the changing leaves, fall fruits and vegetables? Those I adore.



The Man was supposed to take me out (for the first time in a year) for dinner tonight at a place in Naperville that can supposedly prepare a GF meal. Last night, he reneged. Bastard. The meal was to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary, which is the 18th.



So in place of the not-made-by-me dinner I was supposed to have, I went a little nuts in my own kitchen. Lots of goodies below, my friends.



But first, a little puppy porn. The Gidge is now 6 1/2 months old. Here she is, stylish in a new pink sweater, showing off the hack-job Momma did on her face. I guess she better learn quick to not move when Momma has the clippers in her hands.






It is such a beautiful day - The Gidge spent a good part of the afternoon outside (because I was in the kitchen working), thinking dog thoughts, barking at everything that moved, and wrapping her dopey ass around the support posts under the deck. The deck that only has 2 ways underneath, and those two ways underneath are barely big enough to let HER in. Momma had a scary moment this afternoon LOL I didn't think I'd get her out!



I look around the house and think of all the stuff I should be doing - putting away clean clothes, cleaning the fish tank, doing a few loads of laundry, vacuuming...but I chose to nap and cook instead. Oh, well. Tomorrow's another day - a day that will be spent out at the barn.



The second level's walls are basically built. I can probably start decoring up there tomorrow while the guys get the walls up on the first level. For anyone local, Dollinger's Pumpkin Farm opens for business two weeks from today. They are open during the week, but the Haunted Barn (my pride and joy) is only open on the weekends from 12 noon to 6 PM.



Back to food. It always comes back to food, doesn't it?



Tonight's special dinner consists of oven-fried chicken, potato-zucchini-tomato galette (just potato for Mr. The "Picky" Man), and butternut squash and red pepper casserole (plain ol' boring corn with butter for Mr. The "Picky" Man).



I found the recipe for the squash and pepper casserole here.

++++++++






Oven-Fried Chicken



1 pound chicken parts of your choice; I used boneless-skinless thighs and breasts
1 quart buttermilk
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp paprika
1 egg
1 tbsp water
2 cups GF cornflakes, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil


Place the chicken parts in a large bowl. Pour the buttermilk over the top, cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight.



Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by laying down a layer of aluminum foil, then spraying it with cooking spray.



Set up a workstation by doing the following:



Bowl with chicken/buttermilk------>Bowl with egg whisked together with water and olive oil ----->Bowl with cornflakes, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, parsley, paprika---->Prepared pan for baking.



Work with each piece of chicken by removing it from the buttermilk, dipping in the egg mixture, dredging in the cornflake mixture, and placing on the baking sheet. When all pieces have been coated, sprinkle any remaining cornflake mixture over the top of the chicken pieces.



Place into the oven and bake until brown and crispy, about 30-40 minutes.

++++++






Potato, Zucchini & Tomato Galettes
Based on a recipe from Martha Stewart.com



Makes 2 small galettes



2 baby yukon gold potatoes
2 baby red potatoes
1/2 a small zucchini
2 slices of a pretty tomato
Grey salt
Ground thyme



Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.



Spray two small shallow baking dishes with cooking spray (I used creme brulee dishes!).



Slice the potatoes into 1/8" thick pieces. Do the same with the zucchini.



Starting with the reds, place an overlapping layer of potatoes on the bottom of a baking dish, covering the entire bottom. Then do the same with the gold potatoes. Then place a ring of zucchini slices around the outside of the baking dish. Place a tomato slice in the middle, sprinkle with sea salt and thyme, and set the dish aside. Repeat with the other baking dish.



Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and the edges begin to brown.



+++++


And the piece de resistance...





Apple Dumplings







Makes 3 dumplings



3/4 cup + 5 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp + a pinch of cinnamon
1/8 tsp + a pinch of nutmeg
1 cup water
3 tbsp butter
3/4 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
2 tbsp sweet rice flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk
3 small apples - peeled, cored, and roughly chopped


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.



To make the syrup: combine 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg and the water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in 2 tbsp of the butter. Set aside.



To make the dumplings: combine the white rice flour, sweet rice flour, xanthan gum, tapioca starch, baking powder, salt, and 2 tbsp sugar in a large bowl. Add the shortening and mix until the flour resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk all at once and stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Pat into a ball, split into 3 parts, and wrap each part in plastic wrap (form each into a ball and then flatten into a disk). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

On a white-rice-floured-surface, roll out each dough disk into a 6" circle. Place a third of the chopped apples into the center of each dough circle. Top the apples with 1/3 of the remaining 1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg.

Using a spatula (the easiest way I found to keep the dough from tearing during this part), gently fold up all sides of the dough over the top of the apples. When all sides are folded up, use your hands to gently press the dough closed and sealed. Place the completed dumplings in the prepared baking pan.



Pour the syrup over the top of the dumplings. Place the pan into the oven and bake for 45 minutes. When removed from the oven, spoon some of the syrup over the top of the dumplings and then serve.

It's all Ina's fault

I watch a lot of Food Network. I mean, A LOT. We're talking that's what is on the tube whenever I am in front of it. Except when I am trying to go to sleep, in which case I find something on the History Channel, because I will pay attention to the Food Network and therefore not sleep.

Several times lately, Ina Garten's show, Barefoot Contessa, has featured her Pooch Party, in which she makes chicken sausages with green peppers and onions and potato salad. Now that The Gidge is on the mend, I can actually spend some time with my stomach's wants and needs. Right now, it needs sausage and potato salad.

I don't know of a reputable butcher in this area that might have good-quality chicken sausage, so I went with what I knew to be gluten free - Johnsonville Italian Sausage.

I am pretty picky when it comes to potato salad. I only like my mother's version. I have tried everyone else's and just keep coming back to mom's. However, that doesn't stop me from tweaking it a little, right?

Seeing as I didn't start this venture until after 4 PM, I am just sitting down to eat as I type this. After boiling my spuds and eggs and getting them on ice to cool, I ran to Petco and made a few purchases. Then I got down to business.

Potato Salad a la Ina Garten

A variation of my mother's recipe with a few tweaks from Ina's recipe

5 medium to large red potatoes, boiled whole and unpeeled

2 large eggs, hard-boiled and chopped

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 cup good mayo

1/4 cup Miracle Whip

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tsp whole grain mustard

1 heaping tbsp fresh minced dill

Salt and pepper

Hard-boil the eggs in your preferred manner. Drain and fill the pan or bowl with ice, enough to completely cover the eggs so they cool quickly.

Place the potatoes in a large stock pot and cover with water. Sprinkle with a little salt and heat on high until boiling; cook until just fork tender (30 minutes or so, depending on the size of your potatoes. If they're smaller, poke them at 20 minutes to check). Drain into a colander and place on top of the pot you used to save counter space; cover the potatoes with ice and set aside.

When the potatoes and eggs are cool, you can begin (trust me, you don't ever want to place a mayo-based dressing on potatoes that are too warm. I have found this out the hard way and paid for it), Chop the potatoes into chunks the size of your thumb and place them into a large bowl. Chop the eggs into smaller pieces and place in the bowl with the potatoes. Add the carrots, celery and onions and set aside.

In a smaller bowl, combine the mayo, Miracle Whip, mustards, vinegar, sugar, and dill. Stir well. Pour over the potatoes and vegetables and toss gently to coat. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Before serving, add salt and pepper to taste.

Man, did this hit the spot! Naturally, I started shoveling it in before I remembered to take a picture. Hence, the fork in the shots.

Two keepers

I made the aborted Father's Day dinner last night for The Man, his friend, and his friend's son. Both recipes, found on the Food Network's website, received a huge thumbs-up from each of them.

The burgers I made are Tyler Florence's Stuffed Bacon Cheeseburgers. I exchanged the monterey jack with co-jack cheese (my great grandma lived right across the street from the cheese factory in Colby, WI so naturally, I love the stuff) and added 1/2 tsp of onion powder to the meat.

GLUTEN FREE ONION RINGS! Yes, you must try these. Oh my goodness. I swapped the regular beer out with Redbridge and added 1/4 tsp salt into the batter. All three gluten-eaters gobbled them up.

You always remember the first time...

...you eat something that rocks. I made a roast chicken, some smashed red potatoes, and wanted a veggie for dinner. I had a seedless cucumber and some grape tomatoes, so I decided to wander the store this afternoon to see what I could throw in with them to make a salad. I came out with a jicama.

So here was my sidedish with dinner.

Tomato, Cucumber & Jicama Salad

12 grape tomatoes, cut in halves

1/2 a seedless cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/2" coins

1/2 a jicama, cut into matchsticks

1 lemon, juiced

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp minced fresh basil

Sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Combine the vegetables in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, combine the juice of 1 lemon, the olive oil, the basil, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Whisk with a fork and then pour over the vegetables. Lightly mix and serve.

Potato Fans

I love potato fans. They're a neat way to eat a potato and you rarely see this done anymore. I made one to go with my honey-lime salmon the other night.

Potato Fan

1 medium-sized potato
2 tsp butter, softened
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried or fresh parsley
A pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the butter, garlic powder, salt and parsley. Set aside.

Starting at one end of the potato, cut 3/4 of the way through at 1/4 inch intervals. Do NOT cut all the way through the bottom! Once you have sliced the potato all the way across, use a very small knife to spread the butter mixture between the slices.

Depending on what you're having with your potato fan, you might want to get a head start on cooking it by microwaving it for 2 minutes. If you microwave it, remove from the microwave and place into a baking dish. Bake, uncovered, for another 15-18 minutes (depending on the size of the potato) or until cooked through.

Ummmm....oops?

All right, so I forgot to take pictures until AFTER we ate.

So what if I show you a nearly empty plate.

Big deal if I show you a huge pile of crab leg shells.

Whoop-di-do if I rub it in that I just made and ate a totally awesome, satisfying dinner.

But you can still share by making these rocking biscuits. And if you are so inclined, you can have lemon-steamed crab legs and baby spinach salad too.

If you want.

Garlic & Cheese Biscuits
Based on Country Coconut Biscuits from Bob's Red Mill

1/2 cup white rice flour
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup coconut flour (the biscuits taste nothing like coconut, so don't worry)
2 tbsp potato starch
3/4 tsp xanthan gum

1 tbsp baking powder (forgot this - sorry!)
1 tsp sugar
Scant 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Prepare a cookie sheet with a light coating of cooking spray.

Combine the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Add the butter and cut in with a fork until the mixture is crumb-y. Add half of the milk; stir gently with your fork. Add the cheese and the rest of the milk. Stir until just combined.

Cut 2 foot-long pieces of wax paper; place the dough betwen them and gently pat down evenly to 3/4" to 1" thick. Using a 2" biscuit cutter or a glass sprayed with cooking spray, cut circles. Pull away the scraps from the biscuits and set aside, use a spatula to pick up the biscuits and put on the cookie sheet. Ball up the scraps and pat down between the pieces of wax paper....again and again until you have 9 biscuits on your cookie sheet.

Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

If you take a good look, you can see cheese bubbling out of the biscuit in the picture.

And if you're interested....Lemon-Steamed Crab Legs

We are somewhat pig-like when it comes to crab legs. Believe it or not, this fed only 2 people.

4 pounds king crab legs
6 cups water
2 lemons, sliced into rounds
1 tsp salt

Combine the water, lemons and salt in a huge stock pot. Bring to a boil, then add the crab legs. If frozen like ours were, they will probably take about 20 minutes to cook. Otherwise, 15 minutes max.

Thursday night

About 4:45 this afternoon, The Man sent me an IM: "Dinner honey?"

I rarely have days when I wish I was married to someone who has a clue in the kitchen, because I love to cook so much. Today, though, was one of those days. Sometimes I just want to come home and relax while someone else does all the work. Because I don't want to drive a good distance in order to get an insured GF meal, I am stuck as I am. The Man has no interest in learning to cook.

My father is an excellent cook and makes the best pie crust I have ever eaten. My mom claims that it has something to do with his "magic" hands. I grew up in a household where the duties were split 50/50, so I tend to get frustrated with the lack of 50/50 here.

It's not all his fault - The Man was an "oops," born late in his parent's life, 11 years younger than his sister. His dad didn't cook either. So that's what he saw growing up.

I could be nasty and show the uneven split of household duties here, but then...that's just nasty. So I will list it in my head.


Hm.


Yup.


Jerk.


There. And now I can gloat because I am a career woman with three children (well, cats and a husband) who can "do it all."

And this "do it all" woman wimped out with dinner tonight.

Chicken Sandwiches with Baked Potato Wedges

For the chicken:

2 hamburger rolls (in this house, 1 GF and 1 not GF)
Favorite toppings such as lettuce, tomato...
1 tsp olive oil + some for the pan if not grilling
1 tsp Liquid Smoke (per their website this is GF)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

For the potato wedges:

2 large potatoes, cleaned and cut in half, then wedges
2-3 tsp olive oil
Mix of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder (I don't measure, I just dump it in until it smells good)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the chicken breasts on a plate; sprinkle both sides with 1 tsp olive oil, Liquid Smoke, garlic powder and onion powder. Allow to rest.

In a bowl, combine the potato wedges, olive oil (enough to coat), and spices. Mix together so spices and oil coat all of the potatoes. Line a baking sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray. Spread the potatoes out in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

When the potatoes are near done, preheat a skillet doused with a splash of olive oil (I have a Kitchenaid Pro stove, so I have 3 different sized burners. Here I used the smallest burner on medium). When the pan is hot, add the chicken breasts and cover. Cook, flipping once, until chicken is cooked through (10 minutes or so). Remove the chicken from the pan and place on a paper towel lined plate to remove some of the oil; while draining, place a slice of provolone cheese on each.

Scalloped Corn

(Believe it or not, the turkey was terrific. I have already made a date with it for sandwiches in about 6 hours.)

Yet another family staple at the holiday table.

Tweaked to be gluten free.

Scalloped Corn

2 cans corn

1 can GF mushroom soup

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 egg

Drain the cans of corn. Dump the soup and butter into a pot and heat to boiling. Lower the heat. Whisk the egg and pour slowly into the soup, whisking the whole time so the egg doesn't scramble. Mix together the cornstarch and 1/2 cup warm water; make sure the cornstarch is completely dissolved before adding to the soup mixture. Continue to whisk as the soup thickens.

Add the corn to the pot and mix well.

Pour into a casserole dish and bake for an hour to an hour to 15 minutes at 350 degrees (or for 50 minutes at 425 because the turkey got done 2 hours faster than expected).

Mmmm....mmmmm.....dressing!

A family recipe again, tweaked. I try to sneak the healthier stuff past The Man whenever I can. I bet he won't even know until he reads this post.

GF dressing

1 pound ground turkey breast (original calls for hamburger; I used to use a mix of hamburger and pork sausage)
1 cup onion, roughly chopped
1 cup celery, roughly chopped
olive oil
Chicken stock or broth
12 Van's plain waffles
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk

Put about 3 tbsp olive oil in the bottom of a pan. Add the turkey, onion and celery; cook until turkey is done. Pour into a blender and pulse until it looks nasty (see picture below). You will need to add chicken stock/broth so it whirrs.



Dump the "mess" into a big bowl. This is when you add salt, pepper, (both to taste) and about 1 1/2 tsps of ground sage.


At this point tonight, I am throwing it into the fridge and declaring my chefdom over for the evening. Final deets tomorrow.

...Thanksgiving Day...

Toast 12 waffles VERY WELL. While they are cooling, beat 3 eggs and pour the milk into the "mess." If you like to live dangerously (I do), taste the "mess" for seasoning. Add sage as needed. When the waffles are cooled, break into small (1 inch) pieces. Mash into the mess. You now have dressing.

Bake an hour to an hour and a half in a 350 degree oven.

Cranberry Relish

One of those family traditions...

Cranberry relish

1 bag fresh cranberries
1-20 ounce can crushed pineapple in juice
Sugar
Mini marshmallows
Water

Pick through the cranberries to get the bad ones out; wash and put into a blender. Pour in half a cup of water and start to pulse. Keep adding water and pulsing as needed until the cranberries are basically pureed. Pour the cranberries into a fine-mesh sieve (over a bowl if you want to save the juice) and mash them against the sides until the water has drained out.

This is what they look like at this point.

Dump the cranberries into a bowl that is twice as big as what you'll think you need.

Open the can of pineapple (fresh is better but since I feel like crap, we're doing canned) and dump it into the sieve. Do the same as with the berries: mash the pineapple against the sides of the sieve until the juice is mostly gone.

Combine the drained pineapple and berries. Mix very well and then put into the fridge for a few hours to let the pineapple's natural sugars sweeten the cranberries.

After resting for a few hours, pull out the cranberry relish and add (without tasting or you will regret it unless you like really, really tart) about 3/4 a cup of sugar. Stir well and throw the relish back in the fridge for a little while.

Taste the relish to see if it needs more sugar. Add more as you like. Once it is sweet enough for you, mix in a few handfuls of mini marshmallows.

Ta da! My family's cranberry relish.

Memories...

Yet another bad picture... I hate the lighting in my kitchen!

When I was a kid, my parents, sister and I would travel to the wilds of Minnesota (or so it seemed back then) to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins. I loved these trips, though far and few between, because I got to see my cousins....and for my aunt's zucchini casserole.

I think I came close to it today. The more I stared at those zucchini, the less I wanted bread and the more I wanted to taste that zucchini and cheese concoction. I pulled out a family cookbook that another aunt put together years ago and found what might be the casserole. Naturally I played with the recipe a little because that's what I do.

Zucchini Casserole

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp roasted garlic olive oil

1/2 a red onion

4 zucchini

2 filet mignon steaks

1/2 cup grated cheddar

Salt

Melt the butter and olive oil in a hot skillet big enough to hold everything in the ingredients list. Slice the red onion and add to the skillet. Chop the zucchini into bite-sized pieces and add to the pan; sprinkle with salt. Slice the steaks and add to the pan. Cover and cook on medium for 5 minutes, until the steak is at the desired doneness.

Remove from the heat and sprinkle the cheese over the top. Let the cheese melt and dig in (after dusting the cat hair from your plate).

Red quinoa

On the nights when The Man chooses to not be around for dinner, such as tonight, I take advantage. He is one of the pickiest eaters I have ever met and won't try a lot of new things. For example, I have to sneak mushrooms, green peppers, and onions past him by mincing them until they're unrecognizable.

I, however, have taste buds and like to try new things. When I was at the grocery store this morning, I finally found the quinoa (I have read a lot about it on several GF food blogs and have wanted to try it). So tonight, with The Man gone, I decided to make some quinoa.

I don't know if I will be able to acquire a taste for this - I may have over-doctored it with stuff so if you are reading this and I overdid it, please let me know so I can try again. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't bad. Maybe the texture was so different than what I am used to that it turned me off.


Sure looks pretty, though.








Red Quinoa with Peas & Smoked Salmon

2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup red quinoa
smoked salmon
sugar snap peas
roasted garlic olive oil


Combine the broth and quinoa in a pot; cook until all of the broth has been absorbed by the quinoa. Stir in flaked smoked salmon, a handful of sugar snap peas, and a few teaspoons of roasted garlic olive oil. Put the lid on so the heat of the quinoa warms the peas and salmon.

Check for cat hair and then serve.

Nummy Risotto

Tonight's dinner was based on Shauna's (thanks for the inspiration, Shauna!) Bacon and Spinach Risotto. I was starving when I got home but wanted to set up my blog at the same time, so I fired up my Cuisinart Rice Cooker with a bunch of stuff and sat down at the puter to play.

Bacon, Spinach, Leek & Asiago Risotto

6 cups chicken stock
2 rice cooker cups arborio rice
2 leeks, chopped (I only used the bulb-leaves were a little pitiful from sitting in the fridge)
2 handfuls baby spinach
6 pieces of bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 cup grated Asiago cheese
Fresh garlic to taste
Olive oil

Put about a tablespoon of olive oil in the rice cooker bowl and fire it up so the oil heats (give it 2 minutes or so). Add the rice and let it cook for a few minutes. While this was happening, I cooked the bacon on paper towels in the microwave (I am not big on bacon grease).

When you can smell the rice (the only way I can describe it - you'll start to smell it toasting), add the garlic - I pressed 3 good-sized cloves - and the leeks. Let that swim around with the rice for a minute or two. Then add the chicken stock and bacon and let it all work together per your rice cooker instructions.

When the rice has nearly soaked up all the stock, add the spinach and cheese. Stir all together and let sit for a few minutes to let the cheese melt.

I am not a big salt and pepper person, but if you are, add to your taste.

Pick out the cat hair and voila! Dinner.