My First Risotto

INGREDIENTS

1 cup arborio rice
2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
3/4 cup pecorino romano cheese
ground white pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a heavy sauce pan, saute rice in butter stirring constantly.
Add garlic powder.
Slowly add 1 cup of stock, stirring frequently.
As the liquid cooks down continue to add the chicken stock 1/2 cup at a time until the mixture is very creamy.
Stir in white wine.
Fold in cheese.
Serve immediately and top with fresh ground pepper.

This recipe was adapted from the "S&W Italian Arborio" rice bag.

Cheesy Dill Hashbrown Patty

I was home and had no clue what I wanted to eat and I did not feel like cooking a meal for myself. So...this is what I came up with...

potato (mostly peeled and grated)

oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)

shredded cheese (I used cheddar)

salt and pepper to taste

dill to taste and for garnish

sour cream

In a skillet I heated up some oil and then added my grated potato (medium heat). Add salt, pepper and dill to taste. As you cook the potato try to keep one flat layer; stir and flip it as you go. Once it is just about done sprinkle your shredded cheese over potato. Starting from the edges start to form your patty (the cheese really helps it stick together). Once patty is formed cook for about 30 seconds, flip and cook another 30 seconds. Transfer to your plate (you may want to drain off some of the oil first), then garnish with some sour cream and dill.

This was really good and I plan to make it more variations soon.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Jason made these with some garden fresh tomatoes he got from his Dad. They were so good!

Batter

Cornmeal

Baking Powder

Flour

Oil

Canola

Bacon Grease

I do not have exact measurements, but the batter should be mostly cornmeal and fairly thick. Heat up your oil in a skillet, dip your sliced green tomatoes in the batter, place in oil and flip them so both sides are golden brown. Sprinkle with a good amount of salt as soon as you pull them out of the oil. Serve warm.

Rice and Tomato Gravy

This side dish was something Jason's Great Grandma would make all the time. I changed it a little by adding in some other flavors. She would make plain white rice and not added any seasonings to the gravy....Jason's Great Grandfather loved it that way! This is something you can really make your own.

Gravy Part

1 can diced tomatoes
creole seasoning (a good amount)
cumin
smoked paprika
red pepper flakes
1/4 of water
flour and water mix

In a pan combine the first six ingredients. Heat on medium until every is hot and well combined. remove from heat and add in flour and water mixture to thicken gravy to your liking. Place back on heat and let it cook a little more so you do no taste the flour. Adjust the spices to your liking.

Rice Part (you can really do anything you'd like for the rice)

2 cups of water
2 chicken bullion cubes
1 cup of rice

Combine all the above ingredients in a pan, bring to a boil, cover and cook on low. Should be done in about 20-25 minutes.

Serve the gravy over the rice and you are done!

Sage Infused Rice with Mozzarella

I had a ton of fresh sage in my herb garden I wanted to use so I decided to make a rice dish. This is dish was really tasty and I can not wait to make it again. Here is what I used:

1 cup uncooked long grain white rice

2 cups water

chicken bullion

garlic powder

pepper

fresh sage leaves (about 4 large leaves hand torn)

freshly shredded mozzarella cheese

I cooked the rice in the water, chicken bullion, garlic powder, pepper and fresh sage. When it was done cooking I added in the mozzarella. And, that's it!

Orzo with Parmesan and Basil

I had never add orzo before and decided it was finally time I tried it. When I saw an orzo recipe on allrecipes.com that incorporate parmesan and basil I knew it was the one to try. Plus I was dying to use some more of my homegrown basil.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth*
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter in heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in orzo and saute until lightly browned.

Stir in chicken stock and bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 - 20 minutes.

Mix in Parmesan cheese and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to shallow bowl. Garnish with basil sprigs.

*I was out of chicken broth so I just used water and chicken bullion.

Sesame Chicken and Vegetable Rice

Baked Sesame Chicken

I adapted the sesame chicken from a recipe I found at allrecipes.com. They changes I made are in green.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I cut mine into strips)
2 tablespoons butter, melted (I used fat free Parkay spray)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I added this to the recipe)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2. Place soy sauce in a 9x13 inch baking dish. On a piece of wax paper (I used a bowl), mix together the sesame seeds, flour, salt and pepper (and red pepper flakes). Dip the chicken pieces in the soy sauce to coat, then dredge in the sesame seed mixture.

3. Place in medium/hot pan on stove top and flip after a minute or two, add a little butter and soy sauce to keep the chicken moist. Remove and arrange in baking dish in a single layer, then drizzle with melted butter and some more soy sauce.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for approximately 40 minutes (mine took about 20 minutes because it was pre-cooked on the stove and cut into strips), or until chicken is cooked through and tender and juices run clear. Baste with drippings once during cooking time. Garnish with extra sesame seeds if desired, and serve.

Vegetable Rice

This is something I made up as I went using what I had on hand.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of long grain white rice

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Dash of soy sauce

1 carrot grated (cook with a little water to make tender, drain water)

1 1/2 cups cooked broccoli-cut up small

Soy Sauce to your taste

oil

DIRECTIONS

Combine first 5 ingredients, bring to boil, cover and reduce to simmer. Cook about 20 minutes or until rice is fluffy and liquid if gone. Transfer rice to stir-fry pan add carrots and broccoli. Mix together and add some oil (I used EVOO) and soy sauce to your taste.