Friday, September 10, 2010

Stinky Cheese Risotto

I'm excited because
tomorrow at Williams Sonoma

This past weekend, I made my first attempt @ risotto with
a recipe I received from Scardello's
(my new favorite cheese place ever)

The recipe Four Cheese Risotto is
 from a book
 called Risotto
by Judith Barrett
&
Norma Wasserman 


I bought these cheeses at Scardellos
Oma-Gorgonzola - Fontina - Parmesan
I do not know the name of the 1st cheese on the left
The recipe calls for Taleggio but they didn't have it
So they gave me Oma comparable

The cool thing about Scardello's is this
They will sell you exactly the amount you need
For instance, this recipe called for 1-2 oz of each cheese
So that is all I had to buy

My Four Cheese Risotto

Ingredients
5 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 T unsalted butter
2 T oil
1/2 cup finely minced onion
1 1/2 cup Arborio rice
1 to 2 oz gorgonzola - rine removed, cubed
1 to 2 oz fontina - rine removed, cubed
1 to 2 oz taleggio - rine removed, cubed
1 T chopped fresh parsley

Directions
Bring broth to a steady simmer in saucepan. 
Meanwhile, heat the butter & oil in a heavy 4 qt casserole over medium heat
Add the onion
Saute for 1 to 2 minutes until they begin to soften being careful not to brown
Add the rice to the onion
Using a wooden spoon, stir for 1 minute, making sure all grains are well coated
Add the wine and stir until it is almost completely absorbed
Begin to add the simmering broth, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently
Wait until each additional half cup is completely absorbed before adding the next
Reserve about 1/4 cup to add at the end
Stir frequently to prevent sticking
After about 18 minutes, when the rice is tender but still firm, add the reserved broth, cheese and parsley
Stir vigorously until the cheeses are melted and combined with the rice
Serve immediately

Did you notice that there are only 3 cheeses in this recipe???
 Not sure what that is about...
I figured it's just assumed that we all know that parmesan is a given

I was worried that my son wouldn't like it because of the stinky cheese,
but he did like it
It was delicious even though it was a little too al dente
I'm glad I made it before the class tomorrow
so now I can ask the right questions

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Cupcake Wine Stopper




I saw this darling cuppa cake wine stopper
@ Steinmart about a month ago
I resisted the impulse to buy it

I was surprised
when it was still there
 on Saturday
it must be fate
it
was
meant
to
be
mine

It matches my new
perfectly

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Placemats for All Occasions

I got these Fall placemats @ Kirkland's
about 3 years ago

I didn't really have a plan for them
Just loved the color and the detail

Who knew that they would start a holiday theme placemat collection

I bought these for $1 each @ Dollar Tree
&
a cut-out placemat theme was born

This year was the first year that I really started
decorating my breakfast table for each season
so when I saw these in pink
I had to get them
 $1 each @ Dollar Tree
but

I didn't stop there

I got these at World Market
for $3.99 each
I couldn't resist

Perfect for Easter

I used the pink tulips for Mother's Day

This is my 2nd favorite
I got these at Marshalls for $2.99 each

I used them for my black and white table
I also plan to use them for my Halloween table

I saved the best for last
I just got these at Pier One
for $1.95 each

I have to say these are my fav-o-rite
If you are new to my blog & do not know how I feel
about all things heart
Click here to read all about it

The hardest part is waiting until February to use these!

The only holiday not represented here is 4th of July
I got my eye out for a cute cut-out flag

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Flop-Overs



I have never made popovers before
I found a recipe in a magazine
&
it seemed easy enough

As I started to mix the batter together,
I realized some things didn't make sense
I googled and discovered that the recipe
had left out some vital details
like
eggs should be room temperature
milk should be room temperature

it also said to stir the ingredients together
but to not overbeat
(I'm like, do I stir with a spoon or mix with beaters)

Needless to say
the popovers puffed up and looked awesome
but
they tasted very doughy
Now I am on a quest
to find
the
perfect
popover recipe
E
V
E
R



Glee Season 2 Premiere Watching Party

It's almost Glee time again!

The new season starts in 2 weeks

If you are new to my blog,
go here to catch up on my gleekiness

I'm bringing back the build your own taco bar
&
 "in your face" sangria slushies

I'm adding a
build your own ice cream sundae bar

Stay tuned

Monday, September 6, 2010

Getting Organized

Who can relate to this picture?

Doesn't everyone have a cabinet or drawer filled
with plasticware in every shape and size?

Every time I open the cabinet, something falls out
I have it so full of bowls and lids
that I can never find
the right lid
for the right bowl
at the right time

Anyone feeling me out there?

Well, I pulled all that out
(2 boxes of stuff I never used)
&
I'm starting fresh


I bought this Rubbermaid set at Costco
(I even had a coupon)

It's even BPA free

Look how pretty
Let's see how long it takes me
to lose these lids

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Whiskey-Cheese Fondue

I'm not much of a "licker" drinker
My preference is wine
but
I have a pork tenderloin recipe that calls for bourbon
(stay tuned for that recipe)
&
I was told that Knob Creek is a good one
I would not know, so I had my dad do a taste test

He was very impressed

(I have a feeling that this bottle will end up at his house after I'm done cooking with it)


As I was glancing through
Food & Wine's Annual Cookbook for 2010
I came across a recipe 
combining wine & cheese (my fav-o-rites)
with whiskey  


Whiskey-Cheese Fondue
Yum!!!

Click here for the recipe

Becoming More Than Just a Good Bible Study Girl

We kicked off our bible study on Saturday. This is our 7th book over the last 5 years. I am really excited about this book. It was just r...