Stinky Cheese Risotto

I'm excited because

I'm going to a Risotto Technique class

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

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

vintage cuppa cake holder

perfectly

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

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

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

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