Step-by-Step Recipe: Mushroom Risotto

I'll be honest and admit that I actually prepared this recipe a few weeks ago and just never got around to posting it.  So the mushrooms I used in the recipe may not be easily available, but no matter--any fresh (or maybe even dried) mushroom will do!  I used a mix of your standard white grocery store mushrooms, and some pioppini mushrooms bought at a local farmers' market.  Morels would be a great, though pricey, addition.  Use whatever mushroom is available and suits your budget, so long as it doesn't come from a can or a jar. 

As soon as I saw them, I just new I'd be putting them into a risotto.  I love making risotto--almost as much as I like eating it!  All the stirring is downright therapeutic.  I like it so much that I've even quasi-published my own recipe on the TastyKitchen website for a lemon herb risotto.  The basics are the same for this risotto recipe, but the flavor is much earthier, and it satisfies a totally different craving.

Recipe and pictures below the cut!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Ham and Cheese Quiche

The spring flowers and trees are blooming...but the spring temperatures have been inconsistent at best.  This means more recipes with the tastes of spring, but with some extra heartiness.  This quiche totally hit the spot.  Say what you will about quiche being feminine, my husband loved this.  It was hot, cheesy, filling, and delicious.

You could put whatever you wanted into this quiche; I went the traditional way with diced ham and shredded cheddar cheese.  You could do whatever cheese you'd like--swiss would have been great, too.  You could probably add vegetables, too, though you'd want something that wouldn't add too much moisture to the quiche, because that would affect how it cooked.  (I'm as much of a fan of veggies as the next girl, but I decided to just serve a salad on the side.)  And quiche is good for brunch, lunch, or dinner!  The secret to this quiche is that it uses cottage cheese instead of heavy cream.  This makes it lighter without sacrificing the taste or texture.

Recipe and pictures under the cut!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Potato Leek Soup

Lately I've been craving food with the taste of spring. But because it's been unseasonably chilly, I've been looking for recipes that have spring ingredients but are still hearty enough for cold days. I made this potato leek soup from my Everyday Food cookbook for the first time a couple of years ago, and my husband and I both really liked it.  Then I promptly forgot about the recipe until recently.  It's really easy to make and has simple ingredients, yet tastes somehow more complex than you'd expect.  It can be eaten hot or cold, though why you'd ever want to eat cold potato soup, I don't know.

Tips: the recipe says to puree the soup in a blender, but because my food processor was more easily accessible, I used that instead--the puree was not as smooth (which you can tell from the pictures). You could also try an immersion blender if you've got one; I've not had the best luck with mine, though.  Also, if you can't find fresh chives (my grocery store was out), you can use dried, just use half as much. 

Recipe and pictures below the cut!

Step-by-Step Recipe (sort of): Beef Bourguignon

If you've seen the movie Julie & Julia, then you already know that Julia Childs' recipe for beef bourguignon (boeuf bourguignon, en français) is sorta famous.  And known for being delicious.  Well, for Christmas in 2009, I received not one, but three copies of Julia Childs' famed cookbook (actually the set of both volumes), containing this recipe (hey, my friends and family know me well--they just didn't coordinate).  So last March, I volunteered to make this for my husband for his birthday, as we had tried the traditional dish during our visit to Burgundy, the region of Franch from whence this dish came, on our honeymoon.  I also made roasted garlic mashed potatoes and a birthday cake.  The entire meal took me about 7 hours in the kitchen. By the time the meal was ready, I was exhausted, disheveled, and thoroughly disgusted.  "That movie lies!" I crowed to my husband.  They make it seem like all you do is stir the stew!  Then put it in the oven!  And voilà!"  And that is simply not how you make Julia's boeuf bourguignon.

Boeuf bourguigon is essentially French beef stew.  After browning the pieces of beef and sauteeing some of the veggies, you let it all braise in the oven in a whole bunch of red wine (and beef stock).  Let me be clear that this was, by far, the best beef stew I'd ever had.  But after 7 hours in the kitchen...it was hard to even acknowledge that.  I vowed never to make the dish again, and haven't cracked my copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking since then. When I think about it, I just remember dirtying virtually every pot and pan in our kitchen, and following Julia's steps thinking, "Why, Julia, why?  WHY does the sauce need to be strained and cooked separately?  WHY do the pearl onions need to be braised separately in red wine?  WHY???"

Nearly a year later, I was contemplating what to make for a weekend dinner for my husband, myself, and another couple.  I have a history of stressing myself out by making new or complicated recipes for guests, ignoring my guests, and then not enjoying myself at all.  I've worked on this for years, and in the last couple of years, have learned valuable lessons about testing recipes before serving them to guests, making things that don't require a lot of last minute work, and making things that are hard to screw up.  So I thought I'd make a braised meat dish, as such recipes require most of the "hard" work on the front end, with a couple of hours spent in the oven, meaning that when my guests arrived, my house would smell great, and I'd be relaxed and
refreshed.  Someone had also mentioned to me that they'd seen Ina Garten (of the Barefoot Contessa cooking show on the Food Network) make a variation of beef bourguignon that seemed easier than Julia's.  I pooh-poohed the idea at first...despite the hours of labor required to make Julia's recipe, I was still very proud to have done it, and considered it to be the signature bourguignon recipe.  But I really like Ina Garten's cooking style and recipes, sooo...I gave it a try.

The verdict?  It was MUCH easier than Julia's recipe.  Still not the easiest thing ever, but easier.  And delicious.  SO delicious.  I'd be hard pressed to say which recipe was better.  And my husband thought Ina's recipe was better, if only because it wasn't tainted by the bitter feelings of the chef (me).  This is a recipe I'll make again. (Not often, because the sheen of bacon grease left on every surface in the kitchen is not something I want to clean up very often, but again.)

Recipe and photos under the cut.

Recipe Snapshot: Creamy Chicken Tetrazzini

I grew up in the Midwest (Ohio), and my family ate a lot of casseroles.    My husband grew up on the East Coast (New Jersey), and his family did not eat a lot of casseroles.  When we first met, I was concerned that his lack of love for all things casserole would spell the end of our relationship...but eventually I was able to bring him over to the other side with me.  Sort of.   You'll never catch me making tuna noodle casserole (complete with crushed up potato chips as the crust) for him.  Maybe because even I hated tuna noodle casserole?  But I did get him to love my chicken tetrazzini--and I think it's because I did a couple of things to bring it into the next century.

Mostly what I did was replace all of the canned/jarred veggies with their fresh counterparts.  It's a tiny bit more work, but totally worth it!  (Canned mushrooms and jarred pimento are not things my husband will eat, and I don't blame him.)  The base is still cream cheese and chicken broth, but some things should not be messed with.  (Though I have bowed to concerns about our waistlines and replaced the full-fat cream cheese with the reduced fat kind.)  Many recipes call for heavy cream or cream of chicken soup, and I think the cream cheese base is superior to both other options.  The heavy cream is, well, heavier.  And the cream of chicken soup just doesn't have the same tang of cream cheese.

I also use a short pasta instead of spaghetti noodles.  This is just a personal preference--I really like penne or farfalle.  If you use a long pasta, use something thin (e.g., no fettucine).

When I was growing up, we usually had tetrazzini made with leftover Thanksgiving turkey.  You can do it this way, as well, but I really like tetrazzini and want to have it more than once a year!  The perfect solution is a rotisserie chicken from the deli section of your grocery store.  (You can also poach or bake a couple of chicken breasts yourself and then shred them, if you prefer.)  Just shred up a couple cups of the meat, and if there's more on the bird, you can save it for chicken salad or something else.

Recipe below the cut!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Potato-Fennel Gratin

My only resolution for the new year was to try more vegetables.  I'm pretty brave when it comes to eating new vegetables, but I've been hesitant to try to prepare them myself.  I'd never tried to make anything with fennel before. But then a friend shared a recipe for potato-fennel gratin with me, and I thought, "well, why not?"  Anything covered in a creamy cheesy sauce has to be good, right?  Right.  The recipe is from the one and only Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa.  It is definitely not low-fat.  But it is delicious!

I served the gratin with sauteed chicken breasts with a creamy mustard sauce and sauteed spinach.  I'll share the chicken recipe later this week.  It was a nice pairing.  The chicken is lighter, but still rich in flavor.  Since I was just cooking for two (plus leftovers!), I cut the recipe for the gratin in half--we still have plenty of leftovers!

Pictures and recipe below the cut!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Spaghetti all' Elsa and Roasted Sausages with Peppers and Onions

The holiday season is busy for many of us.  This week in particular, I have a lot going on at work, in addition to trying to make the holidays happen (Christmas shopping, decorating, and working on Christmas cards).  In these situations, I love a recipe that will make a lot of leftovers.  These recipes do just that--they will make about 6-8 servings, depending how generous you are.  Which is fantastic!

I'm not always the biggest fan of Rachael Ray, mostly because I find her a little irritating on TV.  But I've made a few of her recipes that were all pretty good...so I will try to be more kind in my assessment.  Of the recipes I've tried, Spaghetti all' Elsa and Roasted Sausages with Peppers and Onions are probably my favorites.  (FYI, I skip the cheesy bread part of that second recipe, as this already makes SO MUCH food.  Maybe if I were feeding an army I might try it...)  The other great thing about these recipes is that they aired together on a episode of "Thirty Minute Meals."  I've never actually managed to make this meal in 30 minutes, but it doesn't take much longer than that.  A great help on a busy Monday night!

Recipes and photos below the cut!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Creamy Pumpkin Soup

I feel like a bad food blogger.  It's been too long, and I know it.  But in my defense, it's been a crazy week.  Last weekend was a bit of a whirlwind, and then on Monday and Tuesday, I traveled to Portland, Oregon for work.  Yes, 5,600+ miles in less than 48 hours.  And so I've been...wrecked...since then. Then yesterday I had a medical procedure that required anesthesia, so I wasn't allowed to do much in the kitchen when I got home. All I have cooked in the last week has been a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches.  Hopefully that will change today!

In other news, my dark chocolate cupcakes with pumpkin cream cheese frosting won the Halloween Bake Sale/Contest at work in a couple of categories--Most Wicked and Most Haunted; I came in second for Most Creepy, and tied for third for Best in Show.  So that's good, right?

Last weekend was Halloween, and despite the fact that I needed to wake up at 3 in the morning on Monday to make it to the airport to catch my flight, I did want to "celebrate," even if in a small way.  We only had a few trick-or-treaters (anyone want a Kit-Kat?  We have lots!), but luckily that gave me time to whip up a little something for the holiday: creamy pumpkin soup.

I've been making this recipe for years, and have shared it with several friends.  I think it could be a perfect first course at Thanksgiving dinner, but it's also perfect for a simple Sunday supper on Halloween, especially when accompanied by the perfect grilled cheese sandwich (which it was this past Sunday!).

I originally found this recipe online at AllRecipes.com, but I have made some alterations.  First, I don't make the cinnamon croutons; second, I use much much much less cream, as the soup doesn't need it.

More below the cut!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Apple Cider Braised Pork with Onions and Leeks (sort of)

I really like braising meat, as I believe I've said before (braised short ribs)  It's pretty much the easiest thing you can do that delivers such amazing results, though admittedly it takes a while.  The good news is that most of that time is hands-off from you.

This isn't quite a true step-by-step posting, as I had guests over for dinner, and then I got a tiny bit flustered,
and then I didn't take pictures.  It happens.  Sorry!

More below the cut.

Step-by-Step Recipe: Mini Honey-Mustard Meatloaves with Roasted Potatoes

It's been grey and rainy in the DC area the last few days--particularly last night and this morning.  It's made me crave comfort food, so I did something I almost never do--prepared two beef dishes within one week.  I generally try to make only one beef dish per week, if that, for health reasons.  I figure we're already eating it twice a week since we usually have leftovers, and that's more than enough red meat for a week!  Because I try to limit the amount of red meat we eat, I often make these mini meatloaves with ground turkey.  Feel free to do the same, but be sure to use the dark meat turkey--the all white meat is too dry.  Also be sure to cook it all the way through, which might mean a few extra minutes in the oven.  But this week?  I was extra bad and used the "meatloaf mix" ground meat sold by our grocery store (a mix of beef, pork, and veal).  Don't tell on me!  It was delicious, and I have no regrets.

This recipe for mini honey-mustard meatloaves with roasted potatoes came from one of my Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazines.  My husband and I like it so much I'll make it 2 or 3 times every fall/winter.  When I make it, I skip the salad that is included in Martha's version of the recipe and prepare another kind of vegetable.  This week it was a green salad, but more interesting than the one provided in this recipe (I added grape tomatoes! I live on the edge, eh?).  Before we get to the recipe itself, let me state for the record that I am almost embarrassed to share this recipe because it is so easy.  But it's delicious.  And can be made on a weeknight.  And for those two facts?  On the blog it goes!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Braised Beef Short Ribs

In honor of fall, I felt it was time to make something hearty for dinner this past Sunday.  So I pulled out one of my favorite Pioneer Woman recipes, and we were not disappointed.  I made braised beef short ribs with creamy goat cheese polenta and brussels sprouts.  The latter two aren't part of the step-by-step, but I can link to the recipe for the polenta below (there was no recipe for the brussels sprouts).  I know braising sounds like some fancy technique, but it's really very easy--it just takes a while.  Lucky, most of the time is spent in the oven, with little hands-on help from you!

If you've never had beef short ribs, they are inexpensive, fatty, and delicious when braised.  Just make sure that if they have bones you get bigger pieces than I did.  Usually when I ask the butcher to cut them for me at the grocery store (they never actually have them in the meat case), they debone them, too.  It doesn't matter much--bone or no bone--since the meat becomes so tender from the braising that it falls apart, anyway.  But if you don't want to feel cheated, follow my advice.

Step-by-Step Recipe: Penne with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

It's September, and I needed a taste of fall.  Last week I posted about my food obsessions, and pumpkin is definitely on that list.  I really like finding pumpkin in unexpected savory dishes, and this is one of those.  The first bite the first time I made it was like, "Hmmmm...that's not what I expected."  But it's delicious if you can get over the whole pumpkin-not-at-all-like-pie flavor thing.

This recipe is from one of my monthly Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazines (which I have received for about three years now, thanks to my sister-in-law and her husband).  It's a quick one that is perfect for a week night.  Perfect served with a green salad...or by itself.  Pumpkin is a vegetable, after all.  Ha!

Step-by-Step Recipe: Turkey Sausage Lasagna

Also known as Julie's Favorite Lasagna Ever.

Don't you want a piece right now?  Mmm...I know I do.  And this is why I'm happy we have leftovers.

Sunday night I made Turkey Sausage Lasagna, a recipe from Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contessa).  I don't actually own any of her cookbooks (though I probably should, as she's one of my Food Network favorites), but a friend made this recipe for my husband and I a few years ago, and after declaring it the best lasagna I've ever had, I asked for the recipe.  And she very kindly gave it to me.  I have since made this recipe for my parents, my in-laws, my husband (repeatedly), and even for Christmas Eve.  It's that good.  (Note: if you hate goat cheese, fresh herbs, and delicious food, do not make this recipe.  You will not like it.  And we can't be friends.)

Conveniently, the recipe is available on the Food Network website.  Click here to see Ina's original Turkey Sausage Lasagna.  I made slight alterations based on preferences (I prefer the hot Italian turkey sausage) and what I had on hand (lots of fresh oregano).