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Author: Mary | Just Take A Bite

Butternut Squash Risotto

Yesterday’s dinner was meatless and a new grain! And it was so so so good!!! This was my first attempt at making risotto…my first time eating real risotto. Wow! So creamy and yummy. I had to keep myself from eating too much :p Justin really liked it too. He would prefer it as a side dish instead of the main dish, but he didn’t have any complaints 🙂 I’ve always been afraid to make risotto…sounded tricky. But it wasn’t hard at all. It does require constant attention. But other than that it’s pretty easy. And it’s actually fairly quick. Only takes about 20 min. I used a Rachel Ray recipe. Her recipe is almost identical to most of the recipes I looked up. But I chose hers because is uses frozen pureed squash instead of fresh. And I have plenty of squash in the freezer 🙂 I didn’t use wine since I didn’t have any…I just used extra chicken broth. I used organic red onion. I didn’t add the sage. And I only made a half batch. I may have to change some meal plans this week so I can have the leftovers for dinner one night 🙂
Butternut Squash Risotto

One 32-ounce container (4 cups) chicken broth (I’m sure veggie broth would work to make it totally vegetarian)
2 Tbsp. EVOO
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
One 12-ounce box frozen butternut squash puree, thawed (I used cooked squash from our garden…I didn’t measure it…just added what looked/tasted right)
Nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
10 leaves fresh sage, slivered
In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth and 1 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn the heat to low.

In a large skillet (I used a large saucepan), heat the EVOO , 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. When the oil is rippling, add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 minutes. Add the rice and toast for 3 minutes. Stir in the wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until mostly evaporated, 2 to 3 minutes.3. Add 2 ladlefuls of the warm chicken broth to the rice and stir until the liquid evaporates. Repeat with the remaining broth, cooking the risotto until creamy, about 18 minutes. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, stir in the squash; season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. During the last minute of cooking, stir in the cheese and butter. Top with the sage.

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Lentil Soup

I tried a new Betty Crocker recipe today. I needed an easy crockpot meal…always do on Sundays. And I had some organic lentils that I bought a while back I’ve been wanting to try. It was really good! Justin and I both loved it. We got home from Flint late last night so I didn’t have any time for prep. I just threw the chicken breasts in mostly frozen this morning. And I used peas instead of zucchini because I didn’t have time to get the zucchini out of the basement freezer this morning. I added most of the tomatoes at the beginning so they would cook more. Justin doesn’t like raw tomatoes. I didn’t quite do a full batch and there was plenty for our lunch and a couple lunches for Justin this week. I’m hoping to use lentils more often. I love them, they cook quickly and they are a good substitute for meat. Rebecca tried a little of this. She seemed to like the flavor, but she wasn’t very hungry.

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Lentil Soup
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (I used 2 breasts)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup) (I used organic red onion)
1 medium zucchini, chopped (2 cups) (I used frozen organic peas)
4 medium carrots, sliced (2 cups) (I used 1 large organic carrot)
1 cup dried lentils (8 oz), sorted, rinsed
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (3 oz) (I didn’t add these)
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained (I only used a half can since Justin doesn’t like a ton of tomatoes)
1/4 cup chopped fresh or 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves (I left this out…forgot 🙂
Shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired (grated fresh parm over each bowl)

Remove fat from chicken. In 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix onion, zucchini, carrots, lentils, broth, salt and pepper. Add chicken. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 5 to 6 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker. Use 2 forks to pull chicken into shreds. Return chicken to slow cooker. Stir in mushrooms and tomatoes. Cover; cook on low heat setting about 15 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with basil. Sprinkle with cheese.

Grandpa’s birthday cake

I had a chance to make a birthday cake for my dad this week. It’s been a while since I’ve had an occasion to make a cake. And I had to practice for the cake I’m making this week (my nephew’s 1st birthday). It turned out pretty well. The inside was maroon and gold (Calvin colors). And the decoration was basketball themed. I’m anxious to make Carson’s cake this week. Be on the lookout (at some point in the future) for a cake blog. And feel free to make any requests 🙂

Roasted Beet Salad

I tried an Anne Burrell recipe last night. I saw it on her show a few weeks ago and it looked interesting. And a way to try beets. It was really, really good!!! Justin and I both liked it. And he isn’t even that crazy about beets. The combination of all the flavors was so good. The salty cheese and nuts with the beets and a simple dressing. Yum!!!! And it looks really fancy too. Maybe I’ll have to make it the next time I have guests. I had never cooked a beet before (only ever had them from a can…shudder :P). It’s pretty easy…just put them on a pan and toss them in the oven. They were kind of tough to peel. So I just sliced them with the peel on and then trimmed the peel off of each slice with a knife. It went much faster. And was less messy. I only used regular beets. I didn’t see baby beets at the store. And it took much longer to roast mine than the recipe says. I think they were in the oven for a little over an hour and a half. And I turned the temp up higher part way through. Now I have some leftover beets to snack on and use on my salad for dinner tonight 🙂 I don’t know if I had ever had a pistachio before either. But now I know they are really good!

This post is linked to the Whole Foods for the Holidays progressive dinner – salad course.

Roasted Beet Salad with Arugula, Pistachios and Shaved Pecorino

4 large beets, red, golden, or Chioggia or any combination (I made 3 organic red beets)
8 to 10 baby beets- any color or combo (I skipped these, but it would be a pretty presentation)
2 cups baby arugula (I used mixed organic baby greens…we don’t like arugula)
2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 to 3 tablespoons high quality extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
1/4 cup pistachios, toasted and chopped (soaked and dehydrated)
1/4 cup shaved pecorino, aged pecorino Toscano or pecorino Romano (I used parmesan since I had it on hand)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place all the large beets on a sheet tray and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a fork slides in and out of the beets easily (I roast mine on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. It takes about 1 1/2 hours at 400 degrees.). Add the baby beets to the tray for the last 20 minutes of cooking time. When the beets have cooled, peel them. Slice the large beets into 1/2-inch thick slices. Cut the baby beets in half.

Place the arugula in a bowl and drizzle in about half of the vinegar and olive oil and season generously with salt. Toss the salad gently to incorporate all of the ingredients. TASTE IT! It should taste very flavorful but not soggy. Arrange the arugula on 4 individual salad plates. Toss all of the beets together in the salad bowl and add the remaining oil, vinegar and salt, and toss. Arrange the dressed beets on the arugula and top with the pistachios and shaved pecorino.

*I whisked the oil, vinegar and salt in the bottom of 2 bowls and then added the greens/beets and tossed.

*I served all the components individually (dressed greens, dressed beats, cheese and nuts) so that we could each make our own salad to our liking…quantities of each ingredient.

Fried Chicken

This chicken recipe is from my mother-in-law. It’s not really fried, bit it tastes like it is.

“Fried” chicken is very easy to make and tastes very good. I’ve been making it since before we got married!

I love that it requires very little hands on time. You just brown the chicken, cover and let it cook for an hour.

My whole family really enjoys this chicken. It can be made with just about any kind of flour. And it pairs well with just about any sides and sauces. Perfect.

Fried Chicken
 
boneless, skinless chicken breasts (as many as you need)
~ 1/4 cup flour per chicken breast (I just put some in a bowl…however much looks right)
salt and pepper to taste
~1 Tbsp. olive oil
 
Trim any fat off chicken. Mix salt and pepper into flour. Coat each chicken breast in flour. Heat oil in pan. Place chicken in pan top side down. Cook about 5 min. – until browned. Flip chicken. Cook another 2 min. Reduce heat to very low. Cover and cook for 1 hour. About 5 min. before serving take lid off pan and flip chicken to re-crisp the top side.
 
Serve as is, with dipping sauce (sweet ‘n’ sour, bbq, etc.) or topped with sauce (pesto, etc.).

Roasted Root Vegetables with Pesto

I tried another recipe from my SIL Shannon yesterday. It’s originally from Cooking Light. We have kind of mixed reviews about it. I thought it was great!! And it’s more just an idea than a recipe to me. You can use any kind of veggie and any kind of pesto. So I’m sure I’ll try it again and adjust things more to our liking. Justin wasn’t too crazy about it. But part of that was because I used some homemade parsley pesto, which he didn’t care for. He might have liked it better if I had used spinach, basil or pea pesto (he likes all of those). Also, most of the veggies were new to us. It usually takes Justin a few tries to get used to a new veggie. This was my first time trying parsnips. I thought they were great!! So sweet. Yum. Justin picked most of them out. I used one turnip. Neither of us were crazy about it. It had too much of a bite for me. This was my first experience with brussel sprouts too. I thought they were pretty good. Justin didn’t mind them. I want to try roasting them on their own sometime to really taste them well. I left out the shallots because I didn’t have any. I served this over some spinach ribbons…new Eden Organic pasta that I got yesterday. That was really good too. I made some leftover pork for Justin to go with this. So it was more of a side dish for him. I added a few beans to mine and had it as a main dish. And we grated fresh parmesan over top. I didn’t make the full recipe. That would be a lot. And I used pesto from our freezer. I didn’t try the pesto recipe that comes with this.

Roasted Root Vegetables with Pesto

 

3 cups (1 lb.) carrot, sliced 1″ thick
3 cups (1 lb.) parsnip, sliced also
3 cups peeled, cubed turnip
3 cups (1 lb.) trimmed, halved Brussel sprouts
2 shallots, peeled and quartered
1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges (I used organic red onion)
cooking spray
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

 

Pesto:
2 cups basil
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan-reggiano
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
4 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, pressed

 

Process in food processor or blender.

 

Veggies:

 

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Place veggies on baking sheet. Coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss. Bake 1 hour, or until browned. Transfer to a bowl and toss with pesto.

 

*My veggies cooked faster than 1 hour. I had to turn the heat down a bit so that they weren’t done before the rest of dinner. I’d say 45 min. is plenty at that temperature, maybe even less. I tossed them a few times during the roasting so that they browned on all sides.

Zucchini Casserole

I made a new recipe last night. I got it from my SIL Sara. It was my first attempt at a meatless meal this month 🙂 I thought it was great!! And so easy to make. Plus I felt good, like I was eating healthy/doing something good for my body. Meat is about the hardest thing for me to digest, so this was a great meal for me. As expected Justin was so hesitant when he heard that there was no meat in the dinner :p I reassured him there were eggs in it…they are in the meat group :p He is not a huge zucchini fan, so I didn’t expect him to love it. But he ate plenty. If I make it again I’ll probably cut back on the zucchini (for his sake) and maybe add some broccoli. I did add red and green peppers and green beans this time. And I’d like to try yellow zucchini sometime too, like Sara did. I made a smaller version of the casserole since I knew Justin wouldn’t want to eat too many leftovers. And I made a few mods. I’ll mention them in the original recipe.

Zucchini Casserole

1 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup grated cheese (I used about a cup of a mix of shredded cheddar and mozzarella)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used a mixture of milk and water instead of the oil)
4 eggs
3 cups thinly sliced zucchini (I added some peppers and beans)

Mix all ingredients and pour into greased 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (I then turned the broiler on low for about three minutes to brown the top a little.)

*I used about 3/4 cup Bisquick, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 1/4 cup water and 1 cup cheese.
*I used a 9″ square pan.
*I turned up the temp towards the end because it wasn’t quite setting in the middle.
*I sprinkled cheese on top and put it under the broiler for a few minutes at the end…made it nice and brown on top.

Cheesecake

Finally we get to dessert 🙂 This is my “secret recipe” for cheesecake. But I guess I’ll share it. I found it years ago on Food Network. I LOVE cheesecake. But I don’t have an opportunity to make it very often…can’t make a whole cheesecake for just Justin and me 🙂 I make it plain and let everyone pick their toppings. Yesterday we had cherries (cherry pie filling), chocolate (homemade fudge sauce) and caramel. It’s good with blueberries too. And nuts go well with the chocolate and caramel.

Finale Cheesecake

2 cups graham crackers crumbs (or cookie crumbs)
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar
1 stick butter (I only use about 5 Tbsp.)
3 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream

Mix the crumbs and 3 Tbsp. of sugar. Melt the butter and stir into the crumb mixture. Press into the bottom of a greased 9″ spring form pan. Set aside. Using an electric mixer blend the cream cheese and the remaining sugar until creamy, wiping down the sides of the bowl and the beaters with a spatula to incorporate all the cheese. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and lemon juice to the cream, then slowly stir into the cheese mixture.

Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350. Put the prepared pan into a slightly larger rectangular pan. Pour cheese mixture into the springform pan. Set both pans in the oven and fill the rectangular pan with water, half way up the sides of the round pan. Bake until firm and golden brown, 45-50 min. Cool completely before removing from pan.

*I put tinfoil on the outside of the round pan and up the sides a bit just to be sure no water gets in.
*I bake this for about an hour and 20-30 min. 45 min. is nowhere near long enough.
*I always bake it the day before and let it set in the refrigerator over night to really firm up.

Sea Foam Salad

Another recipe from Justin’s mom 🙂 This is really good! It’s almost like a dessert.

Sea Foam Salad

1 (3 oz.) pkg. lime jello
1 cup hot pear juice (from drained can)
2 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 can pears, drained
1 pkg. dream whip, prepared, with green food coloring added

Blend jello and hot pear juice in a blender. Add cream cheese. Blend. Add pears. Blend. Pour into a bowl. Let congeal in refrigerator. When congealed fold in green dream whip. Refrigerate until completely set.