I have to show you what I've done.
Freshly trimmed and mulched circle
This is why I can no longer get up from a seated position or walk straight or bend down and touch my toes. I had one trillion weeds in this circle in the middle of the driveway and we got them all picked. Then I trimmed back all the dead things and put down dark brown rubber mulch! I think that stuff is so cool. I'm really hoping it's going to help with the weed situation. Of course this endeavor required two trips to Wal-mart to buy mulch. I got it on sale though. Yay! Joe came home at lunch yesterday and I asked him what he thought about the new mulch. He said "smells like new rims and tires!" ugh. You'd have to know that rims and tires and other car or boat accessories are his internet porn. It's all he does on the internet. Not a cheap hobby but... better than internet porn. Right?
I'll have to see if I can keep the baby tree alive this winter. It was hiding under all the weeds and brown daylilly's.
I don't know what these were called but they've lived for four years and I think the heat wave may have done them in. I decided to cut them back and see if they pull through. I'm having my doubts though.
I'd also like to give a big shout out to Evan who took all the furniture off the back deck this morning and sealed the wood. He's such a good kid!
But on to the real reason for this post. Risotto! I had to wait a few days before I could make it again. After I made it last week I have several requests for the recipe. Risotto is one of those dishes that restaurants in our area JUST DON'T GET. I don't know if they use a box mix or what... but it's not that hard. If I can do it anyone can. The first time I ever had risotto was in Beano's cabin at Beaver Creek, Colorado in 1995 and I've been in love ever since.
Here's what you need:
1 cup of uncooked arborio rice
2 T. olive oil
2 T. Butter
1/2 of a chopped onion
garlic clove, minced
mushrooms, chopped
3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese
I melted the butter in a pan and did a couple of circles around the pan with my olive oil like Rachel Ray taught me to do instead of measuring it.
I went ahead at this point and added the pepper and very little salt (because the broth and cheese is salty)
If my proportions look off... they are. I decided to double the recipe because the last time I made this we ate all of it and practically licked the pan.
Chop, chop, chop.....
in a pan simmer your chicken broth until it's warm. This looks funky because it's actually homemade chicken broth. Long story about why I would do that... let's just say it was a long winter and I got bored.
First saute your onion for about 2 or 3 minutes
The add your mushrooms and garlic and let this cook for about a minute
Then add your arborio rice. You want to stir this on medium heat for about 3 minutes but you really don't want it to brown. If it's browning turn down your heat.
Then add the broth a ladle or 2 at a time and stir. You have to stir this recipe all the time that it's cooking. I started off adding 2 ladles of broth and let it absorb into the rice and then add the broth one ladle at a time letting it absorb each time. This process takes about 20 minutes or so. The rice will continue to get more plump as you cook it.
This process is sort of like making gravy. Just slowly add the liquid. Take your time and think about how wonderful it's going to be in the end and how much this is worth the extra effort to make it from scratch. And then if you decide to test the rice to see if it's getting soft please remember to let it cool first. That way you won't burn your lips and your tongue. Just sayin'. It may or may not have happened today. Meanwhile, I have a new look. Who needs collagen injections to look like Angelina?
After it is tender and the liquid is mostly absorbed it will have a thick brothy texture but won't be dry and firm like a regular rice recipe. Then you want to add the parmesan. I think my original recipe called for a quarter of a cup. But you all know how I am about following recipes. I add 1/2 of a cup probably. I don't really know though because I don't measure it. I just grate the cheese into the pan. And stir....
You can use the parmesan cheese in a can (such as Kraft) or in a bag that's pre-shredded. It won't hurt anything if you take a short cut here. I just happen to like grating cheese and I think it gives it a better flavor. But I could be crazy. It might be exactly the same. Either way, I won't judge you. And I won't judge you if you use chicken broth that isn't homemade. But, oh man, is it ever good when you do.
And that's that! How simple was that?!!! Pretty darn simple.
Normally I would serve this with a salad and some chicken. And because I feel so good about the effort I put into this homemade dish I would probably serve my family some rotisserie chicken from a deli somewhere. A little glass of vino and voila! You have an Italian dinner.
But... tonight I am grilling sausages!
Our friend Winston went to the big city yesterday and while he was there he went by Siegi's and picked up sausages for his household and for me too. My favorite thing to do is get a "sampler" because it's two links of a variety of sausages.
This seems like a ton of sausage (and it is) but we will keep what's left over and cut it into bite-size pieces and use it for snacks for the weekend. yum! We don't usually use bread for our sausage we just cut it up and serve it with a variety of mustards.
Here's a link to Siegi's. It really looks like a cool place. I've never been there but Winston has brought me back sausages on a few occasions. You can order online and they'll ship it to you.
Now, I'm going to go grill the sausages and I'll try not to burn the deck down. Evan is a little concerned. It is pretty strong smelling out there and I am a little accident prone.
Life is good!!!
I think i will call it "Tasty Treats by Trish" xoxo looks wonderful
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