Basil Scented Red Lentil Risotto

Red lentils boost the fiber and protein in a classic risotto...and the basil is nice too!

Makes 4 side servings

1 Tbl olive oil

4 Tbl butter, divided (1/3)

1 small leek, white part only, finely diced

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 to 4 cups chicken broth

3/4 cup red lentils

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

4 large basil leaves, thinly sliced

Salt for seasoning if necessary

In a medium sauce pan melt the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter.  Add the diced leek and sauté over medium heat until softened.

Stir in the rice, making sure every grain gets coated with the butter and oil.

Stir in the wine and gently simmer until the rice has absorbed just about all of the wine.

Now add about 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and stir over the medium heat until the broth is absorbed into the rice.

Add the lentils and another 1/2 cup of the broth and continue to simmer and stir.

As the rice absorbs the stock keep adding a half cup of broth at a time until the rice and lentils become creamy.  You'll need at least 3 cups of the broth and maybe a bit more.  This process takes about 20 minutes.

Add the remaining 3 tablespoon of butter and stir in.  Off the heat stir in the Parmesan and basil leaves.

Taste for salt and add some if necessary.

Enjoy!!

Potato, Cod and Bacon Chowder

Dinner tonight... a different spin on chowder:

https://food52.com/recipes/33207-potato-cod-and-bacon-chowder

A Lighter Spinach and Parmesan Egg Drop Soup

I made this for a recent Food52 contest and thought I'd share.  It was named a Community Pick and the Food52 people took a beautiful photo of it!

See the photo and recipe here:

https://food52.com/recipes/32333-a-lighter-spinach-and-parmesan-egg-drop-soup

Leek and Spinach Risotto

We didn't have a normal Thanksgiving this year...I lost my Dad on November 22 and most of the family had out of town guests in for the funeral.  We all split up for the Holiday because of this. Normally we fry two turkeys for dinner and then three more the next day. We did fry a turkey for Marge and her guests and then one for us on Thursday.
And we did manage to fry two more turkeys yesterday to stash in the freezer and also decided to try a couple of small Cornish Game Hens.  They were great!  I made this risotto to serve along side.  

Makes about 4 servings

4 Tbl butter divided 3/1
2 small leeks, white and pale green parts only, diced
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups chicken broth
5 ounces chopped baby spinach
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter.  Add the diced leeks and sauté until softened.  Add the rice and stir to coat all the grains.
Over medium heat, pour in the wine and stir until most of the liquid is absorbed into the rice.  Now start adding the chicken broth, a little at a time, stirring all the while.  Each time the rice absorbs the liquid, add more broth. Keep doing this until you've added all the broth.  The rice should be creamy.
Stir in the last tablespoon of butter, the spinach and the cheese.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Kerby

My brother, Tom, caught this of Kerby this morning while for a second he was still.  Normally he's a whirlwind!!

Thank You!

Bourbon, Orange and Ginger was the winner in the recent Food52 "Your Best Cocktail" contest.  Thanks to everyone!

Here's my Q&A with Food52:

https://food52.com/blog/11717-winner-of-your-best-cocktail

Easy Bean and Bacon Soup

It's getting colder and colder so more soups are on the menu.  Here's and easy bean and bacon one...


Makes almost 4 quarts

3/4 pound dry Great Northern white beans
6 slices bacon, diced
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped 
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbl sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
7 cups chicken broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Soak the beans overnight in water.  Drain and rinse and then cover them in fresh water and simmer them until done, about 45 minutes.
Saute the diced bacon in a Dutch oven or soup pot until the fat is rendered and the bacon just starts to crisp.
Place the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in a food processor and process until everything is finely chopped.
Add the vegetable mixture along with the paprika and crushed red pepper to the pot of bacon and sauté for 5 to 10 minutes.
Add the beans and chicken broth to the pot, bring up to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes.
Remove about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the beans to a shallow bowl and mash them thoroughly with a fork.  Return the mixture to the pot and simmer the soup for about 10 more minutes.  Taste and add salt and pepper if you like.

Bourbon, Orange and Ginger is a Food52 Finalist!!

My Bourbon, Orange and Ginger cocktail if a finalist in Food52's "Your Best Cocktail Contest".  Please take a moment to go to the link below, sign up or log in and vote.  I truly appreciate it!

https://food52.com/contests/374-your-best-cocktail

Apricot and Orange Pecan Bread

Make loaves of this and gift one to a friend ......

https://food52.com/recipes/31731-apricot-and-orange-pecan-bread

Cajun Chicken Stew

Not quite gumbo but a nice comforting slightly spicy Cajun stew....

Serves 4

1  1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces
3 tsps of your favorite Creole/Cajun seasoning(divided)*
2 Tbl vegetable oil
4 ounces andouille sausage cut into a small dice
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves minced garlic
2 heaping tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded, cored a finely diced
Cooked rice for serving


Season the chicken thigh pieces with 1 tsp of the Creole seasoning.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or stew pot and then brown the chicken pieces a bit.Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Add the diced sausage to the pot and sauté over medium heat.  Once the sausage starts rendering some of it fat, add the onion, green pepper and celery. Saute until softened.  Add the garlic and sauté a minute or two more.
Now stir in two teaspoons  of the creole seasoning along with the flour and sauté for just a couple of minutes.
Stir in the chicken broth and the chicken pieces and bring up to a boil and then down to a simmer.  Simmer, partially covered for 15 minutes. Stir in the green onion, parsley and tomato and simmer five minutes more.  Serve over cooked rice.

Go here for a homemade Creole/Cajun seasoning:
http://inpatskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/06/red-beans-and-rice.html

Sesame Orange Glazed Broccoli and Water Chestnuts

Try this orange and sesame flavored broccoli side the next time you roast salmon...sweet and tangy!

https://food52.com/recipes/31253-orange-sesame-glazed-broccoli-and-water-chestnuts

Thick Like Stew Cabbage, Bean and Sausage Soup

It's cool and rainy here, so I thought for dinner, soup would be in order.  Maybe I got carried away, but this one is thick with beans and vegetables, along with a little Italian sausage.  Dinner tonight and lunch for a few days....

Makes about 6 quarts

1 pound white beans, soaked overnight and then simmered for about 45 minutes in plain water until done
1 pound Italian sausage links, baked in a 350F oven for 20 minutes
2 Tbl olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
One very large carrot, sliced into thin rounds
One very large potato, peeled and diced
10 cups chicken broth
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large soup pot, warm the olive oil and add the onions and garlic.  Saute until soft.
Slice the baked Italian sausage into rounds, add them to the pot along with the crushed red pepper flakes.  Saute for about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the sliced carrot and diced potato along with the chicken broth.  Bring up to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add the cooked white beans.
Stir in the chopped cabbage and simmer until wilted.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meaty Four Cheese Lasagna

My mom made the BEST lasagna...it was meaty and cheesy and was wonderful cold the next day.  I've made a few substitutions and added an extra layer of cheese here, but it's still as I remembered!

https://food52.com/recipes/31091-meaty-four-cheese-lasagna

Shrimp Cocktail Gazpacho

Here's a starter for a summer dinner...cool, zesty and refreshing!

https://food52.com/recipes/30621-shrimp-cocktail-gazpacho

What To Do With Huge Zucchini

If you grow zucchini in your summer garden, you know where I'm coming from here.  At least one gets the best of you...you find this HUGE squash hidden under the leaves.  What to do with it?  Stuff it!
This isn't really a recipe but might give you some ideas...I had a zucchini that was fat and about 14 inches long.  I sliced it lengthwise and scooped out the seeds and some of the flesh, brushed the cut sides with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper  Then into the oven to bake and soften that baby up for about 20 minutes. (about 350F)

Then I browned ground beef, onions, green pepper and garlic and added a couple of small diced tomatoes and about a cup of tomato sauce. Season with whatever herbs you like...I added dried basil, oregano, salt, black pepper and some crushed red pepper flakes.  I let the mixture cool a bit and then stirred in some olives and shredded mozzarella.

Pile the zucchini boats with the ground beef mixture and bake, covered, for about 30 minutes.  Uncover and place some provolone slices on top and return to the oven, uncovered, to let the cheese melt.  Dinner's ready!

Pictured is just before going in to the oven.

Summer Vegetable Chowder

Take advantage of beautiful summer produce!

See the recipe here:

https://food52.com/recipes/30443-summer-vegetable-chowder

Chilled Cubanelle Soup

I turned a pepper salad into soup!  See it here...

https://food52.com/recipes/30321-chilled-cubanelle-soup

Sweet Mini Peppers

I bought a 2# bag of sweet mini peppers the other day and took next door neighbor Jim's advice and skewered them with sirloin cubes for beef kebabs.  He was right!..They were sweet and succulent!  Today I'm roasting what's left and turning it into a delicious side:


Makes about 4 side servings or 2 mains

1  1/2 pounds sweet mini peppers, stemmed and sliced vertically
4 Tbl olive oil
1 tsp salt
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
One 2.25 ounce can sliced ripe California olives
1 Tbl capers
About 5 ounces dry pasta (rigatoni or penne)
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the peppers, oil, salt, garlic, red pepper and organo in a small baking pan and roast at 350F for about 30 minutes until the peppers soften.
Transfer the peppers to a large skillet and add the olives and capers.
Cook the pasta per directions, saving a little pasta cooking liquid.
Heat the vegetables in the skillet and add the drained pasta, adding a little of the cooking liquid if needed.  Salt and pepper if desired.

Strawberry - Orange Cheesecake with a Shortbread Cookie Crust

Take a look at what I made yesterday for Food52's Your Best Berry Contest:

https://food52.com/recipes/30044-strawberry-orange-cheesecake-with-a-shortbread-cookie-crust

Hawaiian Kings and Cracked Eggs

Grandson Drew was here for his 10th Birthday yesterday....lunch at a local restaurant...a trip to his favorite magic store.....and of course he and Grandpa's favorite feast:  Spam and pineapple kebabs cooked over a fire and  hard boiled eggs!