Roasted Asparagus Risotto

Asparagus, round 2.  I'm going to give it another shot.  I love risotto, so let's see how this goes.

Ingredients

Roasted Asparagus
20 fresh asparagus spears, ends trimmed.
2 tbs olive oil
Pinch of salt
Fresh grated Parmesan

Risotto
3 tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced (I used black garlic)
1 c arborio rice
1/2 c dry white wine
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan

To roast the asparagus, place the stalks, 2 tbs of olive oil, and a pinch of sale on a baking sheet.  Roll the spears through the oil and salt to coat.  Bake in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes.  Set aside.

For the risotto, heat chicken broth in a saucepan over medium heat; reduce heat to simmer throughout cooking.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Stir in minced garlic and salt.  Add arborio rice and stir until lightly toasted (about 5 minutes).

Pour white wine into rice, stirring constantly, until the liquid is evaporated, about another 5 minutes or so.  Stir chicken broth in, one ladleful at a time, allowing liquid to absorb completely before adding more while stirring constantly, about 20 minutes.  Turn off heat, and grate parmesan onto hot rice.  Top with roasted asparagus spears.

Hmm...this was ok.  The risotto was good, but the asparagus was just ok.  I still don't love it, but it was better than the last one.  I think it was better because the asparagus spears were thinner, so there was less to taste.  The kids loved it, so it will stay in the rotation, at least occasionally.  One more way to get my veggies!

• 
  

Sopapilla Cheesecake

Ready for an easy dessert the whole family will love? Thanks to Pillsbury, you can have this in your oven in about 10 minutes. It's like a cheesecake, but like a bar, and filled with cinnamon sugary goodness. Pillsbury has this recipe on their site and I basically made it "as is" but added extra vanilla and cinnamon sugar topping.

Ingredients

16 oz cream cheese, softened

2 cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 350. In a 9 x 13 greased baking pan, unroll one package of crescent rolls and line the bottom of the pan.

Mix together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. I used a whisk, but it would have been faster and easier to use a mixer. I was just too lazy to break it out. When smooth, spread over the crescent rolls.

Unroll the other can of crescent roll dough and place on top of cream cheese mixture.

Pour one stick of melted butter over the top and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on top. Be as generous as you'd like. It will form a yummy crust of goodness.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Chill in the fridge, then cut and serve. It's tasty while it's warm, but it's gooey and really should be allowed to set up before cutting. If you don't mind it gooey, dive right in. Enjoy!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Cream cheese grits with bacon

I love grits. Grits for breakfast, grits with chicken, cheesy, sweet. So versatile! Here's an easy, quick recipe that might just make a believer out of you grit naysayers. Serve it with broiled pork chops or fried chicken and you might just think you have gone to heaven. I adapted my recipe from Country Roads magazine, with some special additions like bacon.

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

1 cup stone-ground grits

1/3 cup cream cheese, softened

1 cup chicken broth

Bacon pieces

Salt to taste

In a medium saucepan, bring heavy cream and milk to a simmer over moderately low heat. Whisk in grits and cook, stirring often, 25 minutes. Slowly incorporate chicken broth as grits thicken, stirring them through completely. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream cheese until melted throughout and season with salt to taste. Top with bacon pieces.

Easy and delicious. So good with any meal! Let me know how you serve your cheesy grits--I love new ideas.

 

Posted with Blogsy