Sweet Corn Risotto

I LOVE Corn in the summer and absolutely adore risotto, so it only made sense that I would want to try a Corn Risotto. I looked up several recipes online, but there wast any one that kept it simple enough (I like to keep it simple), and didn't introduce too many spices. I wanted to keep the pure corn flavor throughout the whole dish. So I kind of just did my own version which I'm sure isn't new, but I didn't work off any one recipe. I think it turned out great, especially if you love corn, but if you like a little heat, you could easily spice it up anyway you like! It is a little sweet (like the corn) so I think it is best to have it with something that balances it out is best - like steak and salad with a vinaigrette which is what we had.

-- I totally forgot to take a picture of the ingredients!--

Sweet Corn Risotto

Ingredients:
3 ears of corn
1 Tbs Olive Oil & 1 Tbs Butter
1/2 onion chopped
1 cup Arborio Rice
1/4 cup white wine
2-4 cups of chicken broth
2-3 Tbs Milk
1/4 -1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
1. Cook the corn (you can do this anyway you want, grill, boil, bake - what I did was wrap each corn in aluminum foil [with husks still on] and baked it for 20 min at 400 degrees). After corn is cooked and cool, remove husks (if you haven't yet), and cut off the kernals and save for later.

2. While Corn is cooking, heat the oil and butter in a saucepan on Medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent. Then add Arborio rice cook for 1-2 min (stirring the entire time). Heat Chicken broth in a separate pan.

3. Add Wine to the rice and stir continuously, letting it absorb the wine. When the wine is absorbed start to add chicken broth one ladle full at a time. Let each ladle of broth be absorbed by the rice, stirring often. Repeat until rice is al dente and creamy (about 20-30 min).

4. While rice is cooking, puree 1/2 of the corn with the milk. When Rice is al dente, add the puree, whole corn kernels, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir until combined. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.  mmmm... heavenly!

Avocado, Asparagus, & Tomato Salad

This recipe caught my eye because the main ingredients are 3 of my favorite, especially in the summer. It was so delicious, crisp, refreshing, and on top of that it was EASY. You can also find it HERE.



Avocado, Asparagus and Tomato Salad
From: Thyme for cooking


Ingredients:
1 Avocado
Cherry or Roma Tomatoes
Asparagus
1 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tbs Olive Oil

Directions:
1. Mix soy sauce, vinegar, and oil in a medium bowl

2. Cut Asparagus into 1 1/2 inch sections. Blanch in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drop in cold water, then drain and add to the bowl with the vinaigrette.

3. Slice Cherry tomatoes in half (or cut Roma tomatoes into Chunks). Cut Avocado into cubes and add both Tomatoes and Avocados to the asparagus. Stir well to combine, and serve.

Super Easy Supper

Last night I didn't feel like going to the store, but didn't have a whole lot of fresh stuff to make anything at home. So I remembered that Bill used to make this recipe he found from "A Man, A Can, A Plan," that was super easy, but I couldn't find the recipe and we didn't have the exact ingredients anyway so I came up with something else with the ingredients we did have.

It turned out pretty good. It doesn't have any meat, so if you need to have meat at dinner, this isn't for you. But this took all of 15-20 minutes from beginning of 'prep' to serving, and it made a lot - way too much for 2 people! Since I was just putting it together at the last minute, and didn't really have any idea how it would turn out, I didn't take any pictures... sorry about that!

Super Easy Supper

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup Instant Brown Rice
1 can corn (drained)
1 can black beans (I slightly drained mine with the lid of the can, but did not rinse)
1 can Ro*tel (do NOT Drain)
1 1/3 cup Water

Directions:
1. In a large Sauce Pan, add rice, corn, Ro*tel, black beans, and water. Stir together.
2. Heat over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Cover and boil for 7-10 min.
3. Remove from heat and let sit 5 min.
4. Serve in a bowl or in taco shells. (if desired garnish with cilantro, sour cream, salsa, or avocado)

Chicken & Asparagus with 3 Cheeses

Chicken, Asparagus, and Cheese? Sounds like a match made in heaven to me... I found the recipe here, but made a few substitutions. It was Creamy and delicious!


Chicken and Asparagus with 3 cheeses
From: Kalyn's Kitchen


Ingredients:
Boneless,skinless chicken breast
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Asparagus
1 can chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
3 oz. soft goat cheese
3 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Trim fat and membrane from Chicken breasts and cut each one in half.

2. Season Chicken with Salt & pepper, then saute in a large fraying pan with 1 Tbs olive oil. Cook until chicken pieces are well browned on both sides.

3. Meanwhile, trim asparagus diagonally into 2 inch pieces. Boil pan of water, and put asparagus pieces in and let boil for 3 minutes - drain and then put them in cold water - then drain well.

4. Spray casserole dish with nonstick spay. Layer in the browned chicken, then the asparagus. Use chicken broth to deglaze the pan you cooked the chicken in (make sure to scrape up allt he little browned bits). Let it simmer about 5 minutes.

5. Lower heat and whisk sour cream into sauce and continue to heat over low heat. When it is hot, add goat cheese and Parmesan and whisk into sauce until melted. Do NOT boil.

6. Pour sauce over chicken and asparagus and sprinkle sharp cheddar over the top. Bake 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted and mixture is starting to bubble (don't overcook).

Fajita Sweet Potatoes

When I found this recipe, I thought it looked so easy and I love sweet potatoes so I had to try it. I found the recipe HERE. It turned out fantastic. These are a great easy side to throw with anything from steak to hamburgers, and I have had them many times since I found the recipe.

 
Fajita Sweet Potatoes
From: The Bitten Word


Ingredients:
2 Large Sweet potatoes
Olive Oil
Fajita seasoning mix

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Peel the potatoes and dice them into half-inch cubes. Place potatoes in a plastic resealable bag. pour in some olive oil (enough to coat the potatoes)

3. Sprinkle fajita seasoning (anywhere from 2 Tbls to half the package) over the potatoes and shake together so the potatoes get evenly coated.

4. Spread potatoes on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake about 35-40 min or until potatoes are fork-tender with a light caramelized crust on the outside. Season with salt and pepper if desired and serve.

Chicken Piccata

One of the blogs I read called Closet Cooking - always has delicious dishes featured... here is another one I saw and thought I could try at home. It was really easy and super delicious. I love capers so it was perfect for me.



Chicken Piccata
From: Closet Cooking


Ingredients:
2 Chicken Breasts (butterflied)
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Butter
Splash of white wine (can be omitted)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 lemon (juice)
1/2 lemon (sliced)
2 Tbsp Capers
Salt and Pepper
Parsley (as Garnish)

Directions:
1. Place the chicken between plastic and roll/pound the chicken to 1/4 inch thin

2. Season the Chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge the Chicken in the flour

3. Heat the oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a pan.

4. Add the chicken and fry until golden brown on both sides (about 3 min per side). Set aside.

5. Place the wine, stock, lemon juice, lemon slices and capers in the pan and deglaze it.

6. Simmer until the liquids reduce by half.

7. Stir in 1 Tbsp butter and pour over the chicen and garnish with parsley (serve over rice or orzo pasta) ***I served over orzo, but I may try serving it over brown rice next time***

Basil Chicken Pasta

I love pasta, especially Angel Hair, so this one jumped out at me and I had to try it. I found this recipe here, and it turned out so delicious and very fresh and light tasting. It was also very easy (especially if you cook the chicken the night before), so this made it a keeper!



Basil Chicken Pasta
From: Good Eats


Ingredients:
1 (8oz) pkg Angel Hair Pasta
Olive Oil
1/2 finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic chopped
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed
4 tsp dried basil (or 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil if you are fortunate enough to have fresh)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup heavy cream (you could probably use 1/2 & 1/2 or maybe even milk)
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
1. Cook angel hair pasta according to directions until al dente
2. In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat.
3. Saute onions and garlic.
4. Stir in tomatoes, chicken, basil, salt, cream, and red pepper flakes
5. Reduce heat to medium and cover skillet. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until mixture is hot and tomatoes are soft.
6. Serve over angel hair pasta and top with Parmesan cheese

Bacon Brunch Bites

I like breakfast, but I never seem to have time to make anything to interesting during the week, so on the weekend sometimes I experiment. This was a recipe I found here, and turned out pretty good, but beware your house will smell like bacon and onions for quite a while after.




Bacon Brunch Bites
From: My Wooden Spoon


Ingredients:
1 Can of Pillsbury Recipe Creations
1/2 cup bacon (about 10 slices) - chopped
1/3 cup Shredded Cheese
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 egg
1/4 cup of whipping cream


Directions:
1. Fry chopped bacon with onion in frying pan

2. While cooking, unroll dough and cut into 12 squares. Place squares into ungreased muffin tin (I might try spraying it with a bit of PAM next time - or I might use my silicone muffin cups)

3. Spoon in cheese then top with bacon and onion mixture on top of that.

4. In a bowl, beat your egg and cream together and pour about 1 tblsp of the cream mixture into each cup.

5. Back at 375 for 12-15 minutes (I burnt the bottom of mine a bit so next time I might start with 10 min) Enjoy!

Spicy Macaroni & Cheese

As you probably can tell I really enjoy the recipes at The Pioneer Woman Cooks. This is another one of hers you can see here (with much better pictures). I liked the flavor, but it seemed a little soupy and the cheesy sauce didn't stick to the pasta, maybe I didn't drain the pasta enough.

I think next time (and believe me there will be a next time) I would add more cheese (because everything is better with more cheese)... maybe mix the pepper jack with a different kind of cheese, and maybe try it with macaroni pasta instead of Cavatappi. I would also probably cut the amount in half, because it made enough for a family of 4 or even 6, but way to much for 2 people!



Spicy Macaroni and Cheese
From: The Pioneer Woman


Ingredients:
4 cups cooked Macaroni or cavatappi
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1/2 finely diced red onion
1/2 diced red bell pepper
1 finely diced jalapeno (if you like more heat, include some seeds)
1 4oz can chopped green chilies
1 cup frozen corn
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup cream
1 cup grated pepper jack cheese
2 Tbs butter
salt
pepper

Directions:
1. Boil pasta until Al dente.
2. In a large skillet, add olive oil and saute garlic and veggies over medium heat for a few minutes
3. Add in canned chilies and stir around
4. Drain Pasta and add to skillet
5. Pour on cream, add Cheese, then add salt and pepper to taste
6. Stir gently, add butter and stir again, and serve

Pickle Wraps

At our house growing up, Pickle Wraps were a favorite appetizer. Even though we are grown and out of the house, they are still the most requested appetizer when we go home. They sound like an odd combination if you haven't ever had them, but every time I serve them to guests, they are pleasantly surprised at how much they like them! As an added bonus they are really easy and only have 3 ingredients!



Pickle Wraps
From: My Mom
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: None


Ingredients:
8oz Cream Cheese (softened) (For South Beach Diet Phase 1 use fat free or low fat)
1 Jar of pickle spears
2 pkgs of thin cut beef

Directions:
1. Cut pickle spears in half
2. Lay 1 piece of beef out
3. Spread generous layer of cream cheese on beef (try to spread out to all the edges)
4. Place pickle on one corner and roll beef around the pickle. Use the cream cheese to secure the corner at the end of the roll.
5. ENJOY!