Monday, January 25, 2010

It seems like every time my cousin Tricia comes over we have some sort of hazardous road condition. This time we had icy roads from melted snow, but thankfully she made it to her destination safely after dinner. I wasn’t sure if I was going to actually make it through dinner on only a few hours of sleep, but once I was up and showered, it was like I had a full night’s sleep. 8 hours is SO overrated.

Sunday Dinner Menu:

• Roasted chicken marinaded in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, white wine, red onion, salt, and black pepper.
• Mushroom and green pea risotto
• Roasted brussels sprouts !!
• Tossed salad
• Italian bread

The table:

Salad (topped with a little leftover parmesan from the risotto and tossed in EVOO + red wine vinegar)

My new favorite green gems! <3 I roasted them on 450F for about 15 minutes after coating them in EVOO, garlic salt and black pepper.

Assorted chicken sections. We pan-seared them in EVOO and a little more white wine before popping them in the oven. When they were fully cooked, we brush Polaner apricot fruit spread over them and put them back in the hot oven for a few more minutes.

The risotto that nobody loved except for me. lol Personally, I thought it was great, but the other fusspots aren’t risotto people I guess!

Mushroom and green pea risotto

• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 quart low sodium chicken or veggie broth
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 TBSP EVOO
• ~1 cup frozen green peas
• ~2 cups sliced mushrooms
• ~1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Water as needed
• Salt, optional (I didn’t add any)

1. In a medium to large saucepan, add in EVOO, onions, and rice;sweat onions and toast rice for a few minutes before adding in any liquid
2. Slowly add in broth, stir continuously on low to medium heat
3. Add in more liquid as needed, keep stirring
4. When rice is almost cooked, add in peas, grated cheese and mushrooms, stir

Servings vary

Note: It’s very important to keep adding in liquid slowly and stirring to 1-) Prevent burning/sticking and 2-) To achieve the creaminess of risotto. Otherwise you’ll just end up with regular cooked rice. Cook time takes about an hour.

The bread bowl, strategically placed by me, as usual.

I poured a glass of white wine while I was cooking, which lasted all through dinner. I’m becoming a big fan of white wine (Pinot Grigio) I totally earned those calories stirring the risotto over a 450F oven for an hour straight. LOL

My mom picked up Italian pastries from the bakery this morning. Unfortunately, they look better than they tasted. They were horrible! Very dry and poor quality. I had one of the mini cannolis, but it really wasn’t worth it.

Everything was delicious, despite what the naysayers think of the risotto! This was the only full sized meal I ate today, plus some leftover risotto later on. I don’t have any reservations about having one big meal for the day and a few snacks or whatever combination the day brings. I also don’t see anything wrong with fasting for a day here and there. Millions of people all over the world fast for religious and spiritual reasons and they are perfectly fine. Like I always say, it’s not what you eat or don’t eat in one day that matters, it’s what you eat (or don’t eat) over several days, weeks and months that matters most.

Dustin just changed the sheets on our bed because I was too tired. He’s the best husband EVER!! He is always willing to help with housework, BUT I prefer he doesn’t help cook. Like for instance tonight when we were preparing dinner, I asked him to grate the parmesan for me. Simple, right? Not for Dustin. He was taking WAY too long, so it ended up being one of those things that you have to do if you want it done right. lol We’d still be here waiting for dinner to get done if I let him finish. LOL Ah well, cooking is not his forte. No worries, he’s good at just about everything else.

Time to go feel those fresh, clean sheets! LOVE!

What did you guys have for Sunday dinner?

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Tagged as: brussels sprouts, chicken, risotto, sunday dinner

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