late last year i visited NYC with my mom, sister & a good friend. the first night we ate at a restaurant called “risottoria” … if you’re in NYC, you MUST try it! it’s amazing! and it’s gluten free! my mom has a gluten allergy and had eaten there with my other sister & a friend on a previous trip to NYC. i wasn’t sure b/c other things i’ve had that were gluten free were not so good. not horrible, but definitely didn’t taste “normal”. this however was the exception! we had gluten free breadsticks that were just incredible and risotto (which i had never had before) that was delicious! well, needless to say, i was inspired! and i finally acted on that inspiration!

life has been super busy since we were in NY that i hadn’t had a chance to do much exploring in my cooking lately! that was remedied this weekend! and i found out some interesting facts about risotto!

1) all liquids added must be warmed or the risotto will flake
2) you often need more liquid than the recipe calls for
3) you can add ANYTHING to risotto – it’s like pasta, only it’s rice!

what i made: risotto w/mushrooms, white wine, parmesan cheese & chives

how i made it:

ingrediants:

1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups aborio rice
6 cups meat/veggie stock (in this case i used chicken)
1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
1 tsp garlic
1/2 onion chopped fine
1 tbsp chives, snipped
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (add more or less according to your taste)
fresh ground pepper
olive oil
a medium to large sauce pan or skillet w/sides & a lid
another medium sauce pan

1) saute the onions, mushrooms & garlic in some olive oil until tender
2) while saute’ing the onions, mushrooms & garlic, put the wine & chicken stock in another sauce pan to heat. bring to a low simmer and leave heat on very low when it does start simmering.
2) melt 2 tbsp of butter in pan and add rice, cooking on medium heat for just a minute or two – stirring constantly.
3) add 1/2 cup of liquid and stir until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and begins to look “creamy”.
4) continue adding 1/2 cup of liquid at a time, stirring constantly and only adding more liquid when the previous liquid has been fully absorbed. continue until the liquid is finished.
5) continue cooking until the rice is tender (more liquid may be required, if no more stock, you can use water for this last part – just be sure it’s warm)
6) once it is tender, add cheese & chives and stir in. turn off the heat and cover for a minute or two and let the flavors meld … and VOILA! you have risotto!

add a seasoned grilled chicken breast or any kind of meat you like (let the flavors you add be your guide) or just eat it by itself (i could have made a meal out of it alone) and it will promise to be a warm, hearty & filling meal!

(this recipe is an altered version of one someone gave me)
1 bell pepper (i prefer red) - chopped fine
1 onion – chopped fine
baby carrots – sliced into thinner discs
celery (if you are a celery fan – i’m not, so i leave it out)
2 cans of canned chicken (i prefer white meat)
1 can black beans
1 can of red beans (feel free to use whatever kind of beans you prefer or leave them out if you don’t like beans)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn
1 box of chicken broth
1 packet of fajita seasoning
fresh cracked black pepper
chili powder
cumin powder
garlic
cheese
tortilla chips (scoops are my favorite for this)

saute chopped onion, bell pepper (& celery if applicable) & garlic. add chili powder & cumin & pepper in large stock pot until soft. add carrots and let cook for a few min then add chicken and break up and saute for a few minutes with the onions & peppers. add corn, beans & tomatoes. let that all heat through until carrots are crisp tender. add fajita seasoning and cook for a couple minutes. then add chicken stock until it just covers the vegies & chicken. this is what rachel ray would call a “stoup”. add more chili powder, cumin & pepper to taste. add salt if needed. let simmer until carrots are soft and the liquid has thickened slightly.

my favorite way to eat this is to top with cheese & scoop up with scoops tortilla chips. it’s hearty, hot & good for you! the other thing i do sometimes is put a flour tortilla in the bottom of the bowl & let the hot soup make it soft. mmmm! enjoy!

this recipe is a household favorite … especially with the boys of the phillips household! the muffins are super easy to make! as usual with everything i bake (all 5 baking recipes i make – i’m not much of a baker), i can’t take credit for this one i got the recipe from somewhere else a couple years ago – now if i could just remember where! it’s proved to be a winner with any crowd! during the holidays i add colored sugar crystals depending on the holiday/theme … works great!

chocolate cheese cream cheese muffins
400 degrees
20 minutes baking time
about 15 min prep time
*important tip* the only key to this batter is making sure the ingrediants are room temperature. otherwise the batter seizes up and is quite difficult to stir and you aren’t able to add all the flour b/c the batter is to stiff.**

1 8 0z pkg cream cheese, room temperature & soft
1/4 cup butter (4 tbsp), room temperature & soft
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 cup milk, room temperature (the recipe calls for cream, but i find milk works just as well)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 bag mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (the minis work way better for muffins – i find the regular ones are just too big)

Preheat oven. Cream sugar, butter & cream cheese together. Add vanilla, egg, milk – mix well. Add dry ingrediants – mix till all the dry ingrediants are moistened. don’t over mix. fold in room temperature chocolate chips. (coconut flakes are also good!). Put in greased muffin tin (or use paper muffin cup liners) and bake for 20 minutes or till just starting to brown on top.

tips – always enjoy with a glass of milk OR  these make a great breakfast with a good cup of coffee!

Sausage & Tri-color Pasta

Tri-color pasta (any shape is fine, but I use the spirals)
Smoked Sausage (turkey sausage also tastes delicious in this & has less fat)
1 onion
1 red pepper
Salt & Pepper

Cook pasta to desired doneness. While the pasta is cooking cut the pepper & onion into thin strips and cut sausage in 1/4-1/2 inch slices & brown on stovetop. The sausage is already cooked, but this browning gives it a great flavor! Add a little olive oil to the pan & saute the peppers & onions until soft. Add the sausage & pour over pasta & mix. Voila! Dinner is ready. Add salt & pepper to taste. You may not need much salt though as the sausage usually has a good amount in it.