Spring Green Risotto

I have noticed this Spring Green Risotto in my Back to Basics cookbook by Ina Garten, but havne't ever felt like trying it.  Especially with our damp northwest weather.  But with the recent sunshine, and a friend raving about this recipe, I gave it a shot.

I'm always hesitant to make risotto.  It is so delicious, but it takes some serious attention.  While I love too cook and bake, I don't necessarily want to stand at the stove for 45 minutes while tending to just one part of a meal.  The risotto turned out great, and made enough for a few meals.  So the time it took to make this paid off in leftovers and with how much the entire family loved the flavors. 

The leeks and fennel getting tender:

And the  1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice ready to be added to the pan.

Slowly adding five cups of broth over 30 minutes...

 Meanwhile, the asparagus gets blanched in salted water.

 The asparagus, peas, lemon zest, salt and pepper get to join the party.

 I'm starting to lose my patience... So much stirring.

 My patience is restored with a glass of wine. The recipe calls for wine, and so do I.

 The finished risotto was perfectly tender and the vegetables add a nice texture to the dish.  My son literally licked his plate and used his fingers to make sure he got every last bit of sauce!

Ina does it again! Click here to view Ina's recipe courtesy of the Food Network.

Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut-Curry Broth

A sorority sister claims her husband added this meal to his top five favorites list.  Her son licked his plate clean.  She also mentioned it was pretty easy to make.  This basically solidified the recipe's spot on my shopping list and on our list of dinners for the week.

My husband and I like Thai food and halibut.  Our kids love fish.  But how spicy was this going to be, and would our kids really eat it?  Turns out the finished dish had only a very minor kick, that the kids didn't even notice.  Probably because both kids ate the fish so fast there wasn't time to taste it?  My oldest even ate the steamed spinach and asked for seconds of everything, including rice with a hefty slathering of the coconut curry broth.  This recipe for Thai Style Halibut with Coconut Curry Broth is a keeper!

The broth is simmered...

Halibut fillets are added.

I spooned some sauce on top of the fish before putting the lid on.

While the fish cooked/steamed for 8 minutes I steamed up some spinach and made some five minute rice.  Note - remember that steaming spinach will turn the biggest bag of greens in to a small amount. 

The finished dish... tender halibut laying on a bed of steamed spinach and bathing in coconut curry broth.  I added rice to the bowls before serving.  I suggest you serve a nice fresh french loaf alongside this mean so help soak up the broth.  There were zero leftovers and this will be made again very soon! 

To see the recipe, courtesy of Ellie Krieger and Food Network, click here.

Salmon

Even basic salmon (or almost any fish) on the grill can look very elegant with the addition of thinly sliced lemon.  Arrange in a neat row, or in a flower like shape in the photo above.  Grill and serve.  The lemon will add a touch of moisture and flavor to the cooked fish.  Enjoy!

PB Banana Oatmeal Squares

Thanks again to Pinterest I came across an interesting breakfast or snack idea.  The oatmeal based bar is sweetened with brown sugar, peanut butter and banana.  No butter or oils.  I have an embarassing amount of over-ripe bananas so this was a must try recipe.  I did alter the original recipe slightly to match my own tastes.

The dry ingredients wait for the...

wet ingredients of milk, peanut butter, vanilla, banana and egg.

Combine and spread evenly in a greased 8x8" pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the center is slightly firm.  The end result was a very moist (too moist for my husband and son) treat that I enjoyed as a breakfast and snack.  My daughter liked it, but didn't love it.  The results shocked me.... usually anything that contains peanut butter is a huge hit with my husband so I will try to make this again, but will cook even longer to see if it makes a difference (and I"ll update this post if it does!). 

And why not experiment by adding some Craisins or mini chocolate chips?  The addition of those items will raise the sugar content, but will give a nice flavor boost.

PB Banana Oatmeal Squares, adapted from gingerbreadbagels.com
1 1/2 c. quick cooking oats
1/4 c. packed light brown sugar
1 Tbsp white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c. milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large mashed banana
1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

Mix together the quick cooking oats, light brown sugar, sugar, baking powder, kosher salt and ground cinnamon.  Add in the vanilla extract, milk and egg. Mix the ingredients together.

Then add in the mashed banana and peanut butter. Combine all of the ingredients.

Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 8 by 8 inch baking pan and spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until slightly firm in center.

Easter Treat or Ice Cream Themed Goody Bag

Easter is right around the corner and I love all the colors that come with this holiday.  And the candy.  Especially those Cadbury Mini Egg candies.  The minute they hit the store shelves I know spring is on it's way. And that I also have to buy a bag...

I saw a fun idea on Pinterest that could be used for easter, a birthday party, ice cream party, and many different themed events. An ice cream cone filled with candy and wrapped in cello.

I went to the store and bought a box of ice cream cones and Cadbury Mini Eggs (in regular and in dark chocolate - for me).

After experimenting, I found that there is way too much candy in the cone once you've got it stacked up nice and high to resemble 'ice cream'.  And there is no way I'm giving my kids two adult handfuls of chocolate. In their Easter Basket.  In the morning...  Solution?  Put a marshmallow in the cone and this will cut down significantly on the candy you'll need, plus everyone loves a marshmallow, right?

Gently drop the cone in to a triangle shaped cello bag.

Fill with candy and tie shut with a festive ribbon.

This makes for a great Easter basket stuffer, decor for place settings, or as a goody bag after a bridal or baby shower!

Happy Easter and Spring!

Spaghetti with Oven Baked Clams

An impromptu trip to the Ballard Farmer's Market resulted in one dozen pacific oysters and two dozen steamer clams.  Fresh seafood for dinner!

I'm a seafood purist.  I don't like to alter the taste of seafood too much. Marinades, smothering in sauces, or basically doing anything to remove the actual flavor of the fish or shellfish seems silly to me.  But, we weren't in the mood for steamed clams, we needed something more substantial.  Tyler Florence to the rescue!

Tyler's recipe for Spaghetti with Oven Baked Clams has over 50 reviews and rated at 5 out of 5 stars.  Plus, it included a large amount of garlic and pancetta.  Score!

Diced pancetta and ten, yes ten, garlic cloves warming up...

Adding the uncooked clams, tomatoes, basil leaves, white wine, and black ground pepper.  Then, straight to the oven to pop those little clammies open!  I excluded the dried red chiles as the kids would be eating this too.  Can always add red pepper flakes to individual servings...

Add the pound of cooked pasta and your dinner is ready to go!

A very refreshing and flavorful dinner.  The clams still had their natural flavors and were enhanced by the garlic and pancetta. We will definitely be doing this again... hopefully when the sun is shining and we can dine al fresco!

Click here to view Tyler's recipe.

April Fool's!

How about a nice, cold glass of cranberry juice?  The kids loved the offer and couldn't wait to gulp the juice down.

Until they realized the straw wasn't working.  And the juice wasn't juice.  It was hard!  Huh!?  April Fool's!   The juice is really strawberry-banana Jello!  This was an awesome prank that I definitely plan to use in the future!