I love fall. It is most definitely my favorite season. So of course I love fall weddings and the autumnal color palette for flower bouquets. I was really into the beautiful jeweled colors of mini indian corn and decided to include them in the bridal bouquets. Have you ever really looked at indian corn when the light is hitting it just right? Like little gems on a cob. Greenery and berries from our natural environment added texture and gave a wilder look to the classic callas and roses.
Maybe you’ve noticed my love of beets. I’m not sure if it’s for their actual taste or more for their magnificent color. When I saw a beet risotto recipe in this month’s Food & Wine magazine I had to give a try.
7 cups of chicken broth (or 3.5 cups of low sodium chicken broth and 3.5 cups of water)
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large sweet onion finely chopped
2 large beets (12 ounces each) peeled and coarsely shredded (I just used three medium beets)
3 cups of arborio rice
6 ounces young pecorino cheese, freshly grated ( 1.5 cups)
2 teaspoons of poppy seeds, plus more for garnish (I left this part out. I forgot to get them!)
In a saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer; cover and keep warm. In a medium enameled cast-iron casserole, melt the butter in the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until softened, 5 minutes.
Add the shredded beets and cook, stirring, until pan is dry. The recipe says 12 minutes but it took longer for me. Spoon half of the beets into a small bowl. You’ll add them back later.
Add the rice to the casserole and cook, stirring for 2 minutes.
Add 1 cup of the warm stock to the rice and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the stock is nearly absorbed. Continue adding the stock one cup at a time, stirring constantly, until the rice is al dente and a thick sauce forms, 22 minutes.
Stir in the cooked beets that you set aside, cheese, and the 2 teaspoons of poppy seeds. Cook, stirring, until heated through; add a few tablespoons of water if the risotto is too thick. Spoon the risotto into bowls and garnish with thinly sliced beets and poppy seeds, serve.
I added a little (just a little!) salt and pepper and I did garnish with thyme instead of poppy seeds. I added the thyme to part of my risotto to see how it tasted and I liked it (I’m also a big fan of thyme).
Overall a successful recipe. It serves 8. So, it was a bit much for the two of us!
The color is amazing!
They say you learn something new everyday. I never knew there was such a thing as a lobster mushroom. Not only do the mushrooms resemble lobster shells, they also smell like them. I’m not kidding. These mushrooms smell like a lobster dinner!
I love polaroids and all their grainy, overexposed, non-perfect qualities. Of course, now there’s an app for that. Poladroid! A polaroid camera pops in the corner of your screen. Just drag your digital photo over to it and out pops a poladroid picture. Not only does it sound like a polaroid camera, you even have to wait for it to ‘develop’. Go ahead, use your mouse to shake it, you know you want to.
A sunny end of summer day and a roasted ear of corn go together perfectly. Add hot butter and lemon lime salt and well, you’re on your way to kernels of bliss. Kruger’s Farm on Sauvie Island roasts up some mean ears of corn.
Don’t deny the butter.
We chose lemon lime salt from the many toppings.
Our friends found this while ‘junking’ in Wisconsin. They immediately thought of Clementine.
What a great find!
Thanks guys!
My magazines are piling up. I like to go through them and tear out recipes, ideas, and pictures that may inspire future culinary, craft, gardening or decorating projects as well as pictures of houses or architectural details. What do I do with all of these pictures and pages that I tear out? Well, I put them in an idea book, of course.
I bought large three ring binders with the clear pocket on the front and back.
I used some vintage wallpaper from this great sample book I have to make the front and back covers of my binders.
Tear out those pages.
Lots of ideas and recipes to try…
Place it in a clear page protector and put in in the appropriate notebook.
I have a book for:
Flowers, which includes arrangements and pictures of individual flower varieties.
Crafts and Living, which includes ideas for projects arranged by season as well as a section for home and garden.
Recipes. Book one. Breakfast and Desserts.
Recipes. Book two. Cocktails, soups, appetizers, vegetables and main dishes.
I also take pictures of things I have made or recipes that I have printed online or received from friends and file them away.
It’s a great resource to have all of these ideas and recipes in one place.
When I need to be inspired I just flip through the pages!
All of this back to school activity makes me think of how much I love the smell of brand new school supplies. Nothing smells quite like a fresh, never used pink eraser. Don’t even get me started on a new box of crayons. New pencils, fresh paper, oh my. Every September I have to hold back the urge to restock these things I no longer need. I happened to glance over at my colored pencils brightly clustered in a jar and they made me smile.
Every day we seem to get a little more used to our new baby lifestyle. It was time to stop ordering take out and get back into the kitchen!
This recipe is quick, easy and very tasty. A great go to for a dinner party. Little bundles look impressive on a plate and who doesn’t like presents?
Chipotle butter.
The link to the original recipe on epicurious is here. I have made it so many times now I sort of wing it. This is what I do…
I add more butter and chipotle chilis in adobo than called for. More butter can’t hurt. Call me crazy. As for the extra peppers, I like the extra spice! I made three servings and used 3 tbs. of softened, unsalted butter, two chopped canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (about 2 tbsp.), salt and lime juice to taste. Blend these together with a fork. Can be made ahead of time and chilled.
Black Beans.
3/4 cup per serving. For my three servings it was a little less than two cans rinsed and drained. I used chopped fresh oregano, a little olive oil, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Mix together. Can be made ahead and chilled.
I like to separate my ingredients on a cutting board as I prepare them. It makes it easier for assembly.
Per serving I used:
5 cherry tomatoes from the garden sliced in half
4 pitted green olives with seasoning sliced in half
1/4 inch slice of red onion
the juice from 1/4 lime wedge
2 tablespoons of dry white wine
one 6 to 7 oz. piece of cod, skinned
1 sprig of oregano
On a 15 inch square of parchment paper place 3/4 cup of black beans, top with your fish and chipotle butter. Then add the rest of your ingredients and salt and pepper. Gather the sides of the parchment paper together and tie with kitchen string. Place in shallow baking pan. Bake in the lower half of a 400 degree oven for about 15 – 20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through.
Place each bundle on a plate. When you open the parchment this is what you get…
We eat it right out of the parchment, served with a little rice to soak up some of the juices.
It’s really delicious and clean up is a breeze!