Plain, Basic Risotto

This is my recipe for a very plain and basic risotto.  Once you've made this, you can turn it into any kind of risotto you want.  Just prepare your preferred ingredients in a separate pan, and when the risotto is done, stir them in.  Simple!  Here's how to make it:

What you'll need:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, small dice

1 clove of garlic, minced

2 cups Arborio rice

8 cups chicken stock, heated

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp unsalted butter

Salt, as needed

Start by heating your chicken stock in a small pot.  You probably won't use all of it but it's better to have too much than too little.  When it's warm, set aside on low.

Heat a large pan over medium heat.  Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil.  When the oil is hot, add the onion and season generously with salt.  Cook until the onion become translucent and tender.  Add the garlic and cook a minute more.

Add the Arborio rice and stir until all the rice is coated in oil.  Season once again with salt.  Add the white wine and stir until wine has been absorbed.

Start slowly adding the chicken stock to the rice, about a cup at a time.  Stir until the stock is absorbed and repeat this process until the rice is creamy and tender, stirring constantly.  Make sure you taste the rice to check its tenderness.  

When it is to your liking, add the butter and stir vigorously until melted.  Stir in the Parmesan cheese, taste for seasoning, and it's done!  Now you can add your choice of ingredients.

Mix & Match Herb and Cheese Biscuits

These biscuits are very light and fluffy.  They aren't dense with too much butter that'll leave you feeling stuffed and guilty.  My favorite combination for these is Parmesan and thyme but you can use any combination of herbs and cheese that you'd like.  Other combinations that would be good are cheddar and rosemary, Havarti and dill, chive and cheddar or cheddar and dill.  Mix it up and have fun with it!  Here's how to make them:

Quick Tomato Sauce

This is a really easy and inexpensive tomato sauce recipe for when you don't feel like taking all the time to make a hearty marinara.  It's good on pasta and pizza but I used it for Chicken Parmesan Subs.  Here's how to make it:

What you'll need:

1 onion, small dice

3 cloves of garlic, minced

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

15 oz. can tomato sauce

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp sugar

2 tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade

Salt, as needed

Extra virgin olive oil, as needed

Coat the bottom of a pot with olive oil and heat over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, add the onion and season generously with salt.  Cook until the onion is translucent and tender.

Add the garlic and cook a minute more.  Add the tomatoes, sugar and oregano.  Bring to a bubble then reduce the heat to low and let simmer for about 30 minutes.  

Taste and season with more salt if needed then add the fresh basil leaves right before serving.  

Enjoy!

Creole Seasoning

2 tbsp Paprika

2 tbsp Kosher salt

2 tbsp Garlic powder
1 1/2 tbsp Onion powder
1 tbsp Oregano 
1 1/2 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Basil
1 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp Black pepper

Mix everything together and store in a container.

All Purpose Taco Meat

Taco meat is a great recipe to have under your belt.  It can be used for so many different things.  Tacos, obviously, but it can also be used for burritos, taco salads, casseroles, sloppy Joe's, tostadas, chili, you name it!  It's easy and versatile.  Here's how to make it:

Taco Seasoning

This is my recipe for a simple, all purpose taco seasoning blend.  It's great for ground beef for tacos, burritos, or even sloppy Joe's!

Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki sauce is a Greek condiment traditionally served with meats but it is also served as a dip.  It is very light and refreshing.  It's made with Greek yogurt, which is very low in fat and calories, and lots of fresh cucumber.  It's a great dip to serve if you're looking for a healthy option for your guests.  It's pretty easy to make!

Spaghetti Squash with Marinara Sauce

Spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta!  It might not sound like it, but it really does have a similar texture to spaghetti.  It doesn't have much flavor on its own, but if you mix it with your favorite pasta sauce it really mimics pasta.  It's simple to make, it's filling, and it goes great with any sauce.  It is also great to use in chilled pasta salads.  This time, I decided to mix mine with marinara sauce.  Here's how to make it:

Oven Roasted Garlic

Oven roasted garlic is so delicious.  It becomes very sweet and has a mild flavor.  It's great for salad dressings, marinades or even just spread onto a piece of bread.  This method is foolproof!

Ellen's Buffalo Sauce

Oh buffalo sauce, I love you.  I love anything spicy, especially anything tossed in buffalo sauce.  I put hot sauce on almost everything.  I haven't figured out buffalo ice cream or buffalo cake yet, but if I could, I'd probably eat it.  Buffalo sauce really isn't as bad for you as people think.  Sure, it has a lot of butter in it, but other than that it's just vinegar and spices.  As long as you limit how much you eat of it, just like everything else, it's not so bad.  It's a great way to add lots of flavor and spice to pretty much anything you want.  Wings, pizza, proteins on salads, sandwiches, buffalo mac and cheese, buffalo chili... anything! The list goes on and on.

Poaching Eggs

Poaching eggs is easier than you think.  It really isn't that hard.  All you have to do is make sure you have your water at the right temperature and time it right.  185 degrees and 5 minutes. That's it!  I love eggs, I'm kind of going through an egg phase right now!  There are so many ways to cook eggs, it just never ends.  Eggs are an easy way to add protein and a ton of flavor to any meal.  This is my go-to method for poaching eggs. 

Fluffy Quinoa

Quinoa is another one of those things that has a ton of different instructions on how to make it.  I've tried way too many and I always found that my quinoa was too dry, too wet or too crunchy.  Most recipes I've seen call for a 2:1 liquid to quinoa ratio.  If you use this ratio I guarantee your quinoa will come out extremely wet and soggy.  I think the perfect ratio is 1.5:1 liquid to quinoa.  Here is my way of cooking quinoa that turns out great every time.  Shout out to one of my coworkers who helped me get this technique down!

 

The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

Hard boiled eggs can be tricky.  They are actually very simple, but there are so many methods out there for getting the perfect hard boiled egg, that people tend to get overwhelmed and make it harder than it seems.  This is my method for getting perfect hard boiled eggs with a bright yellow and firm yolk.  No green halos here!