Barley Risotto

Though I wouldn't call myself a "meat and potatoes" person, I would very much so call myself a "carbaholic."  Whether it be rice, potatoes, pasta, couscous, or barley,

I have to have carbs at every meal, which has in turn led me to seek out more figure friendly carbs... and by that I mean more fiberous, as I like my figure friendly carbs oozing cheese. :)

I'm a cheese head, what can I say! 

You can add whatever vegetables you like to this dish and it always comes out great.  I like zucchini and/or yellow squash because I find them to be mild in flavor and not overpowering.  After all, it is mandatory that the cheese is the star component, and oh yeah the barley too!

Serves 4-5 people as a side dish

1 cup of pearl barley, rinsed

    1/2 cup of white wine

 2+ cups of chicken broth (I start with 2 and add more if needed)

 2-3 shallots, minced

1 small bulb of garlic, minced (if you like it as much as I do- if not 3-5 cloves)

1/4 tsp or a dash of red pepper flakes

1.5 cups of finely shredded cheese... use your favorite.  I like parmesan, gruyere or anything really.

3 yellow squash, chopped or which ever veggie you plan to use

Fresh chopped herbs or dried herbs for seasoning - italian seasoning or herbs de Provence are always great blends (oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary, basil, sage.... again use what you like or have on hand) 

(optional but ohhh so yummy is lemon zest from 1 lemon!)

a Tbls of EVOO-extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper -- duh!

In a large skillet, drizzle EVOO; heat over medium/high heat

add shallots and garlic saute about 2 minutes

Add in red pepper flakes, seasoning and salt and pepper 

toss in dry risotto for about 2 minutes

Add wine and let the risotto absorb about 50% of the liquid

Add chicken broth bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer and cover.

Add the vegetables

Cook for about 50 minutes (until barley is tender), stirring periodically.  You may have to add more chicken broth if the barley has absorbed it all or if it is sticking to the bottom of the pan. 

Remove from heat and stir in cheese, taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

ENJOY!

Banana Pecan Bread

I love banana bread!  It's sweet like cake, but all the bananas make me feel less guilty for eating it.  Don't you agree?!  Not only that, my mom gave it to me for breakfast when I was little, so I can trick myself into believing it's not dessert... though really it is!
So here you go, skip the box, it's really easy to make fresh!

5 bananas ripe and mashed (wet ingredient)
6 oz of crushed pecans
1 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 tsp of baking soda
1/2 cup of shortening
1 tsp of salt
2 eggs
2 cups of flour

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In one bowl combine wet ingredients and whisk.
In another bowl mix dry ingredients.
Combine the two.
Stir in crushed nuts.
Grease the bread pan or muffin pans.
Bake for abour 1 hour.... I usually do the toothpick test to see if it's done.  Stick in the toothpick, when you pull it out clean, it's done!

Enjoy!

Cauliflower au Gratin

Saturday, Sean and I went to the farmers market in Winter Park.  I love open air markets, the veggies are sooo fresh and much cheaper than the grocery store!  Not only that, I feel like I'm back in
France "au marche" (sorry no accent marks on this keyboard).  My favorite markets in France were in Arles and Rennes.  In Arles, I'll never forget the barrels of spices and grains!  The smell of the spices were intoxicating!  In Rennes, I'll always remember the gorgeous sunflowers and the seafood! Crabs galore!  Anyway, though Winter Park is in Florida, the market is wonderful, so if you haven't been there yet, I do suggest going! 

After the market, we walked down Park Avenue.  I wondered into The Spices and Tea Exchange.  I got to talking to the owner, and I told him I was a French teacher.  He gave me a free sample of a spice called "Quatre Epices" which in French means four spices.  The spices are white pepper, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.  To me, this meant I had to make a white sauce!   

I should have been born French because j'adore le FROMAGE! (maybe this is not so much a French thing... more of a woman thing!)  There is nothing in the world that's better than cheese... Do you agree?  Well image eating cauliflower, "chou-fleur" en francais, and enjoying it as much as mac and cheese.  Cauliflower, smothered in a cheesy cream sauce, is just heavenly!  (It's a good thing I had bought a head of cauliflower at the market!)

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!!

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2 tbls of unsalted butter
• 2 cups of whole milk (we aren't dieting here!)
• 3 tbls of flour
• about 1 cup of shredded Gruyere cheese... swiss would work too.
• 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper
• a pinch of quatre epices (optional)    
• Bread crumbs (optional for a crunchy top)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Chop and boil cauliflower until you can easily poke it with a fork, but you don't want it to become mushy.
3. In another medium size pot, make a roux!  (over low to medium heat, melt 2 tbls of butter with the flour, stirring continuously until smooth.)
4. Heat the milk for 1 minute in the microwave.
5. Stir the milk into the roux and stir/whisk until thickened.
6. Remove from the heat, season the sauce with salt, pepper and quatre epices (optional). 
7. Stir in the parmesan cheese and half of the other cheese you are using.
8. Drain cauliflower.
9. In a baking dish, combine the sauce and the cauliflower, top with the extra 1/2 cup of cheese.
10. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

(I have also done this with spinach... it too was amazing!  I used 1 pound of frozen chopped spinach, boiled, drained and squeezed dried--- Combine it with the sauce above and get ready for the flavor because it's out of this world!)

I'm still eating I swear!

I promise I'm still cooking and definitely eating!  I just haven't been posting... I'm blaming it on the FCAT!  School has been crazy.  I'll get back to posting ASAP, but in the mean time, help me out!  Send me those wonderful recipes! 

   I spent four hours in the kitchen yesterday and while this might be torture to many people, I thought it was absolutely blissful.   Besides, for Valentine's Day, Sean had the most beautiful flowers sent to my classroom, so I have to make a feast for him, well, let's be honest, for me too!  So stay tuned, I'll be posting some new, mouth watering recipes.... cauliflower au gratin, a herb encrusted rack of lamb, and a peach and blueberry tarte!    

Herb and Romano Stuffed Chicken

Chicken, Orzo, and Roasted Fennel with Ramono Cheese

4 pieces of chicken with the bone and skin

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup of dried italian bread crumbs

1/4 cup of grated Romano cheese

zest of 1/2 a lemon

juice of one lemon wedge

a sprinkle of olive oil

1 cup of fresh parsley

1/2 tbls of chopped fresh oregano (optional)

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Dry the chicken with paper towels and put the chicken in a roasting pan.

Mix the cheese, lemon zest and juice, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper, bread crumbs, and a very small sprinkle of olive oil in a bowl then stuff it under the skin of the chicken pieces.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is done.

Over the hill ribs