Arancini

Part 2.....

So I finally got around to getting the pictures off my old phone!

This will probably be my shortest post, because if you have leftover risotto turning it into arancini is a really simple process.  What you end up with is a classic Sicilian street food.

Here is what you need to do...

Take the cold risotto and scoop it out into balls

Grab 2 bowls...in the first beat up a few eggs and in the second add some bread crumbs

Next, roll the risotto balls in the egg, then roll in the bread crumbs

Put them in the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool

While they are cooling heat up some oil...either in a dutch oven or a deep fryer to 375.

Drop the risotto balls into the hot oil and fry until golden brown

Place on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt

Now all that's left to do is eat them!

Risotto

This will be part 1 of 3 posts...each leading into the other

I recently picked up a Fagor Lux Multi-cooker which I will discuss more about in part 3.  The first dish I prepared with the Multi-cooker is a risotto which takes roughly 12 minutes

8 ingredients is all that stands between you and a nice creamy risotto

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot diced

1 cup Arborio rice

2 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup white wine

1 teaspoon saffron threads

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon minced parsley

When using the Multi-cooker you just use the saute setting to brown the rice and onion, then toss the rest of the ingredients in the pot, lock the lid, set the timer and walk away for 7 minutes, once it's done you open the lid, stir in the cheese and parsley and you are done!

In part 2....I will cover Arancini 

Homemade Hamburger Helper

I'm always checking out recipes for homemade versions of the boxed and processed meals that come from the grocery store that are easy to make and use real food ingredients!  I'm sure almost everyone at one time or another has had Hamburger Helper...the most popular and my favorite was always the Cheeseburger Macaroni.  So here is a good tasting version that takes about the same amount of time to make the boxed counterpart.

12 ingredients is all you need....the milk didn't show up for the photo op!

Brown the beef...

Add Milk, spices and dried pasta....

Cover and simmer until pasta is tender....

All that is left to do is eat!!

Here is what you'll need

• 1 pound lean ground beef (93/7 works well)
• 1/2 of a small onion diced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayeene (optional)
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups Milk
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 2 cups uncooked large elbow macaroni
• 8oz can of tomato sauce
• 2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese (not pre-shredded)

And this is how you make it all come together...

• Large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat, brown the beef, onion, paprika, parsley, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper.
• Add the milk, beef broth, macaroni and tomato sauce and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover until pasta is tender...usually about 10-12 minutes (be sure to stir is occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan)
• Stir in the shredded cheese until melted

Chicken and Dumplings

Now that the garden is all in it's time for me to get back into the swing of things and start posting again.  I have a few things I've made over the last month or so that have been sitting on the camera so I should be able to have a good stream of posts coming out.

First up is Chicken and Dumplings!

Chicken and dumplings is one of those classic comfort food dishes we all grew up eating at least one version of.  This recipe go together quickly with the help of a rotisserie chicken, some stores even save you the trouble of picking it off the bone which saves even more time!

Start off with some carrots and onions, and celery if you like it

Adding in some chicken stock and flour to help thicken the sauce up a bit

Add your shredded chicken and frozen peas

Mix up your dumpling dough

Drop spoon fulls of the dumpling mix into the chicken mixture

Stick it in the oven for 15 minutes

All that is left to do now is eat it up!

Here is the recipe....

This is what is in the chicken mix

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• Half of an onion diced
• 1 1/2 cups carrots diced
• 3/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley chopped
• 1/2 cup celery diced (optional)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 Tablespoons AP flour
• 2 1/2 cups shredded chicken
• 1 1/4 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix up this stuff in a bowl until just combines to make your dumplings

• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup milk

Here is what you are gonna want to do with all that stuff:

• Get a large skillet and heat up the oil over medium high heat
• Add carrots, onion and celery if you are using it and cook until veggies are tender
• Whisk the flour into the cold stock and then add it to the skillet, stir to prevent lumps
• Cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens
• Add chicken, peas, salt and pepper, stir it up
• Pour everything into an oven safe dish
• Drop spoonfuls of the dumpling mixture into your oven safe dish
• Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes