So today we are going to tackle an Italian dish that, because of its laborious nature, is widely avoided as a week night meal. Being busy with school, graduate school applications, boys, and whatever else this city throws our way, my roommate and I have a hard time seeing each other. Shocking, I know, since we live together in the worlds smallest "two bedroom" apartment. To mend our withdrawals, we decided on date night last fall, which, just as it sounds, was us getting together once a week, going out on a date, and ending the night with a bottle of wine and a marathon of Restaurant Impossible (yes, our date night was Wednesday). Following our binge on foodie happy hours last fall, my roommate and I recently reassessed our bank accounts, and discovered that our weekly dates will now be home cooked meals.
So for part one of our home-cooked-meal-date-night adventure, we decided to bring in the new year with a bang and decided on [DRUM ROLL PLEASE]......
RISOTTO!
Risotto is... what's a word that means more amazing than amazing?... absolutely bomb. It is delicious, it's kinda nutritious (depending on what kind you make), and it's a pain in the ass to make! 50 minutes of constant stirring, which, for the first 25 doesn't seem terrible. Oh no, it's not until it triples in weight at minute 38 and the broth is soaked up at quarter speed do you find yourself asking, wait, why are we doing this again. But no worries! Grab a glass of that white wine you just had to open anyways, pull up a stool, and get ready to make one of the more delicious Italian dishes ever... yes EVER. One bite and it'll all be worth it. Ask my roommate, she'll testify, this is heavenly!
what you need...
1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
4 cups (1 large carton) Low-Fat Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
1/2 cup white wine, room temperature
1 medium onion, diced
2 - 3 cloves fresh garlic, diced finely
5 oz sliced baby portobello mushrooms
3 oz baby spinach
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
4 oz crumbled feta
3 tbs butter
Thyme
Oregano
Salt and Pepper
what you need to do...
1. In a medium sauce pan, heat chicken stock over medium high heat, bringing to a slow boil.
2. In a large skillet with deep sides, add butter, garlic, onion. Cook over medium high heat for about three minutes, or until the butter has totally melted and the garlic and onions have become fragrant. Add the spinach and mushrooms and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
3. Add the uncooked arborio rice and stir until all grains of rice have been incorporated with the veggies and are covered by the butter. Cook for about one minute, stirring constantly, and then slowly pour in the white wine. [It is important that the wine be at room temperature so that it does not hit the heat and immediately cook out].
4. Continue to cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until all of the wine has cooked into the rice. Add salt, pepper, thyme and oregano and stir. Begin adding the broth to the skillet using a ladle. In this step it is important that you add one ladle at a time, stir, and wait to add another spoonful until the previous spoonful has been completely absorbed by the rice. This is the tedious part, and yes, this is going to take about 40 minutes to move through that entire pot of chicken stock. Repeat this step until absolutely all of the chicken stock has been added to the skillet and is completely absorbed by the rice. Towards the end, it will begin to become a bit creamier and
much thicker than what you started with. If you are unsure if the rice is cooked enough, you can taste the rice. It should be tender but still a bit tough, somewhat like al dente pasta.
5. Remove the risotto from the heat and add the Parmesan cheese and feta cheese, stirring well to incorporate. Because the risotto is so hot, the cheeses will melt into the mixture. Be sure to give it a good stir for about 3 minutes so that the cheese is well blended throughout the risotto. Top with oregano and serve with a glass of white wine and you're good to go!
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Wrap flour tortillas in aluminum foil and place on center rack.
I love homemade salsa! Nothing beats the fresh, yummy taste of a hand made, not-from-the-jar salsa. Newman's Own peach salsa comes pretty damn close. Close, but no cigar. I've made your regular tomato salsas, and even a pineapple salsa before. But this week, we're making MANGO SALSA! And wait till you see what we're going to put this bad boy on!
2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tbs olive oil over medium high heat. Crack and egg into a bowl and beat until yolk and white is completely combined. Dump some bread crumbs onto a small plate. When oil is hot, dip chicken in egg, being sure to coat both sides, and then into the bread crumb mixture, being sure to coat both sides thoroughly. We're breading the chicken here, if you haven't gathered that by now. Transfer chicken on the the pan and cover. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, being sure to turn often to prevent burning. Reduce heat to medium if needed)
So one day a week or so ago I had to have a coffee milkshake. Since I've had one, of course, but on that particular day, my necessity was accompanied by and overwhelming lack of motivation. I decided not only did I not want to pay for the ingredients necessary, but I also had no desire to move from the kitchen table. So, we did a little bar tending, and created this fantastic after dinner dessert drink. Enjoy part two of the R-rated coffee milkshake saga.
4. Continue to cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until all of the wine has cooked into the rice. Add salt, pepper, thyme and oregano and stir. Begin adding the broth to the skillet using a ladle. In this step it is important that you add one ladle at a time, stir, and wait to add another spoonful until the previous spoonful has been completely absorbed by the rice. This is the tedious part, and yes, this is going to take about 40 minutes to move through that entire pot of chicken stock. Repeat this step until absolutely all of the chicken stock has been added to the skillet and is completely absorbed by the rice. Towards the end, it will begin to become a bit creamier and much thicker than what you started with. If you are unsure if the rice is cooked enough, you can taste the rice. It should be tender but still a bit tough, somewhat like al dente pasta. 
5. Remove the risotto from the heat and add the Parmesan cheese and feta cheese, stirring well to incorporate. Because the risotto is so hot, the cheeses will melt into the mixture. Be sure to give it a good stir for about 3 minutes so that the cheese is well blended throughout the risotto. Top with oregano and serve with a glass of white wine and you're good to go!
1. At least one hour before preparing the pork, rub each side of the pork with a healthy portion of Cajun seasoning, a dash of cinnamon, 1 tbs brown sugar, and a dash of salt and pepper. Allow rub to marinate the steak in the fridge. 
4. When pears are nearly finished baking (about 5 - 7 minutes left), begin cooking the pork. Place the pork in a separate round baking dish. Cut each piece of bacon in half and lay one piece of bacon on each pork round. Top each pork round with 1/4 of the brown sugar glaze previously prepared and bake in oven for 5 - 7 minutes, being sure not to over cook. 
Now let me tell you a story about a girl, whimsically making salad dressing, who hastily decides to grate an onion. I'll skip to the ending of this unhappy tale-- I BURNED MY F[EXPLETIVE] EYES OUT. I seriously though I had pulled a Stevie Wonder as I feverishly rinsed my eyes with nearly a gallon of water. Needless to say, it wasn't worth it however, the grated onion surely did add a great flavor without the massive chunks of poorly chopped onion. All in all though, not worth it. Just chop the damned onion.
what you need...
2 In a medium sauce pan, combine yellow peppers, red peppers, and onion and cook over medium high heat until aromatic and color begins to leave peppers. Be sure to stir the mixture often to ensure even cooking.
4 In a medium-large pan, heat a tbs olive oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook in oil over medium heat until cooked through. Strain chicken on paper towel and cut into cubes on cutting board.
what you need...
2 Combine onion, potato, kielbasa, olive oil, salt and pepper in medium skillet and cook over medium high heat, covered. You will need to stir constantly to avoid burning and you're going to need some help from my long lost friend patience. Turning up the heat will not cook the potatoes through faster. No, sadly I've learned that instead, this method will burn everything. Then you will have burnt, hard potatoes and you're morning will be off to a rough start. Keep the skillet covered while cooking, stir often to avoid uneven cooking, and if you notice it starting to char, do the obvious right thing and turn down the heat. The hash will be done when the potatoes are soft enough that the spoon is able to easily cut through them.
1 In a medium skillet, combine broccoli, tomato and onion with olive oil. Saute over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the jar of tomato sauce, reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer. Stir often to avoid burning.