Blessed Silence

No dogs whining, no toddlers whining. And Rosie has finally stopped barking at the cats while chasing them around the livng room. What's even better is that no one is calling my name! "Brandi, why is the patio light on?" "Brandi, are you finished doing your laundry yet?" All I can hear right now is my daughter playing in the tub upstairs and the oven regulating the heat while it's cooking tomorrow's cheesecake. One of my best friend's from grade school and high school is coming over tomorrow for lunch. he's married now and lives with her husband and four kids in Kuwait. We haven't seen each other in 18 years!!! I'm having a hard time even dealing with the fact that I've KNOWN someone for 18 years! [I'm NOT old...I'm NOT OLD!!!]

Okay, so now on to tonight's supper. Tonight we dined on a pork roast seasoned with pepper lime seasoning, mushroom risotto, and fresh steamed green beans. My risotto needs a little work. It turned out more like sushi rice than creamy risotto, but it was still rather yummy. Oh, and the drippings from the roast combined with some left over grated parmesan cheese made a VERY nice gravy.



There really wasn't a recipe for the pork roast. I just covered it with olive oil and rubbed the seasoning on it. Put it in a pan and booked it at 350 degrees until center temp reached 160. It was AMAZING—VERY tender and juicy! The beans were just steamed with a little bit of salt. Below is the recipe for the risotto.

Gourmet Mushroom Risotto

6 cups chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound portobello
mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 pound white mushrooms,
thinly sliced
2 shallots, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to
taste
3 tablespoons finely chopped
chives
4 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup freshly grated
Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat.

2. Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.

3. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 50

Calories: 459
Cholesterol: 25 mg
Fat: 18.5 g
Saturated Fat: 7.3 g
% Calories From Fat: 167 %
Protein: 13 g
Carbohydrates: 56.3 g
Sodium: 1240 mg
Fiber: 3.2 g
Trans Fat: g
Sugars: 3.3 g

Tomorrow for lunch I'm making a bunch of little pizza crusts and everyone can make their own pizzas. I thought that would be fun for the kids. And for dessert, my beloved Key Lime Cheesecake. Let me tell you—you're gonna want to eat that in private.

Until tomorrow....

posted by Brandi at 9:24 PM