Butternut Squash Risotto

½ Large Butternut Squash (or one small)
4 Cups Chicken Broth
2 Tablespoons Butter (divided)
½ Cup Finely Chopped Onion
1 Cup Arborio Rice
¼ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/8 Cup Whipping Cream
Salt to Taste

1. Cook Squash in Microwave for 10 minutes remove and scoop pulp out of skin.(reserve (the pulp not the skin)).
2. Bring broth to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat; cover and reduce heat to low. Keep warm
3. Meanwhile melt 1 Tbls. butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add onion and saute until translucent. Add rice and cook until just beginning to brown. Stir in ½ cup stock; cook 1 minute.
4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; add ½ cup of hot broth, stirring constantly until liguid is absorbed. Repeat procedure with remaining broth, ½ cup at a time. Total cooking time should be around 30 minutes. Stir in cooked squash, stirring to smooth out.
5. Stir in Parmesan Cheese and Cream along with remaining butter. Season with salt to taste.

Serve Immediately (serves 6-8 sides)

Revised from Southern Living, Dec. 2008

Parmesan Risotto

(2 large servings)

1 Cup uncooked rice (I use regular long grain)
½ small onion
3 cups chicken stock
3 tbsps grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp butter
3 tbsps olive oil
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

Peel and finely chop onion, place onion in sauté pan with the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté until onions become transparent.
Without washing the rice add it to the saucepan with the onion. Sauté the rice for 30 seconds.
Add ¼ cup of the stock, simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Pour half the remaining stock into the saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat so the surface bubbles gently and continues to simmer. When the stock has mostly simmered off, add three-fifths of the remaining stock and simmer over medium heat. Turn the heat down slightly when it comes to a boil stirring the rice gently to prevent it from becoming too sticky. When most of the liquid has evaporated add the remaining stock. If the rice seems to have already absorbed a lot of water you can reduce the amount of stock you add. Continue to simmer over medium heat until the rice is cooked but still slightly firm in the center. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the stove. Add the butter and the parmesan and stir until they are completely mixed in with the rice.

Risotto is now ready (Enjoy)

Oven fried chicken or pork

A few years ago I came across a Cooking Light Recipe for Oven Fried Chicken. I've not found the recipe again, but I remembered the basic ingredients and have altered it to make quick and tasty chicken for my family. I use to make whole wheat bread crumbs for this recipe, but have recently switched to the more convenient bread crumbs in a cardboard can :)

So here's the basic idea:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

3/4 cup Plain Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup flour
seasonings to taste - I use garlic powder, salt, and onion powder but have also added grated parmessan, black pepper, parsley, thyme and rosemary for additional flavor. My family prefers the garlic, onion and salt, though.

Mix the above ingredients and use to coat your meat. This works really well on boneless, skinless chicken thighs and breasts. If I'm using bone-in meat, it takes longer to cook and I remove all the skin to cut back on excess grease and fat. I also use this for pork chops, but find that they need less salt than the chicken.

Place your coated meat on a baking sheet that has been lightly oiled and use cooking spray to spray the top of each piece of meat. This keeps the breading from drying out and makes a nice crispy coating on the meat, like fried chicken without all the grease. Bake boneless pieces for 20 minutes, with bone-in pieces the time will vary from about 40 minutes to 1 hour.

I usually serve with garlicky green beans - frozen green beans that have been thawed are tossed in a hot skillet with some olive oil, salt and fresh garlic (or powdered garlic if fresh isn't available). Saute until green beans are tender and you have a bit of carmelly brown color to them.

I also serve rice with this. Add 2 tblsp of olive oil to a pot and saute one small onion chopped with a bit of salt. Once onion has browned I add 1.5 cups of rice, saute a couple of minutes then add 3.5 cups of water or chicken stock and water combination. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. This results in flavorful rice that does not scream for lots of butter :)

This has been a recent favorite in our house. Hope your family likes it!