Vegetable Fried Rice

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The Hubby and I made a New Year's Resolution to no longer buy bagged salad kits...kind of a weird resolution, but A) they are never great, B) they are expensive for what you get, and C) usually at least 10% of the lettuce is wilted or slimy well before the expiry date.  And also D) one time there was a full dead moth in a bagged salad kit that I bought and was in the middle of eating.

But how this is all working out though, is that we basically just don't eat salad anymore.  Too lazy!  But, we do need vegetables in our life (I'm told), so I made this vegetable fried rice as a side dish for our roasted maple orange pork tenderloin the other night.  It was super tasty, so I had to share the recipe.  The is another Looneyspoons special...they never seem to disappoint.



I feel so domestic and resourceful whenever I use up leftovers in a new recipe, in this case leftover rice and peas.  My mom, Queen of never wasting anything (anything), would be proud.  The rice that I used was some coconut jasmine rice from dinner two nights before, and it tasted really great fried up in this dish.  The Hubby and I got a few meals each out of this recipe, and it was even better the next day.

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One Year Ago:  Cheesy-Carrot Casserole
Two Years Ago:  Hamburger Soup
Three Years Ago:  Slow Cooker Beef Chili Rice Bowl
Four Years Ago:  Easy-Peasy Cauliflower Cheesy Soup
Five Years Ago:  Caesar Salad

Healthy Vegetable Fried Rice

Serves: 6 - 8

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 2 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
• 1 cup finely chopped mushrooms
• 3/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 cup frozen vegetable mixture (peas, carrots, corn, beans, or just peas and carrots) 
• 4 cups cooked jasmine or basmati rice (preferably leftovers)
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil.  Lightly spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.  Add egg/oil mixture and cook without stirring, until underside is cooked, then flip and repeat with the other side.  Remove cooked egg from skillet, chop into bite-size pieces, and set aside.

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil in non-stick skillet.  Add onions, mushrooms, bell pepper, celery, ginger, and garlic.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 5 - 8 minutes.  add frozen vegetable mixture, and cook until heated through, about 2 - 4 minutes.  Add chopped egg, cooked rice, green onions, soy sauce, and hoisin sauce.  Mix well and continue cooking until rice is heated through.

Enjoy!

Recipe Source:  Looneyspoons Cookbook

Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing

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Your grocery list is about to get a whole lot longer!

This has been our favourite salad this summer.  It's a bowl of goodness.  I love that this is even considered a salad.  Also, it's gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegetarian, but you could totally make it into a complete meal by adding grilled chicken or another protein.

The recipe is from the Whitewater Cooks with Friends cookbook, which if you haven't flipped through before is just chock full of beautiful, unique recipes.  There are four books in the cookbook series, and if you have ever been to my house for dinner then you have probably tried something from at least one of them.  The series is definitely in my Top 5 cookbooks.

This recipe makes a large salad, so it's perfect for a gathering.  I can't even explain to you how good the dressing is.  It's like delicious peanut sauce had babies with a super fresh salad dressing.  Its by far the best Thai salad that the Hubby and I have ever eaten.  The ingredients are a bit of an investment, but once you have them in your pantry you are all set for the second, third, fourth time that you re-make the salad (because you will!).

This summer has been soooo beautiful in B.C., and it's been hard to find time to post.  Also I don't cook dinner ever anymore (just kidding, kinda).  I hope all of you have had a hard time staying indoors this summer too!



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One Year Ago:  Mango and Black Bean Quinoa Salad
Two Years Ago:  Watermelon Salad with Feta and Fresh Mint
Three Years Ago:  Pesto Edamame Salad

Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing

Recipe Source:  Whitewater Cooks with Friends

Serves: 8



Ingredients

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 lime, juice and zest of
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 4 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
• 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Salad:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 16-ounce package pad thai rice noodles
• 1 kettle full of boiling water
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2 carrots, julienned
• 1/2 long English cucumber, seeded and julienned
• 1 red pepper, seeded and julienned
• 2 cups bean sprouts (washed well)
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced diagonally

Directions
Blenderize all Dressing ingredients except cilantro and vegetable oil, using an immersion blender or a food processor, until just mixed.  Then, while still mixing, add vegetable oil in a slow steady stream.  stir in half of the cilantro, setting the rest aside.

Heat butter in a pan, then add the slivered almonds, sesame seeds, five-spice, and salt, stirring until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.  Add sugar and cook, while stirring, for another 30 seconds.  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

Place rice noodles into a large bowl, and pour the boiling hot water over top until covered completely.  Soak for 10 minutes, or until just tender.  To avoid the noodles sticking together, give them a store every couple of minutes.  Once cooked, drain the noodles, rinse with cold water, put back into the bowl, and toss with sesame oil.

Add the julienned carrots, julienned cucumber, julienned red pepper, bean sprouts, and green onions to the noodles.  Add the dressing.  Toss to combine all ingredients (you may need to use your hands - I do!).

Garnish with the remaining cilantro, and the toasted almonds and sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

Prawn and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

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Ever since our first visit to New Orleans for our honeymoon in 2010, The Hubby has been asking me to recreate in our kitchen the delicious gumbo that we ate there.  He even begrudingly approved the purchase of a cookbook with a gumbo recipe in it from our favourite restaurant there (NOLA), even though I have 90 million cookbooks already (side note: and want more, more, MORE!)  Then we went back to New Orleans in 2012, and again in 2014, and coming up again this year, and still I hadn't made the gumbo.

But then!  My mom and I decided to make the gumbo together one night, and I surprised The Hubby with a hot bubbling pot of this Creole concoction the next day.  He was stoked (well, as stoked as one can get over soup).  I was redeemed.

So, I'm either a really good wife, or a really bad wife.  Or both (but probably the second one).  In any event, I'm glad that I put my cookbook (Emeril's Potluck) to good use and finally got around to making this gumbo.  It was delicious, and one of those things that is better the second time that you eat it, and since this is a big recipe, the third and fourth and maybe even sixth time that you eat it too.

The stores didn't have any fresh okra when I was making this dish, so I purchased it from Safeway's frozen vegetable section and it worked just fine.  Having never worked with okra before I was very surprised at the resulting 'goo' or slime that appears when you start cooking it.  The slime just keeps coming and coming, and I just kept commenting and commenting on how, just, WEIRD it was, and my mom just kept tolerating and tolerating my incessant noticing of and commenting on the slime.  But then the slime cooks itself away and eventually it becomes the thickening (and flavouring!) agent in this gumbo.  You can't skip the okra...plus it's a fun science experiment to watch along the way.

We are heading to New Orleans again this year, and I can't wait!  This time my parents are joining us too.  But dare I say...I actually enjoyed this homemade gumbo more than the authentic stuff that we ate in the (ok, yes, very touristy, but still more authentic than say, Canada, for instance) French Quarter.

And if you're in the mood for Cajun / Creole food, here is an awesome Jambalaya Recipe that appeared on this blog back in 2012.



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One Year Ago:  Easy Weeknight No-Brainer BBQ Chicken Salad
Two Years Ago:  Butternut Squash Risotto with Arugula
Three Years Ago:  Crispy Chicken with Green Curry Sauce

Prawn & Andouille Sausage Gumbo

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound Andouille sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch round slices
• 2 pounds okra (frozen or fresh), stems trimmed off, and then cut into 1/4 inch round slices
• 2 cups canned tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup green pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 2 pounds prawns, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• Fresh parsley, finely chopped (for garnish)
• Green onions, thinly sliced (for garnish)
• Cooked white rice, for serving

Directions
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the sausage and cook for five minutes, or until fat is rendered.  Add the okra and cook, stirring continuously, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until most of the slime disappears.  Add the tomatoes, onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic, then cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until the okra and the vegetables are soft and the slime from the okra has completely disappeared.  Add the salt, cayenne pepper, bay leaves, thyme, and chicken broth.  Stir well, and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, put your prawns into a medium sized bowl, then sprinkle with paprika, garlic powder, pepper, oregano, and a dash of salt.  Toss to make sure that the seasoning is distributed over all of the prawns, then set aside.

Once your pot is boiling, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.  Add the prawns and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.  Remove the bay leaves.

To serve put the heated cooked rice into a bowl, then top with the soup.  Garnish with parsley and green onions.

Enjoy!

Recipe Source:  Emeril's Potluck - Shrimp, Okra, and Tomato Gumbo

Slow Cooker Creamy Santa Fe Chicken

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Oh, I looooooooove it when you don't have to pre-cook the ingredients going into the slow cooker before throwing them into the slow cooker!  This recipe does just that.  No browning, sautéing, or otherwise prepping of meat or vegetables...you just toss 'em into the Crockpot and you are on your merry way.  Which is the way that I feel it should be for slow cookers.

Oops, I did it again!  Another completely unappetizing picture of a total delicious meal. 

This was another winner from the Best of Bridge cookbook series.  The flavours of chicken, beans, and corn in a rich and creamy salsa and cream cheese sauce were oh so good overtop of white rice and served with a side salad.  My rice of choice is always jasmine (even though it's more frequently used in Asian cooking) because it has such great flavour.

This meal served The Hubby and me as the perfect weeknight dish on a cold rainy winter night.  This recipe is a definite keeper, and we will be making it again soon.

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One Year Ago:  Butternut Squash, Italian Sausage, and Spinach Pasta
Two Years Ago:  Creamy Roasted Garlic, Caramelized Onion, and Bacon Soup
Three Years Ago:  Tomato and Italian Sausage Risotto

Slow Cooker Creamy Sante Fa Chicken

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1 can black beans (14 to 19oz.), drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn kernels (frozen, canned, or fresh)
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
• 2 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened
• 4 green onions, chopped

Directions
In a slow cooker, add chicken, beans, corn, salsa, tomato paste, and salt, and give everything a good stir.  Cook on low for 5 - 6 hours, or on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder and vinegar until smooth.  Add the mixture to the slow cooker, along with the cream cheese.  Continue to cook on high for another 15 minutes until the cheese is melted, then stir again.

Serve over rice and top with green onions.  Enjoy!




Recipe Source:  Best of Bridge Slow Cooker Cookbook - Creamy Chicken Santa Fe

Slow Cooker Philippine Pork Stew

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Ok, this one comes VERY Hubby approved and recommended.  He seems to throw this comment out kind of often, but apparently this was the, 'best meal this year.'  Then I reminded him he said that about a pasta I made about a month ago, and so he said, "ok, this one is second place then."  Then I reminded him that he said that about a dinner he had at a restaurant we went to on our anniversary and another dinner that we had a week after that at another restaurant.  So, who knows really with him, but he definitely thought this was a keeper!

He put a cookbook into my stocking last year called The Best of Bridge - Slow Cooker Cookbook, and I have made only one or two things in it so far, but something triggered him to remind me of it this week.  I told him to go get it off the shelf, choose anything in the book, and I would make it.  The majority of the summer hasn't exactly been 'slow cooker bubbling away on the counter season,' on account of the heat wave, but a couple of weeks ago we were experiencing a bit of an Augtober that kind of put a 'damper' on things, and a CrockPot dinner seemed like just what the weatherman ordered.  The 'Pork Adobo' recipe caught his eye, and thus a Wednesday night dinner was born.  To be honest, it's probably something I would have turned the page on and never made if not for him choosing it this week.  Ingredients like, 'cinnamon stick,' and 'whole clove,' aren't usually up my alley, but a deal was a deal and I made the dish anyways.  Are we ever glad we did!  The Hubby gave rave reviews, and I always especially know it's a good meal when he excitedly packs his leftovers for lunch the next day.  He admitted afterwards that he chose the recipe because the cinnamon and clove seemed weird.  Haha.  Side note - a stick of cinnamon from the bulk section of our grocery store costs $0.03.  A whole clove is too light to even register on the store's scale, so the cashier shrugged and put it into the bag for free.  The bay leaves were the same way.  I basically robbed the grocery store!!

Slow Cooker Beef Chili Rice Bowl

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The Hubby put a new cookbook into my Christmas stocking this year - the 'Best of Bridge' Slow Cooker Cookbook. Although this recipe is not from that book, him buying it for me reminded me that a) I have a slow cooker, and b) slow cooking is awesome.

What I don't like is when you have to do a lot of pre-cooking before the slow cooking starts, which just makes me feel like there's no point in finishing things up in the slow cooker in the first place.  What I do like is when you can just throw everything into the slow cooker and press Start.  "Set it and forget it!!" I think people say.  Or maybe that's referring to something else like alarm clocks or my recordings of Real Housewives on the PVR, or each and every single one of my New Years resolutions.  Who knows, but in any event, slow cooking is super easy when all that you have to do is dump stuff into the thing and turn it on.

Turkey Meatballs in Coconut Curry Sauce

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Happy new year everyone!  Also happy November and December, seeing as it's been awhile since my last post.  The reason for that...well, I'm going to blame our Netflix subscription.  I've become super well acquainted with Emily and Daniel from Revenge, Jess and Nick from New Girl, Mindy and Danny from The Mindy Project, and seriously, why didn't anyone tell me how awesome Grey's Anatomy is like ten years ago?  I'm now hopelessly addicted to it, and have a long haul of ten 27-episode seasons (quick math: 10 x 27 = 270 episodes) to catch up on, and apparently I've given myself a deadline of about four weeks to do this at the rate I have been going at.  No one tell me, but are McDreamy and Meredith going to stay together forever?  Because I seriously can't handle it if they don't.  And no one tell me, but what's going to happen with Addison and McSteamy, and with Izzie and Alex?  They can't get back together, can they?  So many questions, so little time for anything but getting all of the answers!

So, things that have happened in the real world for me in the past few months, at least food wise...

Healthy Southwest Chicken and Rice Bake

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What's in your freezer?

 

So, it's just The Hubby and me in our house, but in looking at our freezer you would think differently.  Here is what I saw when I reluctantly did a freezer clean recently:

• 8 chicken breasts, 1 beef tenderloin log, 1 whole chicken, 2 packs bacon, 2 steaks, 2 bags prawns, 6 salmon fillets
• 7 or more partially used bags of peas or corn or pea/corn combo
• 3 tubs partially-consumed vanilla ice cream with an inch of icy freezer crust on top
• 8 bags of sliced bread with only two pieces of crust remaining per bag (never to be eaten)
• 1,000,000 black bananas
• other, other, other x 100

My inventory of our pantry yielded similar (non-frozen) results.  8 cans of black beans, 7 boxes of pasta, 2,000,000 granola bars, too much uneaten food.  So I threw out the old ice cream, downsized my banana collection, and told The Hubby that we had to try to go a month without buying any new food except dairy products and fresh fruit and vegetables.  We're on about Day 14 now, our freezer is halfway emptied, and our pantry is slowly depleting in stock.  It takes a bit of planning and creativity, and so far almost every meal has included frozen peas or canned black beans, but it's been kind of a fun challenge at the same time.  For instance, I came home from work last night and The Hubby had prepared a chicken, pea, and pasta casserole...and after a long day at work it was exactly what I wanted to eat for dinner, and all that I could think was that I had married some kind of Top Chef or something. That is, until we flicked to Top Chef on tv while we ate dinner!

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce

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Does anything beat comfort food?

Or even just...food.  I love food (hence the blog).

I've said it before and I will say it a thousand times mores if you let me...I love the cookbooks by the Best of Bridge.  My grandmothers used them, my mom uses them, and I use them.  If you are also a fan of that series, you may recognize this recipe as the 'New Classy Chicken,' which is a remake of the former 'Classy Chicken' recipe that my grandmother used to make.  The new version lightens up the calorie and fat factors substantially.

This is really really easy, and really really tasty, and you may even already have all of the ingredients in your fridge.  It's also another meal that brings back good memories, because my granny would sometimes make it for my family for Sunday dinners (it works well for The Hubby and me for a weeknight or a Sunday meal too).  We totally fiend for a great curry sauce in our house, and if you are the same way, you will find that this casserole really satisfies that craving.  I love it paired with a jasmine or basmati rice.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Using my granny's old Corningware is only fitting while making one of the recipes that she loved.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole with Creamy Curry Sauce

Serves: 4 - 6

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose flour)
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup skim or 2% milk
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup shredded aged cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (I used gluten-free bread crumbs)
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted
• Rice (cooked, to serve the casserole on top of)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.  Place chicken on a plate and season with salt and pepper.  In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Saute the chicken in the pan for 5 - 7 minutes, or until browned and no longer pink inside.

Lightly grease a shallow 9x9 baking dish or any dish large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer.  Transfer the chicken to the baking dish.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook broccoli for 1 minute.

Drain right away and spoon the broccoli over the chicken.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, curry powder, and broth, making sure there are no lumps.  Stir in the milk, yogurt, and mayonnaise.



Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture.

Sprinkle the chicken mixture with the cheddar cheese.



In a small bowl, toss the bread crumbs with the melted butter, and sprinkle over the chicken mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden brown (letting sit for 5 minutes or so after it comes out of the oven).  Cook rice according to package directions and keep warm until the casserole is ready.



Serve the chicken and broccoli casserole on top of the rice.  Enjoy!

Recipe Source: Best of Bridge

Souper Sunday #15: Corn and Wild Rice Soup with Smoked Sausage

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Lazy Sundays...they're the best.

 

Today has been a soup-making, novel-reading kind of a day, with a quick pop-in from my mom (including a glass of wine - now you see that I come by it honestly!) in the middle to add to it.  My mom brought over containers of two home-made soups that she had made this weekend (again, you can see that I come by it honestly!), and they were both amazing.  The two kinds were Curried Cauliflower and Split Pea and Ham, and you will be seeing those recipes on here as soon as enough Souper Sundays go by that I can make them.  The laundry awaits me shortly, but for now I am content sitting here typing this while sipping on a cup of David's Tea 'Alpine Blend' while The Hubby has a cat nap.

Souper Sunday #13: Shrimp Bisque

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Bonjour and ooh la la!

What is a bisque?  Well, it's delicious, I know that.  But as for what differentiates a bisque from any other soup, I didn't really know...so I looked it up.  According to the internet, a bisque is a rich, cream soup of French origin, usually made with shellfish and thickened with pureed rice.  That sounds pretty much exactly like the soup that I made this afternoon - a shrimp bisque.  I felt kind of, I dunno, fancy-pants classy making and eating this today.  Like, because I knew what a bisque was today and I didn't know what a bisque was yesterday, and because it was French cuisine which always seems upscale to me.

Butternut Squash Risotto with Arugula

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The Hubby is starting to call Playing With My Food my 'soup blog,' so I guess it's time to post something not so liquidy (another new word!).  

Butternut squash is my new wonder vegetable (actually it's technically a fruit, but that's like saying that Pluto is not a planet or something.  Details!)  It can be mashed, pureed, roasted, served in a soup, and also used as a delicious base for a risotto.  You can now buy it already peeled and pre-cut in a 2-pound package at Costco, or in a smaller packages at most grocery stores.  Since Costco is my favourite store in the world, I bought it there.  I first made the Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Winter Soup (yum!) that I posted last week, and then this risotto.  

My Granny's Sweet & Sour Meatballs

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This one reminds me of my childhood.  

 

I've been waiting to post this recipe for a long, long time.  Sorry to my brother, who has been waiting to get it from me.  But see, we got a new computer, and the pictures were on the old computer.  And so, it would have required me to plug in the old computer to get a charge going, and then upload the photos from there.  Which would have taken like five minutes or maybe even a little bit more than five minutes.  So, it's understandable.

Growing up, my grandparents lived in Victoria, but as my brother and I got a little bit older, my Granny and Grandpa moved to a home about seven minutes away from our house.  My dad was their only child, and thus my brother and I were their only grandchildren, so we were a tad spoiled by them.  Actually, no, not spoiled, just loved.  A lot.  It was a nice feeling to have my grandparents at things like my softball games or piano recitals, or at my brother's lacrosse games.  We felt like we were their entire world.    

Souper Sunday #3: Curried Chicken and Rice Soup

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This...I should have doubled this.  Or tripled would have been good too.

 

Once in awhile, a soup comes along that really makes The Hubby happy.  This, my friends, is that kind of soup.  The only thing is that it only made 3 - 4 servings, making this a 'must-double' soup for the future, and 'why didn't I double that?' soup of today.  Either way, it's a keeper.

Here it is, Souper Sunday again, and this post is coming in hot and fast at 11pm on Sunday night.  Which still counts.  Today was a domestic kind of a day...grocery shopping, recipe drooling, soup making, house cleaning, errand running, healthy seafood dinner serving, laundry doing, cookie baking, and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo watching.  Nice little Sunday.

Scallop and Broccolini Risotto

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Sometimes...I impress myself.

Like, take last Wednesday night for example.  First of all, it's a Wednesday night, so there's that.  Second of all, I'm like tired after work on Wednesdays, guys!

But, let me back up a little bit, because before Wednesday night there was Monday night, which as we all know is way worse than Wednesday night (because at least Wednesday night is Hump Day and also there's Big Brother).  On Monday night I thawed a frozen package of scallops from Costco in the refrigerator.  This is usually pretty much how I guarantee to myself that I will not be lazy at some point later in the week, because the guilt of having something thawing in my fridge sits in my mind all day long.

Classic Chicken Jambalaya

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In case you don't want to read this entire blog post, I will summarize.  The lessons to be learned here are that everyone needs a Jeff, and everyone needs this jambalaya.  I will explain...

Lesson 1:  Everyone needs a Jeff
There's something to be said about having a really great platonic friend of the opposite sex.  Some might scoff and say that it's impossible...that it's simplistic or unrealistic to think that two people of different genders can have a healthy, normal, nonphysical friendship.

Don't get me wrong, because for the most part I think that the scoffers are correct.  It is supremely difficult to find a person of the opposite gender who A) wants me to be good friends with someone of the opposite gender, B) wants to be just good friends with someone of the opposite gender, and C) after you get married, still fits into your life really well and even becomes (possibly probably better) friends with your spouse.

Well, I'm here to tell you that my (straight) friend Jeff and I have this type of friendship, and have since that first day in grade 8 when we watched the 1996 MTV Movie Award-winning slasher-film 'Scream,' and did not feel attracted to each other.  Jeff and I have never kissed,  hugging is even awkward, and he's one of my best friends.  It's the perfect male/female friendship.  I actually just got off the phone with him where a good part of the conversation was me tormenting him about how he is going to be the star of this blog post, so I'm tempted to tell a juicy story about him but will save it for another day.  Mwah ha ha, the power I hold!

Tomato and Italian Sausage Risotto

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I made a delicious dinner last night.  The Hubby said it was the best thing he has eaten in 2012!  Thank you Martha Stewart, you saucy domestic goddess you!

Risotto always seemed like one of those unconquerable meals that I could only order in a restaurant.  Like...what is that stuff?  But I made it last year for the first time, and it was EASY!  Lots of stirring and monitoring, but still pretty darn easy!  So, I decided to try it again last night...this time with a tomato-based version (healthier? maybe. probably), and it was delish.

There is a bunch of spinach in this recipe (like actually a spinach bunch of spinach!), so if you feel like skipping a side vegetable, you will still have your vegetable quota covered.  I usually have all of these ingredients on hand, so it was a breeze to make for a hearty weeknight meal to help combat these cold nights that still lurk.