So Yummy Risotto

Due to both my local supermarkets not having any sage in stock, and an abundance of other substitutions, I'm going to post this recipe as I made it, and not the original from the cookbook.

Pumpkin, Tarragon & Baby Spinach Risotto
Based on the Squash, sage and walnut risotto from Slow Cooking by Katie Bishop
1 kg butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, cut into 2-3cm cubes
4 sprigs Tarragon
1 red onion, peeled, halved, thinly sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil (I used garlic infused)
350g risotto rice
1.3L chicken stock
100g baby spincah leaves
Freshly grated Parmesan to serve

Place the pumpkin, tarragon, onion and garlic in the dish of your slow cooker. Drizzle with the oil. Cover with the lid and cook on HIGH for 2 hours, stirring once halfway through. Pumpkin should be just tender. Add the rice and stock, stirring through, but be careful not to smoosh the pumpkin. Reduce heat to LOW and cook for another 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Turn the heat off, and stir through the spinach leaves. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper, and serve topped with plenty of shaved Parmesan. Serves 6.

The name comes from Miss Four, who proclaimed it as such, and who thought the original, more descriptive title was too much of a mouthful.

This was an entry for
The Cookbook Challenge: Week 19 - Rice.

Tuna Risotto of Awesomeness

Tuna "Risotto"
1 cup Aborio rice
2 cups water
splash Maggi
2 sticks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
125g tin tuna, drained
125g corn kernels
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tsp good quality tomato sauce or chutney (we used Outback Spirit Bush Tomato sauce)

Place the rice, water and Maggi in a microwave safe bowl. Cook on medium (600w) for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Lightly spray a frypan with oil, then brown the onion and celery. Add the corn and tuna, and allw to heat through.
Once rice is cooked, tip the whole lot into the pan, and finish with the sour cream and sauce. Season to taste and serve.

Hardly a recipe for purists, but my kids didn't know the difference, and it tasted great!

Pesto Cheese Pocket Chicken

Ooooh, fancy!

This recipe was modified from the one in September's recipes+. It called for sliced mozzarella, and mustard, not pesto. Oh, and middle rasher bacon, not fancy, incredibly tasty, smoked prosciutto.

Pesto Cheese Pocket Chicken
100g pesto
150g grated mozzarella
100g ricotta
8 slices prosciutto
4 small chicken breasts
rice/noodles
snow peas

Mix the cheeses and pesto together. Slice a deep slit into the thick part of each chicken breast, and stuff with cheese. Wrap until fairly well covered, with prosciutto, securing with toothpicks if need be. The recipe called the chicken to be browned on the stovetop, but I put it straight into the oven because I was making pies for dessert. 30 minutes at 200°C and it was good.

Master Four informs me that he doesn't like pesto, but I think if I don't let him see me put it in dinner, he wouldn't mind. He likes basil, just not the green colour of the ricotta mix. We'll see tomorrow, because the Gnocchi bake calls for pesto too.

Meat on sticks...

You might call them Honey Soy Chicken Kebobs, but in our house, it's meat on sticks. A favourite I really have to serve around once a fortnight, whether with rice or noodles, or I get in trouble from Master Three. The butcher marinated them, I just threw them under the griller. Oh, and I put rice in a pot with water and seasonings. Yup, I went to real effort with tonight's dinner.

Yes I know it's Thursday, but the kids didn't cook today. I hit the 32 week mark today, and haven't been sleeping well lately, so I just didn't have the energy. We were going to make this for the MasterBaker's Easter challenge, but like I said - no energy, and the kids are just as happy eating the eggs plain to tell you the truth. It's sad, because we really don't eat a lot of homebaked goods in this house, even though the kids love cooking them. I hear that if we move back to the town where all my family live, then my nephew is going to be coming around to experiment cook with me, and apparently his family are happy to eat the food, they just don't give feedback. Ah well, at least it won't go to waste then!

Excuse the poor photo quality tonight... I'd already started eating so couldn't be bothered setting things up just perfect. Plus, that also meant it was on the dining table instead of in the kitchen where the light quality is infinately better.

And now I'm off to go pack my labour bag. I've got 6 things packed in it so far. That's taken me 6 hours (which includes cooking/eating dinner time, and putting kids to bed). Now I have to pack a bag with baby stuff, and a bag of things for me for my actual stay. Sure, I could fit the lot into one bag, but it's easier not to have to dig through towels to get to my energy snacks or water, and likewise with baby gear, or clothes later on. Plus, this way I get to write 3 lists instead of one. I like writing lists. It's the only virgoan thing about me.