Parmesan Chicken Risotto Recipe

Parmesan Chicken Risotto Recipe – Elevated Comfort Food

As everyone attempts to sharpen their kitchen skills with the extra free time we have these days, how do you decide between learning a more involved impressive recipe or sticking to comfort food? The perfect in-between recipe is Risotto: a cheesy, creamy, tender-as-pasta rice dish that’s fancy enough to impress your toughest critics (whether that be a picky eater or a culinary expert.) It isn’t too difficult, but it does take a bit of time, so it’s perfect for weekends with nowhere to go (like the many no-where-to-go weekends we’ve all had lately.)

This recipe is a conglomeration of a few recipes I’ve used over the years, namely this and this.

Here it is!

Chicken Parmesan Risotto (serves 4)

Ingredients

1 lb Chicken
Salt and Pepper
6-8 cups chicken stock
5 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (about 2)
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
4-6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (but really just measure with your heart)
1/4 cup fresh parsley

Directions

Bring chicken broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan.
Cut chicken into 1” cubes. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is just done, 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
Heat remaining olive oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots to oil, and cook, stirring, until translucent.
Add rice, and cook, stirring until rice begins to make a clicking sound like glass beads, 3-4 minutes.
Add wine to rice mixture. Cook, stirring until wine is absorbed by rice.
Using a ladle, add 3/4 cup hot stock to rice. Using a wooden spoon, stir rice constantly, at a moderate speed.
When rice mixture is just thick enough to leave a clear wake behind the spoon, add another 3/4 cup stock.
Continue adding stock 3/4 cup at a time and stirring constantly until rice is mostly translucent but still opaque in the center. Rice should be al dente but not crunchy. The final mixture should be thick enough that grains of rice are suspended in liquid the consistency of heavy cream.
Remove from heat. Stir in butter, parmesan cheese, and parsley; season with salt and pepper. Stir in chicken. Serve immediately, with extra parmesan and parsley for topping.

If you’re looking for side dishes to pair with this Risotto, here are a couple of dishes I love to make with Risotto, with a schedule of how to time all of these dishes to be ready at the right time.

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a52754/bacon-asparagus-dippers-recipe/

Garlic Mozzarella Bombs

https://rasamalaysia.com/garlic-herb-cheese-bombs/

Tip: If you’re feeling fancy, use fresh mozzarella inside. If you’re feeling thrifty, use cut up mozzarella sticks!

Cooking Schedule

6:05 Start cooking chicken

6:10 Start simmer stock – Preheat oven

6:10 Start oil

6:20 Start adding stock

6:25-30 Put in Asparagus

6:45 Put in Rolls

6:50 Stir in Butter, Parsley, Salt, Pepper. Pull out some for Mia. Stir in Parmesan

6:55 Pull out Asparagus and Rolls

February 5, 2021February 7, 2021

Top Five Auburn Traditions

Ranking Auburn’s Top Traditions

There is no denying that passion runs deep in Auburn, Alabama. The city revolves, literally and figuratively, around Auburn University. In the Southeastern Conference where It Just Means More, collegiate athletics are serious business. The city of 60,000 residents welcomes roughly 90,000 fans for football gamedays. What makes Auburn so great? Let’s rank the traditions that keep alumni and fans coming back to The Loveliest Village on the Plains.

1. Rolling Toomer’s Corner

Following athletic wins, fans make their way to Toomer’s Corner to roll the oak trees. The tree rolling dates back to 1962 when ticker tape was thrown into the oaks to signal a road victory for the Tigers. No one is really sure how or why the rolling caught on, but it’s quickly become a fan favorite. Following a big football win, the corner resembles a winter snowstorm.

Fun fact: Auburn is the only city in the country with a budget for cleaning up toilet paper!

It’s not all fun and games, though. In 2011, the original Auburn Oaks were poisoned by a fan of *that other school* after Auburn won the Iron Bowl and the National Championship. The trees died and were removed in 2013. Descendent oaks of the original trees were planted in 2014. Security measures, including the addition of fencing and cameras, were added to prevent future vandalism. However, in 2016 a rival fan set one of the trees on fire following an Auburn win.

2. War Eagle flight

The eagle flight might be the most unique tradition in college football. Prior to kickoff, an eagle circles Jordan-Hare Stadium and lands at midfield as fans cheer. Eagles started flying at Auburn home games in 2000. Golden eagle Aurea assumed the title of War Eagle VIII following Nova’s retirement in 2019.

“War Eagle” is Auburn’s battle cry, not to be confused with the tiger mascot. History about the battle cry and eagle flight can be found here.

According to the University, the role of Auburn University’s eagles is to promote wildlife conservation as a part of the education initiatives of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Southeastern Raptor Center. Aurea arrived at The Center after suffering a wing injury near Selma, Alabama. The injury caused increased flight drag, which keeps her from tracking down prey and surviving in the wild.

Tailgating on the Student Center Greenspace, Iron Bowl 2017

3. Tailgating

ESPN, Southern Living, and the Bleacher Report (among others) rank Auburn as one of the top tailgating locations in the country. Tents and RVs line almost every square foot of the campus. Tailgate spots are open to claim starting on Thursday afternoons prior to home football games. Depending on kickoff time, the menu might include mimosas and Chick-fil-a minis or elaborate spreads of barbeque and trimmings. One thing is for sure- you show up to a tailgate well-dressed. Yes, that means sundresses and button-ups. And don’t forget the boots.

4. Tiger Walk

Tiger Walk is one of the most imitated traditions in college sports. On gamedays, the Tigers walk down South Donahue Drive from the athletic complex to the stadium. Fans line the street to cheer on the team as they prepare for the game. Tiger Walk dates back to the 1960s when kids would cheer on the players and get autographs. It is now one of the fans’ most treasured traditions.

The most famous Tiger Walk took place in 1989 when Alabama came to Auburn and played at Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time. It’s estimated that more than 20,000 fans lined the street.

5. Marching Band Pregame

The Auburn University Marching Band has 380 members and performs pregame and halftime shows for Auburn football games. Smaller pep bands play at basketball games as well as away football games. The AUMB is the only band in the SEC without a nickname. Former Auburn president, Dr. Harry Philpott, famously said, “Some other institutions need to give descriptive names to their bands in order to praise them. The quality of the music, the precision of its drills, and the fine image that it portrays have made it unnecessary for us to say more than ‘This is the Auburn University Marching Band.’”

The band’s pregame performance might be the best part of the game itself. The band sprints out of the team tunnel and performs the fight song, “War Eagle” as well as “Glory, Glory to ole Auburn” as it forms the interlocking AU logo. Fans then sing along as the band plays the national anthem and “God Bless America.” There’s nothing else quite like it.

The Auburn University Marching Band also performed in three presidential inaugural parades.

February 5, 2021February 5, 2021

Carbonara For One: More Than a Recipe

Why Carbonara?

Carbonara is my love language. It is not only my favorite food, but also my preferred way to offer care and comfort to myself and my loved ones. I prepare carbonara at least once per week, sometimes more if I am feeling particularly tender, hungry, or cozy. I often make single servings for myself after long days, or even for a late breakfast, and I have continued to hone my process over several years. At this point it feels more like a dance than a recipe, requiring fluidity, attention, and flexibility.

It goes without saying that I did not create any part of this dish, and that I’m sure there are many Italians that could cook circles around me. What I bring to this recipe is a pure reverence and devotion to the dish, and an utter delight each time I make it. If you take anything from this post, I hope it is not a perfect bowl of pasta, but a desire to find your own sacred foods and cultivate a deep appreciation for the ritual of making them.

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients:

3 eggs, separated (fresh, free range ideally – the quality of the eggs really matter in this recipe, low quality yields flavorless pasta)
3-4 oz. of guanciale/uncured bacon/pancetta
Generous handful of spaghetti or bucatini
Hunk of good Parmesan (you can use Pecorino Romano if you like, not pre-shredded)
Heaps of freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt
Optional: scallions/chives/parsley for garnish

Method:

Chop or cut pork into small bits.
Sauté pork in a non-stick pan over low-medium heat.
Start to boil pasta water in a separate saucepan.
When pork is starting to crisp, about 5 minutes into cooking, reduce heat to low and allow it to fully cook over low heat in the rendered fat.
Once water boils generously salt pasta water and add pasta, cooking 2 minutes short of al dente
While the pork and pasta are cooking you will prepare the sauce. In a bowl (I use the bowl I am going to eat out of) separate three eggs. You do not need egg whites for this recipe, but I will add a teaspoon of the whites to the yolks to give the sauce a little more fluidity. Mix egg yolks until very well blended.
Grate parmesan into the egg mixture. I use at least ½ cup, it should form a texture like a paste. Add pinch of salt and generous amount of cracked pepper to the egg and cheese mixture.
When pasta is close to al dente scoop a splash of pasta water into the egg mixture. This tempers the eggs and begins to melt the shredded cheese. The texture should thin a bit, but not be watery. Be careful not to overdo it!
Increase heat on pork to med-high to bring the pan temperature back up.
Using tongs transfer pasta directly from the pasta water to the pan with the pork with ¼ cup of pasta water, moving quickly. DO NOT DRAIN OR RINSE YOUR PASTA. Reserve the rest of the pasta water.
Continually stir the pasta and pork as the liquid cooks off and pasta water reduces some. The pasta should be lubricated, not dry, with the fat and pasta water beginning to stick to the pasta. Add more pasta water if you need to during this step as it cooks off.
Pull off heat and allow pasta to cool slightly.
Slowly start to pour egg and cheese mixture into the pan with the pasta, stirring continually as you pour. If the sauce seems too thick after adding the egg mixture you can add more pasta water, one tablespoon at a time. The sauce should be glossy and cling to the noodles, not goopy or thin.
Finish in the bowl with fresh Parmesan, more cracked black pepper, and garnish if you choose to.
Eat immediately! Carbonara is best served hot and eaten quickly after.

Notes:

This recipe requires you to multitask. Time is of the essence when you make carbonara! It is crucial that you do not overcook the pasta, and it all comes together quite quickly. It helps to prep your mise en place before you begin and have everything close to the stove where you are cooking for easy access.

Tongs are a huge help with this recipe. You can use them to cook the pork and the pasta, and they make it easy to transfer the pasta without draining.

If you’re not a pork eater, you can substitute mushrooms or another hearty vegetable in place of the meat. Add a tiny bit of soy sauce or another umami flavor to the vegetables for the salty, meaty flavor you would be skipping.

Salt at each stage. You need to add it to the pasta water and a pinch to the egg mixture or the dish will lack complex flavor, but it is easy to over salt so be mindful of that!

Do not put cream or milk in this dish. Pasta water works magic here, it’s just not necessary, and it will result in a pasta that is too rich and heavy. Or peas, because frozen peas do not add anything to the flavor or texture of this dish.

February 4, 2021February 10, 2021

ZERO to FARM, Dear Dungarees

“If it doesn’t excite you and scare you at the same time it’s not adventure.” Zero to Farm.

At the South Bay of the beautiful Flathead Lake on a Reservation in North West Montana rests a gorgeous town. Polson. My life has been located here for 25 years. Close enough to main street to walk to parades and far enough from the lake we can still afford the property taxes. Most often you can find us backpacking in the summer, paddling around the lake or floating the river. It’s been a great place to raise kids. But something was missing.

Obviously what’s missing is a farm. I decided a few months back I am going to write a book about sustainable farm living on a Rez whilst living in town with little to no property and a deep dislike of animals. I know nothing about sustainable farm life but I will learn as I write. My husband can grow loofah seeds so all my family can have sponges and dish scrubbers from our vines. I feel like a homesteader already. We can grow lentils and garbanzos. I will walk out onto my porch and wrap a blanket like a shawl around my shoulders as I look to the heavens for a sign of rain. Incredible. I think my hilarious lack of knowledge of anything pertaining to farm or sustainable living will hopefully fill my book with much humor and relatable failure. I recently bought a pair of overalls from a local thrift store so Im totally a farmer now.

Noteworthy sidebar, I am prone to be more absurd than absolute. More daring than dull. I often find myself on the outside of level-headed, practical conversations with little input to contribute. Watching all the sensible people talk, wondering when they last dreamed, who stole their excitement for life, and what causes them to process information like plain toast. Listen. I married a first born male who is incredible in his level-headed ways. It is truly a gift to us dreamers as we may find instead of eating or paying bills we forget altogether and float away in a hot air ballon. I need, WE need all the sensible, practical people in this world. And we need all the free-spirits. And this is where the next chapter in our farm life begins.

This farm thing has been a thought for years. Not sure how it would materialize we researched city ordinance for chickens. My level headed husband learned how to make sourdough bread and got obsessive about owning quail. My mom and I joked about buying goat girl dresses and learning how to can. I bought overalls and a seed catalogue and listened to James Taylor and Kenny Loggins for inspiration on peaceful living. Then bam!

This week we bought a farm on accident. More accurately, by chance. It presented itself in a place we weren’t expecting. 2 hours South of home. Victor, Montana, on the Bitterroot River. Fly fishing anyone? We fell in love with a piece of property that most describe as “It has potential.” We couldn’t live without it. We are selling our houses on the Rez and moving into a commune style life with my family on this farm. Away from the familiar to foreign.

We are cramming 2 families (possibly 3 if we can talk my brother into joining us in our absurd farm dreams) into one house much smaller than our current houses. Shedding off some of our spacial comfort in exchange for acreage, river front, and doing this farm life together. In community with our people. Our family. Ridiculous and incredible. Stay tuned for the continued adventures of zero to farm.

PS. I bought our first goat. She is majestic. She will have friends. Not sure how many yet. Thanks to my dear goaty friend for hand picking our herd. Our pack? What are a group of goats called? Gawd… I have so much to learn.

Trip. They are called a Trip of goats. Thanks Google.

#tripofgoats #sustainable-living #farmlife #reservation #montana #flathead-lake #polson #victor #river #bitterroot # flyfishing #riverfloat #paddle-board #goats #familycompound

Continue reading “ZERO to FARM, Dear Dungarees”

September 20, 2020September 21, 2020

Being an Essential Retail Worker in a Pandemic

We all know that 2020 has brought many challenges that we are all facing for the first time and we have all heard about the importance of essential workers. More often than not, when one says “essential workers” the first thing that comes to mind are doctors, nurses, teachers and other front-line workers, don’t get me wrong this is 100% deserved and they should be honored more because they are key to our health and future wellness, but an essential job that has gotten slightly overlooked is that of the retail workers. As many stores were shutting down, those who carried essential items like toilet paper, paper towels, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies and grocery items stayed open to the public.

The uncertainties brought heightened fear among many and we saw things that normally never go out of stock fly off the shelves in no time flat. With how many out of stocks we had so quickly, limitations had to be put on items so it gave more people a chance to get what they needed to get by until more product came in. What shocked me the most when these limitations were put in place was how many people took the every person for themselves approach, ignored the posted signs still grabbed everything they thought they needed to stock up on and did whatever they could to make sure nobody stopped them, from bringing multiple kids/family members with them to all check out separately, going to self-checkout leaving the duplicates in their cart and double scanning the one they did pull out, throwing full on adult fits, and even hiding things around the store in attempt to come back for it later. Have you ever needed 12 cans of Lysol at one time? Me either but I’ve seen it be purchased in that quantity within the last few months! Ya I’m sure you’re laughing sitting on the other side of the screen but these all really happened and it’s not even the tip of the iceberg! When hours were shortened and specific hours were set aside for those with compromised immune systems and the elderly we would have lines of people outside the doors waiting to get in like it was Black Friday! With the amount of people at the doors in the morning most days we were out of toilet paper before 8:30 am and would get calls from customers in the afternoon convinced that us as employees were buying out all the toilet paper prior to store opening and that was why they couldn’t get any in the afternoon. Oh yeah I wish I could make this up! Also, since we were getting really busy at totally random times of the day customers began complaining that we had too many employees on the floor and that it was impossible to social distance because of it, so we took almost all of our employees to overnight shifts to accommodate this and as soon as we did customers were still complaining but this time it was because they couldn’t find anyone to help them.

Now don’t even get me started on the mask mandates! When it first came out that us as employees were required to wear masks, we all complied but would have numerous customers come up to us at the check lanes and around the store and say, and I quote “I don’t know why you’re even wearing that sh**, they don’t even do anything you just look stupid.” Now circle around to present day when everyone is required to wear them, I’ve never seen so many people become concerned with what they think are included in their “rights”. You know how children all go into that phase where no matter what you tell them they always tell you no and do the opposite, COVID has become that phase for adults. I can’t tell you how many people I have seen walk in the doors with a mask on, only to take it off or move it off their nose as soon as they get past the front lanes and if they are asked to pull it up/put it back on we get eye rolls, attitude, cursed and yelled at. Don’t get me wrong I totally get it, I don’t want to wear a mask either, they are annoying, it’s hard to breathe, I now have teenage ache all over again and it’s one more thing I have to make sure I wash constantly, but we do it for our full shifts to keep everyone safe per health department requirements and all we ask for is a small inconvenience for a short shopping trip that the same is done by the customers.

Long story short, be nice to your retail workers, we are out here doing our best to make sure you have everything you need to get through this trying time. We don’t own the company, we don’t make the rules, we just work here and have to follow them just like we ask of you. I know that many who read this will disagree with me and that’s totally ok, these are my opinions on my personal experiences during this crazy time. It is ok to disagree with me, I don’t mind and I welcome the opinions of others as long as they are done so with kindness. I also realize for every negative experience we had, there were 20 positive ones by those thanking us for being open and doing our part to keep everyone safe and for those people I thank you in return because people like you are what keep us going!