Sour Cream Rice

This is from one of my favorite What's Cooking girls, Carrie or Carrie's Sweet Life. She originally got this recipe from Allrecipes then I got it from her!

1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 (8.75 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
salt and ground black pepper to taste
In a large pot, bring the rice and chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish.

In the pot with the cooked rice, mix the sour cream, green chile peppers, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, corn, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish, and top with remaining cheese.

Bake uncovered 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Tastes like spaghetti and meatballs risotto

I was watching Rachel Ray's talk show and she made this, and immediately I wanted it! So I made it for dinner that night! It was really good! I haven't really cooked anything new lately, but I hope that I get back in the kitchen!

Ingredients
1 28-ounce can tomato sauce or puree (I used Prego because I didn't have enough plain tomato sauce, but I will use regular sauce next time)
1 quart chicken stock
2 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus some for liberal drizzling
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
2 tablespoons tomato paste (didn't have any, I need to find the stuff you keep in the refrigerator)
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
A handful of fresh basil leaves, torn or thinly sliced
1/3 cup breadcrumbs, eyeball it (I used frozen meatballs because I didn't have the ingredients to make these)
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
3/4 pound ground beef, pork and veal mix
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, a small handful


Preparation
Preheat oven to 400˚F.
Place the tomato sauce and stock in medium saucepot and heat over low heat. Keep warm.

Place a medium-sized pot with rounded sides over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan EVOO. Add onions and 2 cloves of garlic and sauté a couple of minutes to soften. Add the rice and turn to coat. Toast for about 1 minute then add the tomato paste and stir a minute more, stir in wine and cook until the liquid evaporates. Begin adding a couple of ladles of the tomato-stock at a time. Each time you add the liquid, stir the risotto vigorously to develop the starches. Rice will cook 18 minutes total. (If the rice is al dente and creamy, yet you still have a ladle or 2 of liquid left, do not feel forced to use it.) In the last minute or so of cooking time, stir in the butter until it melts then add 1/2 cup cheese, a couple of handfuls. Turn off heat and stir in basil.
Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, moisten the breadcrumbs with milk. Add egg, meat, parsley, 1/4 cup cheese, salt and pepper to the bowl and mix to combine. Score meat into 4 sections and form 8 small balls from each section, the size of marbles. Place the balls on a baking sheet and coat them with a liberal drizzle of EVOO. Bake 5 minutes until cooked through and golden.

Serve risotto in shallow bowls topped with 8 mini meatballs per serving.

Cheesy, beefy, rice and bean enchiladas

This recipe has some inspiration from one of my favorite blogs, Amber's Delectable Delights. She has 2 enchilada recipes on her blog and it reminded me that I should make some this week!

Crystal's Cheesy, Beefy, Rice and Bean Enchiladas

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground turkey
Taco Seasoning packet
1 jar taco sauce
1 can black beans
enough white rice (I used Minute Rice) for 2 servings, already made
4 oz cream cheese
2 cups Mexi-Blend Cheese
6-8 flour tortillas

Brown ground beef and turkey together in skillet over medium heat. Drain. Return to skillet. Stir in packet of Taco Seasoning and make according to directions. Stir in 4oz of cream cheese and let melt.

Pour enough taco sauce in 9x13 pan to cover bottom. Drain and rinse black beans. In assembly formation take one tortilla and place it in the palm of your hand. Now place a scoop of ground meat in tortilla, then a spoon of beans and a spoon of rice in tortilla, top with shredded cheese, roll up and place seam side down in pan on top of sauce. Continuing rolling all enchiladas with meat, rice and beans. Cover with taco sauce and remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until cheese is melted and browned.

Ina's Butternut Squash Risotto

I was so excited to start using all of the awesome presents my wonderful family got me for Christmas. Here I am using my new Paula Deen saute pan my mom got me, and the new saucepan and spoonulas my hubby got me (he even braved Crate & Barrel the Sat. before Christmas for them!)
My BFF Ashley made this one night for just the 2 of us and we had one of the best nights I've had in a long time, just sitting on her couch with her window open on a cool fall night. I had been wanting to make it for me and hubby and finally did so! It was wonderful and I will make it again!

From Ina Garten


Ingredients
1 butternut squash (2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, I also added a dash of nutmeg
6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade--I used boxed
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2 ounces pancetta, diced--did not use as I didn't have any
1/2 cup minced shallots (2 large)--also did not use
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice (10 ounces)
1/2 cup dry white wine--again didn't use
1 teaspoon saffron threads--one more time, didn't use
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have about 6 cups. Place the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside. (Since it is so hard to peel a raw butternut squash, I just cut it in half and roasted it whole, then peeled and cut it in cubes)

Meanwhile, heat the chicken stock in a small covered saucepan. Leave it on low heat to simmer.

In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with butter. Add 2 full ladles of stock to the rice plus the 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and nutmeg. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan. Mix well and serve.

Bagel Chip Crusted Tilapia

Wow is all I can say about the fish, it will definitely stay in the rotation, it was so very good! I served it with the rice, green beans and some focaccia bread! This came from Sam's Club they were giving away samples!

3/4 cup crushed Bagel Chips
2 Tbsp lemon pepper seasoning
6 Tbsp olive oil (divided)
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp parsley flakes
4 tilapia fillets

Mix the bagel chips and lemon pepper seasoning in a bowl. Coat the tilapia fillets with 3 Tbsp olive oil and coat generously with the bagel chip mixture. Heat the other 3 Tbsp olive oil in saute pan on medium-high heat. Cook tilapia on both sides for 3 minutes (until internal temp reaches 160). Sprinkle the fish with the lemon juice and top with the parsley flakes. Serve.


Kraft Pamesan Rice (this has been changed very much by myself)

2 cups White Rice (it called for Uncle Bens converted rice)
2 cups water
1/3 cup canned mushrooms chopped
2 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 Tbsp sea salt (too much with the italian seasoning, I will probably omit next time)
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (will probably do more next time)

Cook rice on stove top according to directions on box. Take off the heat and stir in mushrooms, butter, salt, italian seasoning and parmesan cheese.

Okay this was very good rice, very flavorful!