Pumpkin Mushroom Parmesan Risotto

"My way of joking is to tell the truth. it's the funniest joke in the world."

George Bernard Shaw

Let me tell you about the night I had.  We have two dogs.  One is a 10 year old Border Terrier named Tully, who is such a sweetie she doesn't even need a leash.  The other is a two year old Maltipoo named Abby, who is fluffy and adorable, but kind of a menace (we also have a parrot, but that's another story).  Right before bed the dogs are always brought outside one last time.

                       Border Terriers....hopefully not chasing skunks!

You know how dogs say hello to each other?  Yeah that.  Well Tully ran up to a huge skunk to check his calling card (naturally) and got sprayed point blank in the face, the poor thing.  Now that is just rude. Have you ever smelled skunk up close and personal?  It's so bad you can hardly breathe.  And it lingers...for-ev-er.  It's enough to get your shorts in a knot.  My job was to go online and find a recipe for "de-skunking solution."  Luckily, the Mister tackled the actual dirty job.  Where is Mike Rowe when you need him?  It worked surprisingly well and although you probably can still detect Eau-De-Skunk around here, it's better than last time (yes, rewind 11 years, different dog, Audrey's fifth birthday party, skunked dog running all through it..Murphy's Law, after all).  It can get a little nutty here.  I once hosted a traveling troupe of college singers for a weekend and one of them commented that our family was like a sitcom.  Is that good or bad?

But I digress...the risotto.

Not being a professional writer by trade, I cannot properly express my excitement over this dish.  It was savory, creamy, yet toothsome, and as comforting as an embrace.  I loved it!  Risotto is not difficult, you just have to stand there and stir it constantly for 20 minutes.  Tending it is the key to it's creamy richness, but you are amply rewarded for your efforts with this dish.  It can be a side dish, but it's also good enough to stand alone as a meatless meal.

This recipe was inspired by and adapted from the pumpkin risotto recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens Special Publication, Ultimate Italian, at newsstands now.  I recommend it if you happen across it, there are tons of great recipes and I plan on working my way through it.

Pumpkin Mushroom Parmesan Risotto


2 to 2 1/2 cups water
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
4 ounces baby bella mushrooms, diced small (pieces should equal 1 cup)
1 garlic clove, run through garlic press, or minced
2 cups uncooked arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
Several grinds fresh black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese


In a medium saucepan, bring water and broth to boil.  Set aside.  In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onion, garlic and mushrooms.  Cook about 3 minutes or until onion is tender.  Add uncooked rice.  Cook and stir for 3 minutes until rice begins to brown.


Slowly add the wine to the rice mixture, stirring constantly.  Continue to cook and stir over medium heat until liquid is absorbed.  Stir in the seasonings.  Now you will begin to slowly add the hot chicken broth mixture.  Add to rice 1/2 cup at a time, slowly and stirring constantly.  When all the liquid is absorbed, add 1/2 cup more, again slowly and stirring constantly. Keep stirring until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is slightly creamy and just tender (this should take about 20 minutes). Stir in pumpkin and Parmesan cheese; heat through.  Serve immediately.  Makes 4-6 servings.

Noodle Kugel

To all my Jewish friends & relatives:

L'Shanah Tovah! (Happy New Year)

Today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, a holiday where kugel is traditionally served.  I've always liked kugel since I first had it about 25 years, ago.  It's a comfort food for sure.

Kugel can be made either sweet or savory, and if you search, you can find endless variations, with fruits and vegetables added.

This sweet dairy noodle kugel is indulgently rich and has old fashioned flavor. The recipe was given to me by my Aunt Donna Dailey Silverberg.  It is a great brunch dish, when served with bagels and spreads.  I'm sure it's untraditional, but I found it sweet enough to serve as a dessert with fruit.

There was only 3 of us eating so I halved the recipe.  I hate waste and did not want to be eating it for days and then have to run a marathon to burn it off!

Noodle Kugel

1 pound extra wide egg noodles, cooked (Donna uses gluten free) and placed in a greased 13x9 inch pan

1/2 pound butter plus 4 tablespoons

6 eggs

12 ounces cream cheese

2 cups sugar

1 pint sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups crushed corn flakes (gluten free are available)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt 1/2 pound butter.  Mix with softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth.   add eggs one at a time, then vanilla, salt, sour cream and mix until smooth.  Pour over noodles.

Melt the 4 tablespoons of butter and combine with crushed corn flakes.  Sprinkle evenly over noodle mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Pepperoni and Cheese Swirl Bread

I woke up this morning and it was actually chilly...CHILLY!  I love it.  Summer was nice and all, but it was the hottest one in CT that I can remember.  I hope it's not a trend, or I'll be moving to Maine...or Alaska.  

Crisp days coincide with football season and so does finger food.  The kind that teenage boys like (the adult boys, too).   I'm always thinking of what I can make on game day.  This pepperoni and cheese swirl bread was an afterthought that I whipped up an hour before company arrived.  It may seem on the plain side, but it was a HUGE hit.

Hope ND makes some huge hits on Saturday.  Go Irish!

Pepperoni and Cheese Swirl Bread

1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons warm water

1 package quick rise yeast

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon butter, softened

3 1/2 cups flour (about)

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt (I like California style best)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar (or you could use provolone)

1 1/2 cups sliced or chopped pepperoni

1 egg, beaten

Measure warm water into a large bowl.  Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved.  Add sugar, salt, butter and 1 1/2 cups flour.  Beat until smooth.  Stir in enough additional flour to make a soft dough.  Liberally flour your working surface and knead dough for 5 minutes.  Place dough in an oiled bowl, turning to coat top of dough.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in the warmest room in your house, about an hour.

Punch dough down and roll into a 12 x 8 inch rectangle.  Place pepperoni evenly over dough, then cheese, then sprinkle with garlic salt.  Roll up from long side, seal.  Place seam side down on a greased cookie sheet.  Cover with a lightly damp cloth and let rise for an hour.  Slash top a few times with a sharp knife.  Brush loaf with beaten egg.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.  

Pistachio Chocolate Shortbread

I love shortbread and this one has it all.  Buttery and tender with crunchy pistachios and chocolate chips.  A great coffee-break snack and it's super-easy.  A little nod to my European heritage.  Aoibhneas!

Pistachio Chocolate Shortbread

3/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachios

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Coat a 8-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.  

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Mix in vanilla.  Beat in flour, gradually.  Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.  Spread in pan.  Bake 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool completely and cut into squares.

GUEST RECIPE SUNDAY! Waxing Nostalgic for Barbecued Chicken

I don't know these people, but I bet they were eating chicken!

Next to my mother, no one has influenced my life like my Aunt, Donna Dailey Silverberg.  The only remotely athletic thing I did in high school was an awkward attempt at dance class that ended in a dreadful, beglittered, leg warmer-adorned Flashdance-mimicking recital that was decidedly not sexy.  When I was 19, Aunt Donna, being a marathon runner, sent me the The Complete Book of Running which launched me into what became a way of life.  Then, when I was first married, she started sending me cookbooks.  Some, such as The Frog Commissary Cookbook and The Enchanted Broccoli Forest I use to this day.  She and my mother were great cooks that instilled in me the love of cooking from scratch.  She is not only a fabulous cook, but still a competition runner and amazingly talented in many areas.  She could probably knit you a Mercedes.

Aunt Donna submitted this recipe for Barbecued Chicken because it evoked powerful memories (it's also great for your Labor Day picnic!).  As she relayed it to me, it was the only way my Grandparents would grill chicken, and it reminded her of church barbecues she attended as a child.  She also remembered sharing it with my mother and grandmother at a NY interstate rest stop when she was traveling from Binghamton to New London (where we lived) to work.  It must have been 1973, I remember thinking then that she was cool, and I still do.

This is very easy, old school chicken and it is really good.  For such a simple recipe, it packs a lot of great taste.  When I made it, it brought back memories of childhood Summers and backyard barbecues when my own mother used to make chicken this way.  I will definitely be making it again soon.  Who knows? Maybe it will take you back.

That's Donna on the right

Barbecued Chicken

1 cup vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon Old Bay or Poultry Seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 to 2 pounds chicken, either boneless or bone-in breasts.


Mix vinegar, oil, egg and seasonings in a blender until thoroughly combined.  If you are using bone-in chicken,  par-boil it for 20 minutes.   Place chicken in a Ziploc bag with marinade and let sit in refrigerator for 3 hours - overnight.  Grill until the juices run clear, about 10-20 minutes.

Spinach and Bacon Fettuccine

This recipe sprung from one of those moments of inspiration I get when I'm starving and see something fabulously yummy on the cover of a magazine.  It usually happens at the grocery store.  In this case it was the cover of Bon Appetit, must have been June or July.  I then hurry home and try to make something that resembles said dish...FAST.   I've made this dish at least half a dozen times since then. It has become a requested comfort.  Warm, savory and saucy with crispy bacon.  Isn't everything better with bacon?

Spinach and Bacon Fettuccine

6 to 8 slices thick cut bacon

1 (10 ounce) bag fresh spinach

1 stick (1/2 cup) of butter

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling

2/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

In a large skillet, brown bacon until well cooked and crispy, drain on paper towels.  Keep warm in oven set to 150 degrees.  Boil water in a large pot for pasta.  Before adding pasta, dump the entire bag of fresh spinach in the boiling water, dunk with tongs for a moment, then promptly remove spinach (with tongs) into a strainer.  Add a bit of salt and oil to the boiling water and add fettuccine (cook according to box directions).  

Wipe out the skillet you cooked the bacon in and place on stove on lowest setting.  While pasta is cooking, melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in the skillet, then add the cream to warm through.  Do not allow it to boil.  Transfer spinach from the strainer onto 2 paper towels and squeeze out excess water.  Set aside.  When pasta is done cooking, reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water, then strain the pasta and add to the skillet with the butter and cream.  Add the spinach, quickly separating the leaves the best you can, add the remaining two tablespoons of butter, cut up, along with the reserved pasta water, Parmesan cheese and most of the bacon, crumbling it as you add it.  Reserve a bit for sprinkling on top.  Using tongs, toss everything together, then sprinkle with salt, several grinds of black pepper and the remaining Parmesan and bacon.  
Serves three bacon lovers generously.

Ginger Cayenne Cookies

A couple of weeks ago, I bought some triple gingersnaps from Trader Joe's.   They were great, but I wanted more spice, and when I say spice, I don't mean sugar and spice, I mean spicy hot, as in,"Oooh, that's HOT, but I like it!"  These were a hit around here.

Comments:

"the taste goes on and on!"
"what's in these, cocaine?"
"there's a perfect little shell of crunchiness, but they're chewy"
"OMG Mom, they're so good!"

Now, a note about the cayenne.  You don't detect it as a "chili" flavor in the cookie, it just elevates the natural ginger heat to the next level.

Ginger Cayenne Cookies


2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 scant quarter teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup minced crystallized ginger (plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling on top)
1/2 cup Crisco
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar for sprinkling on top)
1 egg
1/4 cup dark molasses


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a small bowl, stir together the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of the minced crystallized ginger.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cayenne.  In a large bowl, beat together the Crisco and butter, then beat in the sugar, egg and molasses.  Stir in the crystallized ginger, then the dry ingredients.  Drop by tablespoonfuls 3-inches apart on a cookie sheet (6 to a sheet).  Sprinkle with sugar/ginger mixture.  Bake about 11 minutes, until brown around the edges.