Risotto - Super Simple and Delishicious!

So first - take this super easy and simple recipe from "Real Simple" :

Real Simple Risotto

THEN:
get a nice bunch of asparagus - cut into about 1" pieces and toss around with some salt, pepper, olive oil and any other spices you like and roast at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Chop up about a cup of Italian parsley.

Zest of 1 lemon to brighten it up.


One of the best risottos I've made.


mmmmmmmmmmm...

if you have an afternoon free...

In an alternate plane of existence, without measuring a thing, these amazing buns were made and this recipe given to me by a woman with angelic grace.

Heavenly Cinnamon Buns

Phase 1: the dough:

1 small-medium sized potato
2 cups of warm water [120˚]
2 Tablespoons milk or heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg – lightly beaten
4-5 cups bread flour
2 ¼ teaspoons yeast


Cook the potato in the water until it is tender. Saving the water, take the potato out of the pot and mash it up. This should give you about ½ cup of mashed potato. Take a cup of the “potato water” and add the milk.

From here you can either throw all this crap into a bread maker on the dough setting; or into a mixer; or into a bowl and stir it up with a big wooden spoon.

If doing this in a bowl or mixer:
Add the flour a cup or so at a time until it looks and feels like bread dough – it’s the best feeling in the world. Knead it a bit on a floured surface and then put in a clean bowl covered with a towel or plastic wrap in a warm spot and let it rise for about an hour.

If in a bread maker:
Only add 3 ½ or 4 cups – you can add more after it’s done rising in the machine when you take it out and give it a little knead before moving on to Phase 2.

Phase 2: Rolling and filling

1 stick of softened butter…or 2 si vous préférez.
½ cup sugar
¼ cup cinnamon
Pinches of: cloves, nutmeg and allspice
2 Greased 9”x13”pans [just in case one isn’t enough]

Mix together sugar and cinnamon, and other spices. Roll your dough out into a large rectangle. Schmear the butter all over the rectangular dough – you know you love butter – don’t hold back. Evenly spread [maybe with a nice shaker] the cinnamon and sugar mixture all over the butter. Once the surface is covered with the goodness of sugar and butter roll it up. Roll the long side closest to you toward the opposite long side.

Cut into cinnamon bun size [whatever this means to you] then place the “buns” into the greased pans. Cover and let rise for about 30-45 minutes.

Phase 3: Baking

Pre-heat the oven to 400˚. Bake your buns for about 20-25 minutes. They’ll be a bit lightly brown on the top.

Phase 4: Icing [Optional – yeah, right…]

1 cup butter [softened]
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat these things together and spread over the cooled buns. Or warm buns. It’s hard to wait for them to cool down before tearing into these.

Enjoy the sweet taste of heaven...

Curry Noodle Pot

I love a good curry and this was simple and divine!

From one of my favorite's [Heidi Swanson] - her cookbook "Super Natural Cooking:"

8oz udon noodles - the wide ones if you can find them were wonderful!
2 tablespoons coconut oil, olive oil or clarified butter
2 cloves garlic - but really is 2 ever enough? I used a few...
1 onion - chopped
1 1/2 tsps red curry paste
12 oz extra-firm tofu cut into thumb-size slices
1 [14oz] can coconut milk
2 cups vegetable stock or water
2 tsps ground turmeric
2 Tbsp shoyu sauce [I used Tamari - I'm sure regular soy sauce is fine too]
1 Tbsp granulated sugar [I used a Tbsp of agave nectar]
Juice of 1 lime
2/3 cups peanuts [I did not use this]
1/3 cup slivered shallots [I did not use this either]
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain and set aside.

For the Curry:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic, onion and curry paste - mash it up a bit - distribute evenly. Cook until fragrant - a minute or two. Add the tofu and gently stir until coated with the curry paste. Stir in the coconut milk, stock, turmeric, shoyu and sugar. bring to a simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the lime juice, and add the noodles. Jostle them a bit if they're sticking together.

To serve, heap big piles of noodles into individual bowls [or just throw it all in one big bowl - which is what I did] and top with curry sauce. Throw on the peanuts and sprinkle with shallots and cilantro.

mmmm...