Butternut Squash Risotto

The original recipe calls for 1/2 of a squash peeled, seeded and diced. Give me a break. I tried once to handle an entire squash and I have never tried again. I buy it at Costco... it comes pre-diced in a 2 lb container. I used it all because I had no plans to make anything else with butternut squash soon. Next time I will spend the extra time to further dice the pieces. I spent a lot more than "several minutes" (as the recipe states) cooking the squash and it still came out a little too tough for my taste. Also we replaced 2 cups of the vegetable broth with white wine (allegedly b/c I only had 4 cups of broth but we probably would have done it anyway. And, as always for me, no parsley. Great dish... will totally make it again.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs diced butternut squash
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper To Taste
• 1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1/2 whole Diced Onion
• 1-1/2 cup Arborio Rice
• 6 cups (approximately) Vegetable Or Chicken Broth (low Sodium)
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon Turmeric
• 1/4 cup Heavy Cream (less If Desired)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Shavings (more For Serving)
• Finely Minced Parsley, For Serving

Preparation Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add squash and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Cook for several minutes, turning gently with a spatula, until squash is deep golden brown and tender (but not falling apart.) Remove to a plate and set aside.
2. Heat broth in a saucepan over low heat. Keep warm. (Personally I'm about 50/50 whether I actually heat up the liquid)
3. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the same skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add Arborio rice and stir, cooking for 1 minute.
4. Reduce heat to low. In 1-cup increments, begin adding broth to the skillet, stirring to combine and gently stirring as the broth is absorbed. As soon as the liquid disappears, add in another cup to cup-and-a-half of broth. Continue this process, stirring gently as the broth incorporates and the rice starts to become tender. Add salt, pepper along the way.
5. Taste the rice after about 5 cups of broth have been absorbed and see what the consistency is. Add another 1 to 2 cups of broth as needed to get the rice to the right consistency: it should be tender with just a little bit of "bite" left to it.
6. When the rice is tender, add in the cooked squash and turmeric and stir it in gently. Add the cream and Parmesan shavings and stir until it's just combined. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
7. Sprinkle minced parsley over the top and serve immediately!

Photo and Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

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Breakfast Casserole

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 16 ounces sour cream
• 1 (2 pound) package frozen hash brown
• potatoes, thawed
• 2 cups cooked ham, cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Season beaten eggs with pepper; pour into baking dish. In a large bowl, combine soup, sour cream, hash browns, ham, onion and cheese. Mix thoroughly and pour over eggs.
3. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove and drizzle butter over top of casserole. Return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until golden.

Crockpot Cranberry Ribs

I think this was my first really successful meat dish in the slow cooker. It came out tender and juicy and delicious. This required less than 5 minutes to get ready to go in the crockpot (my ribs were already cut in individual pieces) and absolutely no work once they came out.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds Pork Ribs (I Used Ribs On The Bone)
• 1 can Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce (14 Ounce Can)
• ½ cups Applesauce
• ½ cups Orange Juice
• ½ cups Chicken Broth
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Parsley For Garnish (optional)

Preparation Instructions

1. Cut the ribs into individual ribs to fit into the crockpot and add them into a medium to large sized crockpot.
2. Add cranberry sauce, applesauce, orange juice, chicken broth, garlic, salt and pepper and stir. Put the lid on.
3. Turn crockpot on high and cook for at least 6 hours. Remove ribs from crockpot and set aside on a platter.
4. Skim fat from the sauce. Remove sauce from crockpot. Pour half of the sauce over the ribs and reserve the rest of the sauce for those who want more.
5. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Photo and recipe from Tasty Kitchen