There are very few breakfast foods I love more in this world than the blueberry muffin.
Whether it’s fresh out of the oven or one of those generic ones you get in plastic wrap at the corner store, there’s just something about a blueberry muffin that is so satisfying. Not a chocolate muffin, not a poppyseed muffin, and definitely not a CORN muffin (Pointless. WHY? Just eat some cornbread). I don’t know if it’s the buttery flavor, the sweet blueberries, or the temporary carb-induced euphoria, but whatever it is, I loooove it.
Donuts are my kryptonite. There are very few things in this world that make me forget that I have self control, and donuts are pretty much all of them.
I usually avoid them for this reason, but while on Spring break earlier this month visiting my cousins in North Carolina, I decided to treat myself to a toasted amaretto donut. Yes, it was as good as it sounds. And in those few, all-too-short minutes of edible bliss, I fell head-over-heels. Of course, the honeymoon was short lived, because I came sugar-crashing back to reality almost instantly. But it was worth it.
I have learned to cherish leftovers in a whole new way over the past seven months. Things can get crazy over here (in the best kind of way) trying to juggle school, teaching, blogging, working, AND attempting to have some kind of a social life. As much as I love making new recipes and playing around in the kitchen, I very often have to rely on leftovers to be my meals, or to become the ingredients for new meals.
This kind of makes me feel old. I used to cook new recipes on weekdays regularly, but I think those times are dwindling. I just don’t have the same time or energy I used to… WHAT IS THIS “BEING AN ADULT” THING AND HOW DO I END IT?
“By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by USA Rice Federation and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”
I can’t figure out whether I’m a patient person or not.
If we were to find ourselves on an NYC subway car, for example, and an announcement came on that we were being held until further notice, you would never hear me shout, “AWH YOU KIDDIN’ ME?” I’m a rarity in New York. Also, I can practice violin for extended periods of time with (relative) success and with (debatably) good concentration, which I definitely consider one of my best achievements.
But in the kitchen, I’m super inconsistent. I love the mundane aspects of cooking that a lot of people hate, like chopping and measuring. But if a dish is slow to cook on its own, and yet STILL requires my constant attention, like risotto? Ugh. Also, oats made on the stove. What even are those? I’m hungry in the morning… Team watery, high-risk-of-overflowing microwave oats all the way.
I have been trying to improve my kitchen patience, though. I mean, I’ve gotten SUPER picky about cutting all of my vegetables perfectly into appropriately sized, even cuts. I know that’s not really anything special, but whatever, just humor me. I think I’m doing a good job here.
Another thing I’ve been trying to do lately is balance my food groups better. With my ridiculous, often unpredictable schedule, it becomes so easy to fall into food routines – and not necessarily good ones. It becomes so easy to miss meals and then rely on snacks during lunch and dinner hours, which has become more normal than I’d like. Example: I had popcorn for dinner a few weeks ago. It was homemade though, and then I covered it in cilantro (that I dried myself – boo yah!) so I guess there was a serving of greens in there? Ugh. Also, “lunch” has recently become a spoonful of plain greek yogurt with cinnamon, pomegranate seeds, and a tablespoon of homemade granola. There was one day last week I ate that twice… In one day.
But now I feel that things are looking up, because I conquered this risotto, and have thus conquered my two biggest food-related weaknesses; kitchen patience, and food group balancing. The patience is worth it though, because this risotto is the BOMB DIGGITY. Do people say that anymore? Also, the base of this dish is rice, which makes for a great balanced meal that is also delicious!
Because of its many benefits, the USA Rice Federation has encouraged the Recipe Reduxers to spread the love, and “Think Rice.” USA-grown rice is naturally trans fat-, cholesterol-, sodium-, and gluten-free, so if you’re watching your intake of any or all of those things (…or not), rice is a great choice. It’s also inexpensive, easy to buy in bulk, and goes well with pretty much anything you want to put on or in it. It gets this hungry-but-frugal grad student’s seal of approval, and you can definitely be “Thinking Rice” with this mighty tasty risotto! Although it takes some time, it’s pretty easy to make. It actually tastes way more complicated than it is. In the words of my spirit animal Ina Garten, “How easy is that?!”
1 1/4 cups U.S.A. grown, organic arborio -or- short grain brown rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)
4 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup dried mission figs, chopped
1/3 cup pitted, oil-cured black olives, chopped
1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste (if desired)
Instructions
Soak the dried mushrooms in the boiling water. Let soak for 30 minutes, or until fully hydrated.
Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a saucepan. When boiling, reduce to a simmer.
Chop garlic and sage. Set aside.
Chop onion. Set aside.
Chop figs and olives. Set aside.
Once mushrooms are hydrated, strain and then reserve the soaking liquid through a cheesecloth or paper towel. Chop the mushrooms. Set aside.
Add 3 tbs. of olive oil to a large, deep skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and sage and let sweat until fragrant.
Add onion to skillet. Stir frequently, cooking until semi-translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add rice to skillet, plus one more tablespoon of olive oil. Toss to coat, and toast for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
Add wine to skillet.
Once wine liquid has cooked off, add mushroom liquid and a ladleful of the hot stock. Stir occasionally, until liquid is absorbed.
Add 1-2 more ladlefuls of stock. Stir occasionally until liquid is absorbed, then add more stock. Repeat until rice is al dente. Add figs and olives to pan about halfway through the cooking process (when stock is half gone).
Remove risotto from heat. Stir in cheese, plus salt and pepper to taste if desired.
Notes
Garnish with sage leaves, thinly sliced fig, and/or extra pecorino. Because cheese.
Save time by chopping your garlic, sage, onion, etc. while the mushrooms are soaking and the stock is heating up.
Kill time while waiting for the risotto to cook by drinking the leftover wine 😉
So, I know I just gave you a dessert recipe. I know.
I also know that I outlined my unpopular opinion on Valentine’s Day in last week’s post, and now it would appear that I have made you heart-shaped chocolates. But I feel like that’s OK, because Valentine’s Day is over. I’m a weird kind of stubborn sometimes… Also, the only ice cube trays I own are those heart-shaped ones from Ikea. So, there’s that. But you should totally make these next time you have a date over, because they’ll probably fall for you immediately (if they haven’t already).
And I know you may be a bit chocolate-d out from all the chocolate you may have consumed since last Saturday. But for me, there is no such thing as “chocolate-d out,” and I don’t think I’m alone. So I am honoring this month’s Recipe Redux theme, “Favorite Chocolate Matches,” with a super easy, delicious truffle recipe.
Amidst this extremely busy (and freezing) week, simple was the best way to go. I had been planning some kind of cocoa chili, but then earlier this week I made cinnamon chili instead, because I was 100% hungry and only about 60% adventurous. Such is the life of a grad student.
And so this morning, on the morning OF this post’s due date, I still did not have a recipe. Oops. Although, in the true nature of the challenge (which was to find a way to use leftover chocolate), I used two other leftover household staples to make these little nuggets of heaven – peanut butter and dates. So many of my favorite candies boast the peanut butter-caramel-chocolate trifecta, and dates are a perfect healthy way to simulate the texture and flavor of caramel.
I made these before heading off to see a student, popped them in the freezer, and they were perfectly set by the time I got home. Then, I had just enough time to pop them out of the mold and photograph them before I went out to rehearsal. If that’s not proof that these are low-maintenance, I don’t know what is. And I’m kind of high-maintenance. But these honestly taste super fancy, so nobody will have to know your secret 😉
Combine mashed dates with a pinch or two of sea salt. Combine and set aside.*
Spoon a small amount of dark chocolate into each section of a silicone ice tray or mold. Using the back of a teaspoon, spread the chocolate to thinly coat the bottom layer of each section. This layer should still be thick enough that you can’t see any of the tray through the chocolate.
Place in freezer to set bottom layer, about 5 minutes.
Fill each mold about 2/3 of the way up with mashed dates.
Fill the rest of each mold evenly to the top with peanut butter.
Thinly spread the rest of the chocolate on top of each candy (i.e. don’t cover the whole surface of the tray/mold with chocolate).
Return to freezer until set, about 1 hour.
Notes
*If necessary to help with mashing, microwave the dates first for about 20-30 seconds.
