Vacation!

Spring break! I have thoroughly enjoyed this week off from work- it was time for a break. Husband and I headed to North Carolina for the better part of this week and returned yesterday. We spent some time with his grandparents and mom and we also took a few days to ourselves at the river.

River!

Since returning home, I have switched over my wardrobe to spring. It is refreshing to see some color in my closet! Today I was planning on getting the herbs for my herb garden, but it looks real rainy out. So, I'm not so sure that is going to happen. I'm going to run a few other errands in town and then return home to do some serious spring cleaning on this place.

So, did I cook while were on vaca? Of course! We had two really good meals while at the river, most of it was food I have posted about before. I did make some roasted cauliflower, which was really good. I'm not really a big fan of raw cauliflower, but roasted I will take. It's really easy too. To make it, first preheat the oven to 400. Then, you take a head of cauliflower and cut it into little florets. Then, spread it out on a baking sheet. Coat it with evoo, salt, and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes. Done! So good! Sorry, I didn't take a picture.

One night we cooked with my MIL (mother-in-law). We cooked salmon, crab and tomato brushetta, and a new type of risotto- asparagus & green onion. It was a great meal! MIL cooked the salmon coated with a dill butter sauce. I made the risotto which is a recipe from this month's Southern Living. I made some changes as I went. Here's how to make it:

You will need: 1 cup of uncooked aborio rice, 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil, 3/4 cup of green onion (white and green parts), 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, 6 cups of chicken broth, 1/2 pound of asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces, and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese.

First, pour the chicken broth into a large saucepan and simmer on low. Then, heat the 2 tbs of evoo in a large, high-side skillet. Add the thyme and green onions and cook until soft, about one minute. To that, add the rice, stirring to coat. Then, stir in about four ladlefuls of the broth to the rice mixture and let it come to a boil. Let this boil for about five minutes (keep a close eye on it to prevent burning) and then begin to stir constantly. When the broth has been absorbed, stir in two more ladlefuls of broth and stir constantly until absorbed. Repeat this step until all of the broth is gone. When you have put in your last two ladles of broth, add in the asparagus. Cook until it is tender. Stir in the parmesan cheese.

Asparagus & Green Onion Risotto

Our Meal

Well, I am off to make my to-do list for today. Until next time...