Ingredients

• 2 cups of pearled barley
• 8 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 shallots (finely diced)
• 1 ½ cups of asparagus tips (diced)
• 1 cup of parmesan cheese (finely grated)
• salt to taste

Directions

1. In a medium sized sauce pan, heat the vegetable broth and allow the broth to sit over low heat.
2. In a large sauce man, melt 2 tablespoons of butter on low-medium heat.
3. To the butter, add the shallots and continue to cook for another 2 minutes until the shallots are translucent.
4. Next, add the barley and mix with the shallots.
5. Add a few ladles of broth (enough to cover the barley). Stir and allow some of the liquid to be absorbed.
6. Continue cooking and adding broth a few ladles at a time allowing time for the broth to be absorbed before adding more.
7. Continue this process until the barley is tender, but still slightly firm. (20-30 minutes)
8. Add the asparagus and cook until tender but still slightly firm.
9. Add the salt and parmesan cheese and stir.
10. Serves 6-8 people.

Kevin’s Comments Section: Corrine and I have been married for almost a year now. She has figured something out about me…don’t tell me what’s in it and I will pretty much try it. “Kevin try this smoothie.” So I try it….”hmm that’s an interesting (not in a good way) taste.” That is because she put Greek yogurt in it. Would I have liked it without the yogurt? Probably. But if she told me the yogurt was in there…chances are I would not have tried it. Same thing happened with this Barley Risotto…although she did not tell me about the green stuff in the above photograph. If she had told me the asparagus was in there, I would not have eaten as much of it as I did. I really enjoyed it though, ate the whole bowl she gave to me.

Sometimes I eat like a trash can. Take Wednesday night for example. I ate a bag of popcorn, a handful of chocolate chips, a granola bar, and 2 waffles with butter and syrup. I felt a bit shameful, but mostly I felt nauseated by the amount of sugar I consumed in less than 20 minutes.

I try not to make a habit of this, but sometimes I get lazy and forget that it doesn’t take much effort to make a decent meal. After that fiasco of a meal on Wednesday night, I decided that it is time to get off my booty and create some healthier recipes.

This recipe is foolishly simple to make and clearly healthier than the dinner I just described. To make, I simply rummaged through my fridge and cupboards and used whatever I found lying around. What do you have lying around your fridge?

I cooked some fresh long grain brown rice, used up a half eaten bag of baby spinach, an olde red onion, and some baby grape tomatoes and feta cheese that we had leftover from a gluten free pizza party (ps…I will be posting that gluten free pizza party soon!).

Eating well does not have to be fussy and expensive. Arguably, some of the least expensive foods in the world (i.e. beans, eggs, and brown rice) are also the tastiest, healthiest, and easiest to prepare!

Oh spinach. You make me laugh. Funny how 6 cups can cook down to basically a tablespoon.

I am somewhat fond of onions, particularly red onions. Although, they’re not as pretty when they are cooked. I can easily devour a whole cooked onion, right Mom? But, I’m not as wild about onions as some people. You may have heard of these people. They can eat onions like apples. How can this be?

Brown rice amazes me. It’s cheap AND good for you! Can I get an Amen for brown rice? When cooked properly, it should form little holes on the top, like this.

Recipe: Brown Rice Spinach Sauté

Ingredients

• 1 cup of long grain brown rice (dry/uncooked)
• 2 cups of water
• ½ teaspoon of salt (or to taste)
• ½ large red onion (sliced or diced or however you like them)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4-6 cups of raw baby spinach
• 1 cup of baby grape tomatoes (sliced)
• ½ cup feta cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a medium size sauce pan, combine the water, salt, and brown rice.
2. Allow the rice to come to a boil (uncovered) on medium/high heat.
3. Reduce the heat, cover, and allow the rice to cook on low/simmer for 20 minutes or so until all the water has been absorbed and little holes form on the top.
4. In a medium/large frying pan, sauté the red onion with olive oil. Cook on medium/low heat stirring occasionally.
5. Place the rice in a bowl, topped with the spinach sauté, baby grape tomatoes, and feta cheese.

A little better than my dinner on Wednesday night, eh?

Where do I start….here looks good. This is actually Kevin…Corrine’s husband. Corrine asked me to create a post for KYDR. This meant all I had to do was take the photographs and type up the copy for the post. Then somehow have them make sense. If you are already bored you can scroll down and get the recipe. I will never know you did it.

Something you should know about Corrine is that she loves to ask questions. It is not to hear herself talk, it is because she loves answers. She likes to know how and why things work and how to problem solve. When she started KYDR I think I heard more photography questions in those weeks then I had in my life. The best part is…she did not need my help. She has had an eye for it since she picked up the camera.

Lately I have been asking myself some questions. For example why do some leftovers taste better than they did the day/night before? Take for example the Baked Ziti with Chicken Meatballs from this post. It was good when they came out of the oven..even the stove knew it.

It was somehow better for lunch though. Not sure how that happens. Maybe it is because the ingredients have gone through alot together and they finally get to relax and be themselves?

I thought I would add some behind the scenes photographs. Corrine cleaned as she went so you are not getting the full effect.

I know this post has kinda been jumping around…..so I figure why not cover some more ground. Ever notice food images are better in color than in black and white? See below.

I doubt you would send the black and white photo to a friend…well the color one either…but I believe you would send the color one over the b/w.

Are you wondering how I am going to end this jumpy post? With a photograph and some questions.

Baked Ziti with Chicken Meatballs

Ingredients

For the Simple Italian Tomato Sauce

For the Chicken Meatballs

Other ingredients for the filling

• 1 ¼ cups part-skim ricotta cheese
• ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (minced)
• 1 pound of ziti

Directions

1. Cook the sauce
2. Cook the meatballs
3. Cook the pasta until al dente.
4. Spread half of the sauce on the bottom of a greased 9” baking dish.
5. In a large mixing bowl combine the cheeses and parsley.
6. Pour 1 cup of sauce onto the drained pasta and pour into the greased baking dish.
7. Crumble the cheese mixture evenly over the pasta.
8. Add the meatballs on top of the pasta then top with the most of the remaining sauce.
9. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes.
10. About 5 minutes before the dish is finished cooking remove from the oven and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Return to oven and cook until cheese has melted.

What are your favorite leftovers?

What is the best question you have ever been asked?

Last Wednesday, Kevin and I made lasagna rolls. As far back as I can remember, I have always enjoyed lasagna, but I have never ventured to make my own. I am not sure why, but I think that it may have something to do with the fact that classic lasagna looks like a ton of work to make, slice, and serve. However, I was inspired by a recipe for lasagna rolls that I saw on foodgawker. Lasagna rolls make sense to me. They are easy to make. They are easy to slice. They are easy to serve. Plus they look way cuter than a classic lasagna. This time I cooked and Kevin took most of the photos. I love the way he helps me to see food from new angles and encourages me to try new things. His own photography is inspiring. Check it out.

I used spinach in this recipe but these would be great with lean ground beef or turkey in the sauce for extra protein or roasted eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini, or red peppers….or pretty much any other vegetable you would like to add. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Sauce

• ½ small onion (diced)
• 4 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 (16 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil (chopped)
• ½ teaspoon salt

Filling

• 1 ¼ cups part-skim ricotta cheese
• ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg (lightly beaten)
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (minced)
• 1 package of frozen chopped spinach (defrosted and drained)
• 8 lasagna noodles (cooked)

Directions

1. In a medium sized saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in the olive oil until browned and fragrant.
2. Add tomatoes, salt, and basil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Spread half of the sauce on the bottom of a greased 9” baking dish.
4. In a large mixing bowl combine the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, and spinach.
5. Spread ¼ cup of the cheese/spinach mixture evenly over each lasagna noodle.
6. Roll up and place seam side down in rows in the baking dish then top with the most of the remaining sauce. There may be some sauce left over depending upon how “saucy” you like your lasagna to be.
7. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes.
8. About 5 minutes before the dish is finished cooking remove from the oven and top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Return to oven and cook until cheese has melted.

Classic lasagna or lasagna rolls? You know my answer.

Risotto is not a good recipe for an impatient person…

I can be a very impatient person.

To get things done faster I…

• microwave food on the highest setting
• walk up stairs two at a time
• cram the washing machine with far too many clothes

What do I get when I take these shortcuts? …burnt food, sore legs, and dirty laundry.

On more than one occasion I have been given the advice “just relax, good things come to those who wait”. This advice usually makes me want to punch someone in the teeth, but I know from experience that it’s true. Anything that I have ever wanted I usually had to wait for. Waiting is never any fun, but it does make the thing that you’re waiting for much more special when you finally get to have it.

Certain things cannot be rushed – love, better health, success, risotto. It takes time to make risotto, but trust me, like most things, it’s worth the wait.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Arborio rice
• 8 cups of chicken broth
• 5 tablespoons of butter
• 2 shallots (finely diced)
• 1 ½ cups of shiitake mushrooms (diced)
• 2 cups of butternut squash (1 whole butternut squash peeled, diced into chunks)
• 1 cup of parmesan cheese (finely grated)
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• parsley to garnish

Directions

1. In a medium sized sauce pan, heat the chicken broth and allow the broth to sit over low heat.
2. In a large sauce man, melt 5 tablespoons of butter on low-medium heat.
3. To the butter, add the shallots and continue to cook for another 2 minutes until the shallots are translucent.
4. Next, add the butternut squash and cook for another 3-5 minutes so that the squash begins to soften.
5. Now, add the Arborio rice and mushrooms and mix with the shallots and squash.
6. Add a few ladles of broth (enough to cover the rice). Stir and allow some of the liquid to be absorbed.
7. Continue cooking and adding broth a few ladles at a time allowing time for the broth to be absorbed before adding more.
8. Continue this process until the rice is tender, but still slightly firm. (20-30 minutes)
9. Add the salt and parmesan cheese and stir.
10. Serves 6-8 people.

What are you waiting for?

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Most of us are set in our ways when it comes to pasta shapes…

I like spaghetti. My Mom prefers penne. Kevin prefers ziti.

Now, I realize that most pasta, regardless of the shape, is made from the same basic ingredients (flour, water, salt, egg). I know this, but I can’t wrap my head around the fact that I associate different pasta shapes with different flavors. I’ve actually said on more than one occasion, “What are you crazy? I can’t substitute shells for bow tie pasta!”

Today, I was feeling frisky so I decided to use orecchiette for my pasta choice. Orecchiette means “little ears” in Italian.

This is probably one of the tastiest meals that I have eaten this year and I think it might have something to do with the sun dried tomatoes and Romano cheese. The sweetness of the sundried tomatoes balances the bitterness of the broccoli raab. The portabella mushrooms, squash, and chicken sausage didn’t hurt either. I love pasta when it is loaded with lots of fresh vegetables. I added chicken sausage for added protein, but you could easily eliminate it to make this a vegetarian friendly meal.

Do yourself a favor and make this meal for someone you love. You won’t regret it.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion (diced)
• 2 cloves of garlic (diced)
• Salt and pepper (about ¼ teaspoon each)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 bunch of broccoli raab (washed and 1 inch of the stems sliced off)
• 2 yellow squash (diced)
• 2 cups of baby portabella mushrooms (rinsed)
• 1 pound of chicken sausage (Italian style, thinly sliced or crumbled)
• 1 pound of orecchiette
• 4 oz of sundried tomatoes in olive oil (reserve the oil)
• Fresh grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• Fresh parsley to garnish

Directions

1. In a medium sized frying pan, sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil (about 5 minutes or until they start to brown), add salt and pepper.
2. Add the chicken sausage. Cook until the meat is no longer pink (about 5-7 minutes)
3. While the onions, garlic, and chicken sausage are cooking, fill a large pot with water and allow it to boil.
4. Place the broccoli raab in the boiling water and cook for 3-5 minutes (until the color becomes bright green).
5. Add the mushrooms and squash to the pan with the chicken sausage and vegetables
6. Drain the broccoli raab and add to the pan with the chicken sausage and vegetables (sauté on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes).
7. Meanwhile, cook the orecchiette (al dente about 7 minutes), drain, and place into a large serving bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, mix, and set aside.
8. Add the chicken sausage and vegetable mixture to the pasta and toss.
9. Add the sundried tomatoes with the oil to the pasta mixture and toss.
10. Top with fresh grated cheese. Savor every last bite!

What is your favorite pasta shape?