I Can Cook!!!

Day 14: Not words that you would expect to come out of my mouth - but true none the less! I was in the mood for risotto last night, but J didn't feel well and wasn't planning on cooking. So, I made it! It was fabulous (see recipe below). It's been added (by my husband) to the "You can make that again" list - which now consists of:

1. Risotto
2. Australian meat pie
3. Pampered Chef chicken Ring "Thing"
4. Shrimp Pilau.

Woo Hoo! My culinary skills are really taking flight! I think the risotto was a tribute to my friend (he doesn't know it) Gordon Ramsey! Every week on Hell's Kitchen they're making risotto and I was inspired! You should try it cos if I can make it - anyone can :)

Recipe:

Heat 7 cups of Chicken stock

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in saucepan and saute 1 onion (diced) for about 20 mins (over medium heat) - just til golden brown. Take off the heat and add 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar. Put aside

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in Large Skillet/ frying pan (medium heat). Add 1 1/2 cups of uncooked risotto rice and stir to combine and heat for 2 mins. Add 1/2 cup of dry white wine (cooking wine). Lower heat to medium low and start to add chicken broth 1 cup at a time. keep stirring until this cup is absorbed. Once it is absorbed add another cup and so on and so forth until all 7 cups of stock are gone. You need to stir continuously and it takes about 20 mins.

Add the onion mix and take pan off the heat. salt and pepper to taste (but don't add too much salt).

You can eat it like that or you could add some cooked chicken and some parmasan cheese on top to serve.

! ! ! ! ! F A B U L O U S ! ! ! ! !

So my nephew Scott left today for India. I never got to speak to him beofre he left but I did email him to tell him how proud of him I was. I hope he goes and has a great time and learns a lot about himself! Can't wait til he gets back to tell me all about it.

I hope they have good weather at this time a year down there. I know the weather here has been awful. The daily thunder storms have driven my poor dog to living in my closet. Even when it's not stormy he gravitates back there just in case. What can you do? I've been considering contacting Cesar Millan- the dog whisperer - to see if he wants to come out here and help us. What do you think? Worth a shot? If it was a child I wouldn't hesitate to do what needed to be done so I guess I should.

I really shouldn't complain about the weather too much - the folks in the Mid West are still getting beat! town after town is being submerged along with everyone's property/belongings. Can you imagine that problem in Florida? We are so close to sea level that it wouldn't take very much! It may never dry out! (no big loss for most of South Florida) Hee Hee

In the News: A woman is suing Victoria Secret because she was injured by one of their thongs! Seemingly a decorative heart shaped metal piece flew off into her eye as she was trying to put them on (this she tried to explain on the Today Show without looking stupid - didn't work). Her lawyer says Victoria Secret is selling defective under garments!!!! I say sue them for only showing size 0 models looking good in these thongs! What's a man to expect when his real life wife or girl friend puts these thongs on and looks more like an elephant wearing floss??? It should be more a case of false advertising or deception. These poor men are always so disappointed with real life :(