Welcome back, old friend!

I can't believe it's been more than 2 months since I've written here! In that duration, however, I managed to re-read the wonderful novel, Gone With The Wind, by Margaret Mitchell. It has always been a favorite of mine and never fails to keep me enthralled from the first page to the last!

After finishing the book which I now know so well, I began to wonder about the woman behind the novel. I found a biography on Margaret Mitchell at the library entitled Road to Tara: The Life of Margaret Mitchell, by Anne Edwards.

Although I am not normally a biography fan, this story, which followed Ms. Mitchell's life from her earliest beginnings through the fame of the novel and film and beyond, was incredibly interesting to me. Ms. Mitchell was, despite the vivacious and outgoing character she created in Scarlett O'Hara, a very shy and reclusive woman who seemed to value her privacy above all else. During the 7 year process of writing Gone With The Wind, she did not believe that anyone would ever really want to read it, let alone think that her novel could be published. To think of how many lives her story touched, including my own, is incredible and gives me hope that someone might want to read this blog someday! :)

Sadly, in 1949, Margaret Mitchell was struck by a vehicle and passed away 5 days later, never regaining consciousness or witnessing the long-reaching effects her novel had on the world.

As an avid reader of the novel and fan of the movie, I was very pleased to be able to have this insight into Ms. Mitchell's life and this biography is highly recommended to anyone with similar interests!

Images courtesy images.google.com

Sundried Tomato Risotto

This wonderful recipe came from Pioneer Woman, which means it was, of course, delicious! I just happened to have all the ingredients for this and had a craving for warm, homey food earlier this week. This hit the spot perfectly!

It took me 3 tries, no lie, to get a non-shaky shot of the ingredients! I never realized how hard it could be to get a stable picture of non-moving objects!

I am terrible at chopping onions. I'm very sorry Ree, you have explained over and over how to do this and yet I still fail miserably!

Regardless, onions and garlic combined is God's greatest gift to humanity.

These sundried tomatoes were a beast to cut. I definitely wished I had a food processor!

This pot has been the most amazing purchase my mom has ever made on my behalf!

Mmm onions and garlic in butter! It does get better!

Adding the wine

Arborio rice is beautiful! It's so pearly and tiny!

I made a small boo-boo and added the wine to the onions before the rice, but it turned out alright in the end :)

The tomatoes turned much brighter throughout the cooking process

All mixed together

Adding the broth a little at a time is a long process, but so worth it! It turns out soooo creamy, without any dairy products at all!

Adding Parmesan. Yes, it's the bottled stuff, because I lack the budget for the good stuff. Forgive me, culinary gods, for I have sinned.

I did add some 2% milk rather than heavy cream, because that was what I had on hand, and that's what Pioneer Woman said to do.

Heaven in a bowl. Yum!

Sundried Tomato Risotto

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons EVOO

1/2 whole large yellow onion, diced

3 whole cloves garlic, minced

2 cups uncooked Arborio rice

7-9 sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and minced

1 cup dry white wine (optional, I opted.)

7 cups low sodium chicken broth

salt and pepper as needed

1 cup Parmesan

1/4 cups heavy whipping cream (or, in my case, 2% milk)

1. Heat broth in a saucepan or in the microwave and set aside

2. Heat butter and EVOO in a pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes.

3. Add dry rice, stirring to coat and cooking for 3 more minutes. Add wine, stir and cook over medium-low heat until most of liquid is absorbed. Add sundried tomatoes and stir.

4. Begin adding broth, one cup at a time, stirring until the liquid is absorbed, then adding the next cup. Repeat until rice is done. Rice should have a slight bite, but not be crunchy. I used about 6 cups of broth total.

5. Remove from heat, then stir in Parmesan and heavy cream. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

5 Ingredient Dessert: It Does Exist!

I made this dessert on Sunday after dinner at our friends David and Meredith's house. I had been wanting to try the recipe for a while, because I had a sneaking suspicion it would be incredibly delicious. I was so, so right. :)

I got this recipe from Noble Pig, and for that, I am eternally grateful!

For some reason (probably because it's pie's off-season) I couldn't find the 15 oz can of pumpkin the recipe calls for. I bought the 29 oz can and measured. C'est la vie!

There is seriously nothing better than boxed cake mix. I don't care what anyone says, it is the best invention ever, and most people either don't notice or don't care. Yum.

The batter was really thick at first, but eventually got some air in it. I did not get a shot of the pumpkin in the bowl pre-mix, because I was too busy dealing with the huge mess I made.

I had to use a round flan pan, but it turned out really well and I didn't have to adjust the baking time at all! Also, it looked really pretty :)

Mmm powdered sugar!

Tried to get some action shots here... that doesn't work so well on a Blackberry, FYI.

I need to get batteries for my real camera.

Mmm glaze! Deliciousness! I did wind up adding a bit more cider to make it extra yummy.

Fresh out of the oven!

The cake was amazingly moist. The pumpkin took care of that aspect perfectly!

Meredith should have been a hand model!

The finished product

This was melt in your mouth, delectable goodness.

This recipe has been Mike (and David, and Meredith) approved!

Here's the how-to:

Pumpkin Cake with Apple Cider Glaze

1 box yellow cake mix

1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons apple cider

3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1. Mix cake mix and pumpkin in bowl. Batter will be very thick.

2. Pout batter into greased 7x11 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 28 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

3. Make the glaze while the cake is baking: Mix powdered sugar, cider and pumpkin pie spice. Glaze should also be thick, but pourable. Add more sugar or cider if needed.

4. When cake is done, cool 5-10 minutes, then flip onto plate. Pour glaze on while still warm.

I would highly recommend this for anyone, even non-bakers (like my mother!)

Cooking again!

Finally getting back into the swing of things! I've been in my apartment for a little over a month now, and despite a few minor things, I love it!

I was very excited to get back to cooking and blogging about it! Tonight, I made Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Creamy Chive Sauce from www.eatingwell.com. I made some mashed potatoes to go with it, and they were the perfect side because they used some of the sauce too! This dish was delicious and I can't wait to make it again! And the best part is that it's only 244 calories per serving!



Mmm Dijon mustard! Be very excited.



Dredged in flour...



The sizzle when these hit the pan was a good sign of things to come!



I used green onions because they were cheaper than chives. I think they worked just as well!



Mmm shallots!



De-glazing the pan



I only used 2 chicken breasts rather than the 4 called for, because a. there were only two of us, b. I only had two, and c. they were very good sized!



Doesn't that look amazing?



Dinner all set up on my new (old) table!


I was surprised at how well the close-up turned out, considering that I'm still using my BlackBerry to take pictures.



I can't believe I ate the whole thing!



This recipe is Mike-approved!

Here's the recipe:

Sauteed Chicken Breasts with Creamy Chive Sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound), trimmed of all fat
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 plus 1 tablespoon flour, divided
3 teaspoons EVOO, divided
2 large shallots, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 14 oz can reduced sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup chopped chives (about 1 bunch)

1. Place chicken between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or heavy skillet until flattened to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch. Season both sides of chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Dredge chicken in 1/4 cup flour.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to plate, cover and keep warm.
3. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in the pan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring constantly to de-glaze pan, for 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon flour, stirring to coat. Add wine, broth and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, stirring often.
4. Return the chicken to pan, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until heated through and no longer pink in the center, about 6 minutes. Stir in sour cream and mustard until smooth, turn chicken to coat in sauce. Stir in chives and serve immediately.

Summer...

I'm ready for summer. Bring on the sunshine, the heat and the pool!

(500) Days of Summer

I have recently found a new favorite movie that is right up there with La vita è bella (Life is Beautiful) It is called (500) Days of Summer and stars Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It's a little off-beat, indie to the core and absolutely adorable!



See, aren't they cute?



One of the things I like best about this movie is that, despite being a "romantic comedy" it is not at all a chick flick and has a way of presenting itself as true to life that I absolutely adore.



Bookstores are always a win for me. I love his "Love will tear us apart" t-shirt!



Tom: It's official. I'm in love with Summer.
[while Montage of Summer plays]
Tom: I love her smile. I love her hair. I love her knees. I love how she licks her lips before she talks. I love her heart-shaped birthmark on her neck. I love it when she sleeps.



This was at the Sundance Film Festival photobooth. Still adorable together!



See the chemistry??? See it???


Note: all images are from Photobucket or Google Images.