Italian Risotto made with Orzo Pasta

Well, I had never attempted to cook orzo pasta. I'm pretty sure you can call this dish risotto because it is cooked in broth and you add cheese. Anyway. I tried it out and the results were amazing. I loved it, so I thought I would share it with you. I didn't have a camera on me when I made the meal so there will not be a picture this time. It was a pretty meal, though. I decided to add some red bell pepper and I was pleasantly surprised by how much flavor it added to the dish. Here's how it came together.

2 cups orzo pasta
2 cans chicken broth, add more if it needs it
Butter or olive oil

Saute the pasta in a pot until some of the pasta begins to brown. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat down, cover with a lid, and simmer until the pasta is tender. If the pasta has absorbed all the broth and is still not tender, just add a little more broth and continue to simmer till tender.

2 or more chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 small package of sliced mushrooms
2 or more cups fresh spinach
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 or more cloves of garlic
1 handful of fresh basil leaves
Parmesan or romano cheese, or both
Butter or olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the onion. Add the chicken and cook till no longer pink. Add garlic, mushroom, and bell pepper. Then add your spinach and stir in till wilted. Add basil leaves and stir in till wilted. Then mix together your orzo and sauteed ingredients. Add as much parmesan and romano as you want. :) Enjoy with some nice warm baked bread and you're going to have a very enjoyable dinner.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

My husband, Mike, grew up eating these muffins that his mom would make. Apparently they were the best blueberry muffins he'd ever tasted. What he raved about most was the lemon glaze that you drizzle on top of the muffins. I didn't already have a best ever blueberry muffin recipe, so I gave it a shot. I was not in the least disappointed. These muffins are so light and fluffy, not too sweet, and the lemon adds just a little sour to balance out the sweet. I love them. These muffins need to sit for a little while in the pan before putting them on a wire rack to cool. Otherwise they may fall apart as you're trying to get them out. This recipe should make about 2 dozen good size muffins. I fill my muffin cups full. Don't fill it quite to the brim, but close to it. This way they form a nice muffin top. They freeze really well. I just wrap them individually in plastic wrap and put them in the freezer. I suppose you could put them in a freezer bag, but I would freeze them on a tray first so they don't lose their shape. I'm confident that this is a recipe you will keep. Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup butter (melted)
2 cups blueberries

Topping:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Beat eggs in a medium bowl and slowly add melted butter and milk. Add egg mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin tins almost full. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Makes about 24 medium size muffins.

For the topping, mix together the sugar and lemon juice and drizzle over the muffins.

Greek Omelet

I enjoy trying to cook something new. I'm a fan of eggs though my husband is not. I want eggs for breakfast, he wants bacon. That's just the way it is sometimes. Sometimes a fried egg on an english muffin just doesn't cut it, so this morning i tried an omelet. You could call it a Greek omelet. Not sure why, other than the fact that I used feta cheese. It wasn't as hard as I was anticipating. I'm not even sure if I made it correctly, but it came out looking good and tasting even better. So, I guess I did something right.

I don't always follow a recipe when I cook. So, sharing recipes with others can sometimes be a bit messy.

Greek Omelet
2 eggs
2 tbl half and half
small handful feta
handful fresh spinach
half of small green onion
2 mushrooms
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp marjoram
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Here's how it went...

Beat together the eggs and half and half. Saute the green onion, mushroom, and spinach just until the spinach is mostly wilted. Season that with salt and pepper. Take out of pan and set aside. In same pan pour the egg mixture then add the sauteed ingredients, oregano, marjoram, feta, and season some more with salt and pepper. Let that cook for about 2 minutes on medium-low heat then flip your omelet and let it cook another 2 or 3 minutes. Try not to let it brown.

There you have it! A very tasty Greek omelet. Add or take away whatever you want. It's gonna taste good no matter what you do. And good luck on the flip!