Spinach Risotto

There are few on pot meals more perfect than risotto. It’s brilliant in its simplicity start with a good heavy pot. Build your base with some sweet onion or shallot cooked in butter. Add 1 cup of aborio rice and cook it slightly. Add 1 cup chicken stock. The secret to a great risotto is to keep it moving. Stir it consistently and add another cup of stock and stir until chicken broth cooked in. Add 1 more cup of broth stirring continually until creamy. Making risotto is that simple. The only thing to bear in mind is not to over cook the rice and turn it into mush. It should be creamy and the rice should be slightly al dente. Finish that with 1/2 stick of butter cut into pats. Fold in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
You can be as creative as you like with you risotto. Enjoy.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

There are few things in life that are better than fresh baked chocolate chip cookies on a cold evening with an ice cold glass of milk. When I make cookies I am a traditionalist. I want them slightly crispy on the outside and ultra chewy on the inside.
In this batch I added some Craisins they taste great in the cookies and o\pair well with the chocolate chips.
One trick I learned as a chef is to use a portion scoop to make them all the same size.
Another trick is to cook the dough cold after you portion it. This will keep them thick when they cook.
You will need 2 sticks of softened salted butter
3/4 cup of brown sugar packed tightly into your measurement
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Whip butter and sugar until smooth
Add 2 eggs (bringing them to room temp first) and whip until somewhat fluffy
mix in 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
add a pinch of salt
1 bag chocolate chips
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 chopped craisins (optional)
Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes on parchment lined cookie sheet pans

Chinese Sausage with Teriake Beurre Blanc

If it’s good enough for Wolfgang Puck it’s good enough for me

Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala is a nice alternative to the old stand byes when planning dinner at home. Its really allot easier to make than you might realize. I switched things up a little bit with this one using Italian breaded chicken and  topping it with ham and mozzarella. To speed things up you can cut your chicken into chunks and  saute with the mushrooms. The most important thing though is the sauce. I like to use lots of Marsala wine and demi glace, basil, shallots and skinless diced tomatoes and swirl in some butter.