Creamy Mushroom Risotto, Roasted Broccoli with Parm-Reg, Steak (Crab Stuffed Mushrooms)

Dinner was interesting last night. The entire time I was cooking, cutting, pouring and cleaning, my daughter was trying to get involved. I held her for a big chunk of the time and explained cooking mushrooms in detail. I'm sure she was thrilled --- what 17-month-old wouldn't be? When I wasn't holding her, she was trying to reach for stuff on the counter. Apparently she grew taller because I had to push everything back even further. Then, every time my husband or I opened the fridge door, she would run over and peek in. Well, "peek in," sounds so sweet and innocent. In reality, she grabbed the half-opened door and threw it open, and then shoved her way in front of my husband or I for better access to the random no-no items. Of course, the first thing she grabbed was the chicken stock, which dumped all over the floor. She immediately said, "Uh-oh." It was stressful, but mostly adorable. Whenever she says "uh-oh," it turns any situation cute. :)

Ok, on to the menu. The risotto is similar to the leek risotto I made a while back. Most creamy risotto recipes call for pouring cream in at the end of the cooking process, stirring and serving. I've done this before and it tastes fine, but I prefer to reduce the cream and then add it. I think it creates a richer flavor, instead of a boring milk flavor.

Cook the mushrooms, add the cream and let it thicken.

Serve!

Creamy Mushroom Risotto Recipe:

Serving Size = 2

• 1/2 cup Arborio rice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 4 oz (roughly) of mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• Salt/Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon or less of lemon zest
• 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream

Saute the garlic (on medium) in the oil and butter until fragrant, then add the rice and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add the chicken broth, about 1/4 a cup at a time, letting it cook until most of it absorbs, then adding more. On the last addition of the broth, add the lemon zest and stir.

Gently saute the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of butter with a tiny bit of oil. Cook until they just start to brown, turn down the heat to a medium-low and add the cream. Stir and very gently simmer until the cream reduces by half (make sure it doesn't burn). Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Once the risotto is done absorbing the chicken stock, add the mushrooms and cream. Stir well and serve.

Normally, a cookie sheet is used.

Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan Recipe

Serving Size = 2

• Around 1 head of broccoli
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• Salt
• Sprinkle of Parmesan cheese
• Oil

Preheat oven to 400F

Place the broccoli in a baking dish, but do not crowd it (usually a cookie sheet is used, but I used a glass pan). Drizzle oil over the broccoli until they are coated, but not floating in oil. Add the garlic and salt, mix well. Bake for around 20 minutes until lightly browned. In the last 5 minutes of baking, I add the Parmesan cheese so that it will crisp up. 

Ready to eat!

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

I didn't make the crab stuffed mushrooms last night, I actually made them a few days ago, but I told someone I would post the recipe. I am not crazy about this recipe though. The reason I chose it is because it doesn't require breadcrumbs and I thought that sounded like a good idea. I felt like it needed more flavor, and the flavor it did have, wasn't working for me. I didn't care for the seasoning combination. I did replace the mayo with butter, which might have been a bad idea. I also added a bit of cream cheese. But it did get very high reviews, so you might want to give it a try. Click here for recipe.

Do you have any stuffed mushroom recipes to share? I would love to give them a try.

I am linking to: Homemaker Monday. Another stuffed mushroom recipe!! :)