Really, Really Good Asparagus Risotto

Difficulty level: Moderate

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4

Risotto is an irresistible Italian rice dish that is surprisingly very simple to master. There are hundreds if not thousands of possible variations on this dish, but the basic main ingredients remain constant. Our personal favorite, is a vegetable risotto that is made with fresh asparagus. Although risotto may feel like an indulgent treat, it is actually quite nutritious and depending on the amounts of veggies, cheese and butter you use, it may actually surprise your calorie counter.

As there are so many different variations of this dish, there are equally as many different ways to prepare it. Some recipes will call for the substitution of some of the chicken stock for water, while others may insist that you use cream in the recipe. For our variation of asparagus risotto, we rely heavily on low sodium chicken stock but we cut out the cream and some of the butter. This dish might appear to be daunting, but in reality it is quite simple to execute. The most difficult part of the process is exercising your attention span and arm muscles as you must continuously stir the rice to keep it cooking evenly. Trust us, it is worth every second of your time!

INGREDIENTS

5 cups chicken broth

• 2 tbsps butter
• 1 lb fresh asparagus spears, steamed and sliced
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup Arborio Rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Rinse off the asparagus and cut 1-inch of the bottom of the stems. Steam the asparagus until vibrantly green and tender (about 4-5 minutes). Remove from heat and place under cool water. Cut in to 1-inch sections and set aside.

2. In a large saucepan, heat the butter on medium heat until melted but not browned. Place the chopped onion and cook until translucent (about 6-8 minutes).

3. Add the rice and gently toast for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add the wine to the rice and let it absorb, stirring consistently.

5. Once the wine is absorbed, begin to add the chicken stock in 1/2 cup increments. Continue to stir constantly. As the rice continues to absorb more of the liquid, add more chicken stock and continue this process until the rice is tender (about 25-30 minutes).

NOTE: You may need more or less of the chicken broth that we have listed here. Use your judgement to decide when enough is enough ;)

6. When the rice is ready, add the parmesan and asparagus and stir until well mixed. Serve promptly and warm.

7. Enjoy!

Happy tasting,

Paul/a

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Difficulty level: Easy

Prep time: 8-10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Makes: 34-40 cookies

A great chocolate chip cookie recipe is a must-have in your personal recipe repertoire. In our opinion, a perfect chocolate chip cookie will be crispy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside. It seems that in most cases cookies will either be chewy or crunchy, but rarely is that perfect combination achieved. At long last, we have discovered a recipe that yields these very results and produces a rich and flavorful crispy, cushy chocolate chip cookie! Our recipe uses chocolate chunks rather than your standard chocolate chips, which makes these tasty treats just gooey enough and remember, more chocolate=more flavor. Be sure to have a cold glass of milk on hand and don't be afraid to dunk.

PS. A Kitchen Aid mixer is ideal for this recipe, but if your kitchen doesn't house one, fear not, a good ol' spatula and whisk will do the trick!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 lb unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 lbs semisweet chocolate chunks

2 tsps pure vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp kosher salt

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the two types of sugars until they are light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, and mix well.

3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt and add it to the butter mixture. Mix on a low speed until combined.

4. Fold in the chocolate chunks.

5. Dampen your hands (so that the dough doesn't stick to them) or use a dampened rounded tablespoon to scoop the dough in to golf ball-sized rounds (about 1 1/2-inch-diameter). Place the scooped dough on the cookie sheet and flatten it slightly.

6. Bake for exactly 15 minutes.

7. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool partially on the baking sheet. Then, transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely.

8. Enjoy!

Happy Tasting,

Paul/a

Simply Delicious Spinach

Difficulty level: Easy

Prep time: 2 minutes

Cook time: 3-5 minutes

Serves: 4 people

Per one of our follower's requests, we bring to you today some delectable veggie fare! A special shout out is in order for Sharon H. who inspired today's selection.

Spinach is one of those leafy vegetables that has it all. It is as rich in flavor as it is in nutrients. It is an excellent source of Vitamins A, C, K and E, as well as folate, fiber, iron, manganese and calcium. As if that weren't enough punch, this super veggie is also packed with antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. To top it off, it is also one of the tastiest vegetables on the market. There are many ways to prepare this veggie: steaming, boiling or just eating it raw...but our personal favorite is a light sauté. This is one of our go to recipes because it is easy to prepare, tasty and very nutritious.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups of baby spinach, rinsed

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

lemon

salt

pepper

1. Rinse the spinach in cold water and make sure that it is very clean. Pat or spin dry, leaving just a little water clinging to the leaves.

2. Heat a frying pan to medium heat with olive oil. Add minced garlic and sauté for about 1-2 minutes or until golden, but not browned. Add rinsed spinach to the the mixture and let cook for another 1-2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until all the spinach is wilted.

3. Remove spinach from heat with a slotted spoon to avoid any leftover liquids. Squeeze with lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

4. MAKE THIS RECIPE FANCY by adding two simple ingredients to this concoction: toasted pine nuts and warmed currants. To do this, toast the pine nuts in the warmed pan before adding the olive oil and garlic (1-2 minutes). Once you have added the olive oil and garlic throw the currants in to warm them right before you add the spinach. TA DA! Instant fancy-ness added to your super simple spinach dish! (Thanks to our follower, Corinne R. for giving us this great tip!)

5. Enjoy!

Happy tasting,

Paul/a

New York-Style Crumb Cake

Difficulty level: Easy

Prep time: 25 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Serves: 8-10 people

Crumb cake is a delicious and indulgent combination of the usual baking suspects: butter, flour and lots of sugar. As expected, when these are your three main ingredients they are simply too big to fail, as might be your waistline if you spoil your sweet-tooth. Most likely, you are like us and the only time you have savored this treat is in a coffee shop or out of an Entenmann's box from the grocery store. We sought out to find a recipe that would satisfy our craving from scratch. What we discovered is a recipe that is as simple as it is delicious and some interesting facts about the cake along the way.

Not surprisingly, most people have a difficult time distinguishing crumb cake from a regular streusel-topped coffee cake. This is because both cakes originated in Northern/Central Europe sometime in the 17th Century and were brought to America by German, Dutch and Scandinavian immigrants. The Krummelkuchen made its debut in New York City in the late 1800s and we've been enjoying crumb cake ever since!

Crumb cake consists of two major parts: yellow cake and crumb topping. Perhaps the most challenging part of this rather simple recipe is in the yellow cake. It is crucial to keep it moistened but not greasy. While we were sifting through recipes to find the perfect method we discovered that replacing some of the butter with buttermilk yielded those imperative results. Another noteworthy discovery we made along the way is the cruciality of cake flour rather than your standard all-purpose flour. Using the latter will likely make your cake dry and tough-reminiscent of cardboard, which is never delicious.

CRUMB TOPPING

8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and still warm

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1 3/4 cups cake flour

CAKE

1 1/4 cups cake flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1/3 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

1 large yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING: Whisk melted butter, sugars, cinnamon and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the flour until the mixture resembles a thick, cohesive dough. Set aside to cool to room temperature while you begin preparing the cake.

2. FOR THE CAKE: Heat oven to 325° and adjust an over rack to the upper-middle position. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil allowing the extra foil to hang over the edges of the pan.

3. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until combined. Add the softened butter in 1 tbsp increments, beating the mixture with a hand-held mixer at low speed until it resembles moist crumbs, with no visible butter chunks remaining. Add the buttermilk, egg, yolk and vanilla and beat at medium-high speed until the batter is light and fluffy.

4. Pour the batter in to the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. Break the crumb topping in to large pea-size pieces and spread in an even layer over the batter. When topping the cake make sure not to push the crumbs in to the batter, the cake will take care of that for you.

5. Bake until the crumbs are golden and a cake tester inserted in to the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes. Cool the cake for at least 30 minutes; remove from the baking pan by lifting the foil lining.

6. Enjoy!

Happy tasting,

Paul/a