Bon Appétit!

As of lately I have become completely obsessed with Pinterest.  At least in regards to finding new recipes.  I have recently started planning out a two week menu on a whiteboard calendar in my office (that way, in theory at least, I only have to go to the grocery store twice a month).  I would say that 90-95 percent of the recipes for those meals come from Pinterest.

For the longest time (ages 18-25) I didn't really cook and then for the longest time after that (ages 26-30) I cooked, but they were pretty boring, safe recipes.  I am really trying to expand my culinary horizons and Pinterest has become a great asset in doing so.  The fact that I am preparing so many new recipes every week is something that I pretty excited about!

Below is the first recipe that I am going to stick on the blog, but certainly not the last.  It is a Tomato Risotto With Portobello Mushroom dish.  My lovely sister-in-law, Melissa, originally pinned this herself on Pinterest.  I owe her big time because it has turned out to be a favorite and it will be a regular around here from now on.  

Tomato Risotto With Portobello Mushroom

Please ignore the picture, I took it with my phone because I was too lazy to mess with getting the camera out.  As it was we didn't eat until 9 p.m.  That leads me to a tip regarding this recipe: leave yourself plenty of time.  If you are unfamiliar with cooking risotto, you might not realize that it takes some time.  You need to add stock to the risotto, 2/3 cup at a time, until the rice has absorbed roughly 4 cups worth.  While you are waiting in between adding the stock you need to continuously stir the risotto.  I found out that it is this stirring that eventually causes the rice to release the starch that adds to the creamy sauce.

As you can see from the picture, we just paired it with a simple salad and called it good!  If you are interested in the recipe, just click on the link directly above the picture.  Bon Appétit!