Happy Wednesday everyone! It’s so weird to say that I’m actually a CA resident. Newport Beach is a very exciting place to be and is gorgeous. Here are a couple of things I’ve learned the few days we’ve been here:
- Range Rovers seem to be the vehicle of choice around this town. They are EVERYWHERE making my Honda Accord look really sad! We like to see how many of them will pull up along side of us at each stop light.
- The women really do dress up to go to the grocery store. It’s funny that I poke fun at my header with the high heels, but it’s really true here!
- Awesome Produce is available and I can hardly wait to map out some farmer’s markets around town. I just found the BEST Whole Foods Market. I am going to have so much fun there!
- I LOVE having the beach 10 minutes away. This will cure any bad day, I’m sure of it.
Even though it feels like we’re just vacationing and I’ll be returning home to AZ soon, I’m looking forward to all the adventures we come across here in this peculiar little fancy town.
Here’s my first recipe out of my new CA kitchen. I love risotto, this one is warm, wintery and delicious. Don’t be afraid of the butternut squash, it is to die for when roasted in the oven. Click HERE and HERE to see how to peel and dice one up, it’s really easy and a great vegetable to introduce to the kids, they’ll think it’s a carrot! Hope you all enjoy!
2 Cups fresh butternut squash, diced into 1/2 inch cubes (see links above to properly dice one)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon Lawry’s garlic salt with parsley
1 Tablespoon butter
12 oz bag Arborio rice
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
4 Cups chicken broth
1/2 Cup fresh grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Cups cooked chicken, cubed
1/4 Cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2 thin slices prosciutto, julienned for garnish (you can also substitute crumbled bacon for the prosciutto)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place squash, olive oil, salt and garlic salt into a large bowl; toss to combine and pour onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes.
2. In the meantime, melt butter in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Stir in rice and onion; cook and stir for 5 minutes, until onions are softened. Stir in garlic for 1 minute. Stir in ½ Cup of chicken broth, stirring constantly. As the broth gets soaked up, stir in another ½ Cup until broth, continuing this process until broth is used up and rice is cooked. Then stir in Parmesan cheese, chicken and parsley. Stir in butternut squash right before serving.
3. Garnish each bowl with a pinch of prosciutto and a sprig of parsley if desired.
6 servings
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We had to take the boys to the beach our first night, it was freezing, but they loved it!
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Have a great week everyone! I’ll be back with some more quick fix weeknight meals, I gotta lay off the sweets for a while, but not for too long!
Roasted Butternut Squash, Chicken, and Parmesan Risotto
Ingredients
For the Butternut Squash
- 2 cups fresh butternut squash diced into ½ inch cubes (see links above to properly dice one)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Lawry's garlic salt with parsley
For the Risotto
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 12 ounces arborio rice (I used a 12 oz bag)
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups cooked chicken cubed
- ¼ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- 2 thin slices prosciutto julienned for garnish (you can also substitute crumbled bacon for the prosciutto)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place squash, olive oil, salt and garlic salt into a large bowl; toss to combine and pour onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes.
- In the meantime, melt butter in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Stir in rice and onion; cook and stir for 5 minutes, until onions are softened. Stir in garlic for 1 minute. Stir in ½ Cup of chicken broth, stirring constantly. As the broth gets soaked up, stir in another ½ Cup until broth, continuing this process until broth is used up and rice is cooked. Then stir in Parmesan cheese, chicken and parsley. Stir in butternut squash right before serving.
- Garnish each bowl with a pinch of prosciutto and a sprig of parsley if desired.