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.
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Hi Beth,
My guess is that you needed to cook down the broth a little more before adding the next batch of broth. The one thing about risotto is it’s so time consuming. I hope that it still turned out good even with the additional broth. Thanks for your comment and best of luck in all of your contesting!
Jenny, your blog is great. I am so amazed that you are a mother of two and have time to come up with new recipes, take pictures and write about them. You are amazing. I want to try so many of your recipes. I started tonight with the risotto. It was delicious. I’ve never tried butternut squash and loved it. I have a question though. I had to add an extra cup of chicken stock in order to get the rice cooked through. Did I do something wrong? I cooked it for five minutes (without the onions because my husband can’t eat them) before adding the garlic. I added the stock slowly and let it soak into the rice. I’m wondering if it needed to get really dry before adding each addition of stock. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. I really appreciate your help. I can’t wait to watch your URS show. I’m new to contesting and it has been so much fun. You are an inspiration.
I gotta tell ya. I googled “butternut squash and chicken” after checking cooks.com and finding nothing. There you were with a delicious recipe for tonight’s dinner. Don’t know why I didn’t just check your site first like I usually do. Lesson learned 🙂 Thanks for recipe!
That is one thing I remember about San Francisco — the produce! I honestly was never really excited about produce until I went to California. Now I know what we’re missing down here in Texas.
Up Next: The Next Food Network Star! I’m so proud of you!! Can’t wait to watch you. Loved your video.
Maybe one day when I am down there visiting our friends I will run into you! I’ll be the one in the Range Rover 😉
Seriously I can’t tell you how jealous I am right now!!!! Take in plent of that ocean breeze for me!!Hope you’re settling in well. I am making some of your soup tonight. Thanks Jenny
Good Luck in CA! I am glad you like it. I have never made risotto…glad to have a recipe! Thanks!!
Good luck in the new place! You are definitely not alone in laying off the sweets for a bit! The risotto looks wonderful, especially with the prosciutto on top.
Welcome to CA!! Wow, I’m so excited for you Jenny. How fun it will be for you to explore your new beautiful surroundings!
Your risotto looks really awesome and comforting!
Mmmmmmmmm. I just bought some butternut squash this weekend. I will have to use it in this dish!
Thanks!!
~Liz
http://www.AGiveawayADay.blogspot.com
Jenny I am glad that you are settled in Cali! You look like you fit right in with the other beach goers! (Gorgeous blond . . .) I too am a risotto lover . . . I think I made it 3 or 4 times in one week this fall during my brief obsession! It looks so inviting and d-lish! Good luck in CA!
I miss that about Cali!! We always went to the farmers markets the summer we lived there.
Sounds like you’ve moved to a wonderful place! I would love to have the beach only 10 minutes away!
Love your dinner… such a complete meal.