the cooking club

i've joined a cooking club this year. and you can too, if you'd like. some of my family has gotten together to try out the barefoot contessa's new cookbook how easy is that?.

my cousin, ms. jenkins, started us off -- picking easy parmesan "risotto" on page 160.

we have until jan. 31 to try the recipe, but i wanted to make sure i got it on the menu sooner than later. especially because i wanted mr. pike to give it a try, and he has a few business trips coming up. so, i made it tonight.

i've never made real risotto -- only a yummy fake. and i'm not sure if this really counts, since ina puts risotto in quotes. unlike the real, more labor intensive risotto where you slowly add broth and stir constantly for an hour or so, this is so easy! you put the rice and broth in a dutch oven and throw it in the oven for 45 minutes.

i followed ina's recipe almost exactly -- i used 1 cup arborio rice and 1/2 cup regular rice (to make my bag of arborio rice go farther). instead of dry wine, i added 1/4 cup lemon juice and an extra 1/4 cup of broth.

this is one of those recipes that makes you look like a culinary rock star without all the effort. i loved the creamy taste and texture. and it's a good base if you wanted to add different ingredients instead of peas.

mr. pike said, "this is a repeat." so, thank you mrs. garten for a winner of a recipe.

(and forgive my poor photography. i'd like to blame it on the terrible lighting in our kitchen, but i know the majority of it is my poor photo skills.)