Comfort Foods and Indulgences

Despite the fact that it has been been between 80 to 100+ degrees every day for the past few weeks, I have been craving risotto like a mad woman. Nevermind the fact that it requires about an hour (maybe a little less) over a hot stove in a house that doesn’t have central air conditioning. I know it’s not just for the excuse to open a bottle of wine (or beer, in this case), and I certainly don’t enjoy sweating any more than necessary. Risotto is fun to experiment with; it’s an enjoyable way to pass the time and end up with a dish that feels like I put a little work into it, even though all it really requires is stirring and sipping a cool beverage.

I usually use a dry white wine for risotto (see here and here), but this time I wondered if beer would be a successful switch. I’ve been obsessed with Firestone’s summer release, Solace, so that was the beer I decided to use…because of course I had to drink my accompaniment! It will be fun to experiment with beers of different intensities. Solace is on the lighter side. I’d be very curious to try a porter risotto – but maybe I’ll wait for the fall for that one!

When I pulled out the pocket folder filled with recipes I’ve gathered from cooking classes I’ve attended over the years, I was surprised to see that some of the recipes dated back to 1984. That was the year I started taking classes from Andrea Halgrimson in her cozy little kitchen in Fargo. I had two young sons at the time. Gathering with a small group of food-loving people in Andrea’s kitchen was always a special night out for me.

I flipped through my stash of recipes to find Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake. On a May evening in 1984, Halgrimson mixed up a biscuit-like chocolate dough that she rolled out and pressed into large round cake pans. The two chocolate shortcake layers were packed with a filling of whipped cream and fresh strawberries.

That was the night I got over my fear of unflavored gelatin. Halgrimson showed how easy it is to dissolve a little gelatin in water in a glass measuring cup. She placed the measuring cup in a small amount of water in a saucepan over low heat. As the water in the saucepan warmed up, the granulated gelatin dissolved in the water in the cup. Easy.

A healthy breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Plus it's an easy way to get a healthy dose of calcium for your bones.

Not a breakfast eater? Could you try eating breakfast for 3 weeks? Because that's how long it takes your brain to develop a habit, and this is one healthy habit.

Eating a healthy breakfast can help you:

Jump start your metabolism, so you burn more calories all day long.

Consume fewer calories throughout the day since you tend to be less hungry and make smarter eating choices.

Stabilize your blood sugar, which has been linked to a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Concentrate and perform better at work (hey, maybe that whole wheat toast and scrambled eggs could help get you a raise).

Build endurance with physical activity, so your work-outs will be better.

April 7th is National Coffee Cake day! Not that we need a special day to eat cake to enjoy with our coffee...but why not "celebrate" with one of these recipes that are sure to make the day super delicious.

Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Coffee Cake wih Sweet Almond Topping

Cranberry Coffee Cake

Raspberry Almond Coffee Cake

Pear & Cardamom Coffee Cake with Pecan Streusal

Drake's Coffee Cake Muffins

Meyer Lemon Coffee Cake

Blueberry Lime Pound Cake

Chocolate Espresso Coffee Cake

Sour Cream Apple Crumb Coffee Cake