New Favorite, Risotto!

Hello!

Time to get blogging again! Hope your new year began as great as mine. I had a wonderful surprise on January 2nd when my parents came to visit me here in Savannah. Jay knew all along but faithfully kept it from me. I was so shocked when they walked in the front door that I had to blink a few times to make sure my eyes were seeing clearly. They spent a wonderful 5 days in Savannah. I was able to show them the city I love, spend some much needed time together, and make many great memories!

Now that they are gone, it is back to the daily routine. Back to cooking instead of dining out! No complaints however; I love to cook at home as much as I like to dine out - most times even better.

So… last night I made a wonderful Swiss Chard Risotto, and Jay loved it! It’s so hard to get that guy to eat his greens!
Here is the wonderful recipe!

Swiss Chard Risotto (Serves 2-3)
- 2.5 c. chicken stock
- 1 tbsp. EVOO
- 1/2 med. onion, chopped
- 3/2 c. arborio rice
- 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 c. (packed) or 1 bunch or Swiss chard (red, rainbow,etc., your preference)
- 1/4 c. dry white wine
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste

Bring broth to simmer in medium saucepan. Cover and keep warm. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice, garlic, and chard and stir until chard begins to wilt, about 3 minutes. Add wine and simmer until absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add 4 1/2 cups hot broth. Simmer until rice is just tender and risotto is creamy, stirring frequently and adding remaining 1/2 cup broth by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry, about 20 minutes. Mix in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and the butter; season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer risotto to medium bowl. Serve, passing additional Parmesan separately.

Bon Appétit!
Bailey Rae

A Sweet Fall Treat!

Hello!

So today I am just going to give a quick shout out to a delicious fall treat!

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake. Yum!

Real easy to make, and oh so delicious!

Notice I have not used the word healthy anywhere. Warning this recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter!

...Ingredients...

Cake:
1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
2c. powdered sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.

Serve with fresh whipped cream.

Courtesy of Paula Deen. As she says, "The most wonderful pumpkin dessert you've ever put in your mouth."

Amen to that!

Hope you enjoy as much as Jay and I do!
Bailey Rae

Fresh Start!

Hello!

I have not written a blog in ages, and it's about time I got started again!

Since my last post I must give a few updates on my life.
1) I married my best friend on June 19, 2010! Most wonderful day of my life!
2) We moved to Savannah, GA. Most beautiful city I've lived in! Absolutely love it!
3) With all the wonderful wedding gifts, I now have an even bigger passion for cooking!

So here is to a new blog, not only about my online store, but also about cooking adventures, life experiences as a new wife, sharing DYI ideas, and whatever else becomes a passion.

Tonight's Menu:

Pizza meets Salad

Classic Pizza Margherita topped with Arugula, little bit of drizzled EVOO, and a pinch of shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano .

Simply delicious. Try it out!

Off to burn some calories, then on to making a mess in the kitchen!

Happy Creating!
Bailey Rae

Open For Business!

Today marks a very exciting day for me. The Recycled Shop is now open for business! Late 2009 I got this passion to find something to keep my hands busy during my free time. The result = The Recycled Shop. I started ripping up a magazine and messing around with what I could do with it. Slowly but surely I had crafted a bowl completely out of magazine - about the size of a typical fruit bowl. I still have that bowl today. It is sitting in the middle of my kitchen island, but when people come over I quickly hide it to say the least! Haha! It was pretty bad, but I was really proud of myself! So I pushed harder and kept trying - eventually after many terrible tries - I was successful!

Then one day, as I was crafting away on a bowl, watching the Today show (total morning ritual, Jason claims it is an addiction) they mentioned www.etsy.com. They talked about how great it was that people were able to sell their handmade items there, so I checked it out. I decided I would give it a go, but I wanted to do this right.

Months after brainstorming and working at possible items to sell - the day finally came to open shop - and that day is today!

Hope you enjoy my shop!

www.therecycledshop.etsy.com

Blessings to all!
Bailey Rae