MJK

I’ve been using a slate gray for my wallpaper for a long, long time. People say, “I’m surprised you of all people don’t have some wallpaper!” I’d say that is wallpaper. It’s the perfect background for creativity. But it was time for change so I threw together a couple of new ones. Geometric shapes make me happy.

There are usually some dates in the household ready for spa treatment in the form of a bacon wrap and sauna time in the oven. It just so happened there were a few too many — a couple unopened packages lying about and it was time for a snack.

Toasted nuts are awesome with cheese-stuffed dates, so why not nut-stuffed dates coated in coconut? Inspired by some research on what else goes nicely with dates, the result was a sweet afternoon snack that was reminiscent of a homemade Almond Joy with a caramel drizzle (all without the chocolate).

Serves People. How many depends on how much you eat. We put them away after eating 4 pieces each. So let’s say this:

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 15 pitted, unsweetened dates
• 1/3 C of unsweetened shredded coconut
• 5 Tbsp of butter
• 5 Tbsp of sugar
• 1/4 C of water
• 15 toasted almonds

Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar and stir for about a minute. Add the dates and then carefully add the water. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes or until the liquid is reduced and you get a good syrup — additional pinches of sugar may be necessary to get this.

Remove the dates and let cool a bit. Stuff each date with an almost, mash together in a compact rectangular shape, then roll in the coconut.

Ready to serve.

Serves 4

Risotto recipes you find online usually serve just 2 people. I get it that risotto can be considered a nice little romantic dish. Personally, I think it’s just too damned good to make two servings. I like making 4. At least. With a little vegetable or chicken stock on hand, it reheats pretty nicely.

This risotto recipe was adapted from one that originally called for prosciutto (one of my favorite ingredients) and asparagus. At the time I made this, I had neither in my stockpile. So peas and bacon yielded this awesome champagne risotto dish. Here’s what you get:

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of crispy cooked bacon
• 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 C frozen peas
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 shallots, finely chopped**
• 1.5 cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
• 1.5 cups Champagne (plus a little more)*
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

* shallots are preferred, but if you must, replace each shallot with 2 T of finely chopped yellow onion
** Cristalino is an awesome and cheap and awesome Champagne — have mimosas the next morning!

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.

In a larger saucepan, melt 2 tablespoon of the butter. Add the shallots and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat in the butter. Continue toasting the rice, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes more. Add the champagne and simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 - 3/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next. Do this until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy. This will be about 40 minutes total.

Have some music on. Or the TV. Or someone to talk to. Trust me on this. It’s 40 minutes of stirring. If you have a kid, they can “help!”

Just before you think the rice is at that “tender but still firm to the bite” stage, add the peas and maybe a few dashes of champagne. They should be frozen so they don’t mush up, but having them in the rice in these final stages will thaw them out.

Remove the rice and peas from the heat. Stir in the remaining butter, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Spoon the risotto into serving dishes and garnish by breaking the crispy bacon into smaller pieces over the top of the risotto. Serve immediately.

Reheat me, baby:
This stuff is just as good the next day. Have some cooked bacon on hand. In fact, I’ve got a great tip on bacon. Remind me to tell you about it. Just heat up a cup of chicken or vegetable broth to a simmer and add 1/4 of it at a time to your risotto as you reheat it over medium-low heat.

Questions? Comments? Fire away.