So I decided...To Make Broken Spaghetti Risotto & Chicken Saltimbocca.

So, I like to cook. Maaaaybe you read my post about grilling? If you didn’t, you should. Just earlier today I finally started blogging about music like I’ve been wanting to, and I mentioned as my final note that I wanted to start blogging about recipes and some of my cooking adventures. I’m not going to promise a weekly post like my music blogging, but as often as I try a new recipe or feel compelled to share. 

For my first adventure in cooking: broken spaghetti risotto and chicken tenders saltimbocca. I originally saw these two recipes presented together on an episode of Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals, the tenders served on top of the pasta or as a first course. I just kinda “served” them together. 

First of all, let me say that this wasn’t a 30 minute meal. With the first experience behind me I MIGHT be able to get it all done in 30 minutes, but I wouldn’t bank on it. Risotto by its very nature is to be cooked slowly, although the broken spaghetti cooked faster than traditional risotto made with rice would have. Okay, second of all, I take issue with a few details Rachael uses to describe things in this recipe, a) “medium” saute pan and b) spaghetti broken in to “small” pieces. Note that the recipe calls for 1 pound of spaghetti. I don’t know what planet I was on when I thought 1 pound of spaghetti would fit in a “medium” saute pan - large people, go with a large, deep pan. And for the record, when she says small pieces, she means tiny. Like, we’re talkin’ 2-3”, max. The rest of the recipe, though, was pretty good. The mushroom stock was great and incorporated with the pasta quite well in about the time frame she suggests. Despite the little adventure I had with the not-quite-big-enough saute pan and a-little-too-big pieces of spaghetti, the pasta turned out delish. 

Now, the oven roasted chicken tenders saltimbocca were easy as pie (actually, I don’t think that’s appropriate because some pies are quite complicated). Just wrap fresh chicken tenders with sage and prosciutto, coat them with S&P and EVOO and let the guys bake. Simple, elegant and delicious. Great served with the pasta, but would also serve well as a hors d'oeuvre. 

I got a dutch oven for Christmas, so be on the look out for a recipe to be cooked in that bad boy (I REALLY want to try to make Julia Child’s boeuf bourguignon)...

Aaaand if anyone is interested, one of my favorite new sites for finding random recipes without any agenda is tastespotting.com.

So I decided...To Start Blogging About Music I Love

This is a special time of the year for music lovers. The whole interwire is abuzz with “Best of 2009’s”. What’s even more special is that we’re closing out a decade, giving the opportunity for all sorts of lists for the best music from the last 10 years. I’ve been in heaven reacquainting myself with music from just this past year, let alone the entire decade. My quick and dirty assessment of 2009 in music: phenomenal. I will say that I have taken more interest in music in the past year, so that may have a little to do with it. However, I think this year saw some great new artists emerge and saw some artists that have been around the block really shine brilliantly. What I DON’T want to do is make another list - it’s been done, look ‘um up (shout out to A and her blog). I will give a nod to some of my favorites though:

The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Up From Below
Passion Pit - Manners
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Lady GaGa - Fame Monster
Neko Case - Middle Cyclone
Samantha Crain & The Midnight Shivers - Songs in the Night

Rather than having a fleeting post about one of my favorites from 2009 - I’m gonna get to it, hold on a sec - I’d like to post about an artist once a week. Ambitious, I know, but music is something I feel inspired enough to write about that often (I think). So what better time than now to start? Won’t necessarily be a new artists or new albums or anything like that, just someone who’s music I feel like sharing. SO, with that... I want to write my first post about Sarah Jarosz.

She hails from just outside Austin, Texas, which right away signals to me that she’s been exposed to great music her whole life. According to her bio, she’s been singing since she was 2, playing piano since she was 6 and mandolin since she was 10 (somewhere along the way she’s also added claw-hammer banjo and guitar to her repertoire). Her debut album Song Up in Her Head released in June, just a few weeks after she graduated from high school and turned 18 - you know, minor events. In my humble opinion, it’s beautifully executed. Of the album's 13 tracks, 11 are her own. The other two? Intelligently covered songs in “Come On Up To The House” (Tom Waits) and “Shankill Butchers” (The Decemberists). “Shankill Butchers” was haunting when I heard on The Crane Wife, but I get chills when she sings “...they used to be just like me and you/they used be sweet little boys/but something went horribly askew/now, killing is their only source of joy...”. Oh, and let’s not forget to mention that “Mansinneedof” is nominated for a Grammy (Best Country Instrumental) - no big deal right? It’s tough for me to pick a favorite track though, I really love the album as a whole.

So anyways, check her out *listen here*. She has a beautifully lissome voice that I think will impress you, even if bluegrass (I like to call it newgrass) isn’t your thing. I can’t wait to listen to her as she grows.

Next Up: did I mention that I want to write a weekly recipe/cooking post?