Tonight's Menu: Asparagus Mushroom Risotto with Chicken Breast and Balsamic Reduction...For Two!

Ingredients:

olive oil
small Sweet Onion chopped
1 Cup Arborio or Jasmine Rice
2 Cups Chicken Stock
1/2 Cup Milk of choice
6 Large Button Mushrooms roughly chopped
1/2 a bunch of Asparagus cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1 large clove of Garlic minced
salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of Butter
2 Chicken Breasts
dried Basil, salt and pepper

Balsamic Vinegar


Coat bottom of medium sized pot with olive oil and turn to medium-high heat.  Saute' onion until well tenderized.  Add rice and stir thoroughly.  Now add stock a little at a time, stirring in between until liquid has evaporated.  With the last of the stock add mushrooms, asparagus, and garlic and mix thoroughly.  Add milk, stir, and cover.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring half way in between. (if needed add a splash of water if it's getting too dry)

While Risotto is simmering, melt butter in pan set at medium-high.  Season Chicken on one side with salt, pepper, and basil and place in pan seasoned side down.  Season other side.  Cook until both sides are golden brown and center is cooked through.  Remove from pan and cover.

Lastly, pour about 4-times as much balsamic vinegar as you would like the reduction to yield, into the same pan as the chicken.  Don't get too close as the pan is still hot and the evaporating vinegar will burn your eyes.  (just like raw jalapenos when they're cooking)  Balsamic will reduce in just a couple minutes.  Lower temperature if needed.

If you wanna look like a restaurant chef, scoop a nice helping of the Risotto onto the middle of your dinner plates, gently place the chicken at an angle on top of that, and drizzle with reduction as desired.

This is comfort food done light.  It's warm, it's satisfying, and it doesn't leave you feeling like you should take an evening stroll to digest.  Although with these nice Autumn evenings drawing near I would not mind a stroll outside with my man.


Enjoy!

Simple Delights...

They really are the best ones.  Approaching signs of cool Autumn afternoons.  Catching up with far away friends and family members.  Abundant words of encouragement and prayer given.  New adventures looming on the horizon.  All things pumpkin.  All things sweet and comforting.  I'm beginning to really understand why King Jesus pleads with us to rest, be still, be quiet, wait, trust, rejoice always, and do not forsake assembling together to encourage one another.  These are the simple delights that make life in Christ Jesus so beautiful, so rewarding, so filled with....LIFE!  I believe that life lived in a busy storm of ministry, good works, and acts of service is possibly the most empty existence imaginable.  King Jesus commands us to examine the birds, the lilies, live like these, (Matthew 6:25-33) and I'm beginning to see why.  He delights in knowing us.  He delights in us knowing Him.  Creation proclaims His glory!  Peaceful walks along a river lined with fall-colored trees, things like coffee, pastries, and fellowship enjoyed in the warmth of our homes, creating in the image of our Creator, new life brought into families, these are gifts from Our Blessed Creator directly to us.  What are we accomplishing by neglecting them?

"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?"                                                                      Matthew 6:27

I have decided to ask Jesus for more of these simple pleasures.  More than that, I wanna ask Him for time away from and in the midst of service, responsibility, and duty in order to enjoy them.  I've been thinking about the fact that He desires for us to truly know Him, and to continually seek to know Him more.

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;...For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds..."
                                                                            Matthew 7:7-8

On that note, here is a simple recipe for warm pumpkin scones that I am trying out today.  We are going over for dinner to the home of dear friends, mentors, and ministry partners tonight.  I pray that they too would be reminded of how immensely our Savior delights in our simple delights.

For the Scones:

1. 2 cups all-purpose flour
2. 1/4 cup and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3. 1 Tablespoon baking powder
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6. 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
7. 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
8. 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
9. 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
10. 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
11. 3 tablespoons half-and-half
12. 1 large egg

For the Powdered Sugar Glaze:

1. 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2. 2 Tablespoons milk

For the Spiced Glaze:

1. 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2. 2 tablespoons milk
3. 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4. 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
5. 1 pinch ground ginger
6. 1 pinch ground cloves

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with fit the paddle attachment, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Add the butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, half-and-half and egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and form the dough into a ball. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a 1-inch thick rectangle about 4 inches by 12 inches. Use a large knife to slice the dough making three equal portions. Cut each of the portions in an X pattern (four pieces) so you end up with 12 triangular slices of dough. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.
4. While the scones are cooling, make the powdered sugar glaze by mixing the powdered sugar and milk together until smooth. When scones are cool, use a pastry brush to spread plain glaze over the top of each scone. Allow to firm.
5. While the powdered sugar glaze is firming, combine all of the ingredients for the spiced glaze. Drizzle over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (about an hour).

Yield: 12 scones

Note: you can freeze unbaked scones and enjoy hot from the oven scones any day of the week. Just freeze on a baking sheet until firm, tightly wrap in plastic wrap and place in a ziploc freezer bag. When ready to bake just pop into the oven straight from the freezer, no need to thaw. Just add a few more minutes to the baking time.