Strawberry Risotto

I fell in love with risotto when I was in seminary. Graduate students are poor, but if there is one thing that even a graduate student can afford, its rice. Really, that's all risotto is, its just that you need to cook the rice just so, then you can mix in just about anything. 

Roasted Radishes

I didn't much care for radishes as a kid. The seemed to be just another raw vegetable, yet lacked the sweetness of carrots. Since then my feelings have changed. I still think that they're just okay by themselves. Then I had them as an appetizer, sliced and served with butter and sliced baguette- perfection! I recommend that you try this my friends, its probably the simplest appetizer ever and so so good. 

Shortly there after, I saw a recipe for roasted radishes- "well why not?" I thought. Roasted radishes have since become one of my favorite side dishes. Roasted, the radishes mellow and taste almost like a very mild turnip. They also give the plate a great splash of color. 

Lately versions of roasted radishes have been featured again and again in magazines. People often drizzle orange juice, sprinkle lemon zest, or add any number of herbs. Experimentation is encouraged though unneeded. Here I have given you the most basic of recipes: radishes, olive oil, salt and pepper. 

My Mom's Coq Au Vin

I found a proper french recipe for Coq au Vin once a few years ago and decided to give it a try. In the end though it took a great deal more work than my mom's and wasn't nearly as good. You see, my mom has an amazing coq au vin recipe- its super easy (so she made it a lot) and the meat just falls off the bones.


Its also really easy to personalize the recipe, making it whatever you want it to be. For a family of four, she always just used a whole chicken, cut into pieces. I usually just do chicken thighs, or boneless chicken breasts. I've also made this in a crock pot and it worked really well. Here, I decided to add onions, carrots, and mushrooms- transforming it into a one pot dinner.