Apple Cake Obsession

These past weeks I've been obsessing over apple cake( that explains why no posts ) so strange as it's not even apple season and I've never been crazy for apple desserts
Can't explain it or fight it !!

I've made more apple cakes in Februaury than I ever have in my entire life !!
I've tried several recipes my favorite so far has been Barefoot Contessa's Apple cake taken from here http://foodlibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/12/barefoot-contessas-apple-cake-tatin.html
I also enjoyed this one taken from Smitten kitchen " Mom's apple cake" a simple to make cake and perfect for tea http://http//smittenkitchen.com/2008/09/moms-apple-cake/

• Wonder what obsession will be next !!!

Easy Risotto with mushroom and parmeson cheese

Here's an adaptation of the risotto recipe I made for the daring cooks challenge


2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium minced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1-1/2 cups Arborio rice
1 cups white wine
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 pounds button mushrooms, you can use any kind you like (for example, chanterelles, morels, portobellos, cremini)
3 to 4 cups of hot chicken stock ( I used homemade)or water
2-3 tablespoons Freshly grated Parmesan and some for garnish
Parsley to garnish


1. Heat the olive oil in a in a deep thick-bottomed pan sauté pan. Add onion and sauté for 4 minutes, until soft and clear. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add rice and stir to coat. Sauté until rice is translucent, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the wine. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Add the mushrooms that were sliced. Bring to a boil and add the hot chicken stock, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed. Add more stock and cook,do not cover stirring constantly for about 15 more minutes,add the Parmesan cheese keep stirring until risotto is cooked and creamy.Season to taste

3. Garnish with parlsey and grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately with a side of your choice or on it's own

March Daring Cooks Challenge-Risotto

This month‘s Daring cooks challenge is Risotto http://thedaringkitchen.com/-
I have never attempted to make it , rice is not something I'm good at LOL I ‘m still trying to find what I’m good at anyway
For whatever reason I either overcook it or undercook it ...and risotto is something I have always heard is hard to make so this is a dish I would have never tried this is why I'm so glad I joined this group it forces me out of my comfort zone
I Risotto I hear is a bit more complicated to make so why try? It would just be another frustrated experiment


As part of the challenge we must make the chicken stock-I enjoy making my own stocks anyway I usually make big batches and freeze for future use , we have to make the risotto base provided but we can chose to flavor it as we wish


I planned to make a saffron risotto with wild mushrooms but I had no saffron at home and for whatever reason the 2 supermarkets I went to in the morning didn’t have any either so I used just button mushrooms, some good parmeson cheese, and followed the risotto base given with the challenge

To my surprise it turned out quite well really tasty it was creamy and had a slight bite in the middle of the grains of the rice I was so happy plus the kids and hubby loved it!! well worth the trouble making it


Unfortunately my camera was not cooperating with me on Saturday so the picture doesn’t do it justice

Will I make risotto again ?
For sure I just don’t think it will be a dish I will make for a big crowd as I can see how it can get guppy easily

Can’t wait for next month’s challenge !!!