Two for Tuesday

When I was growing up in Tennessee there was an awesome Classic Rock radio station and on Tuesdays they played two songs back-to-back by the same artist/group and for some reason I loved it. Double shot of Bruce Springsteen? Yes, please! They called it Two-fer Tuesday or something like that. I hated that name but it kept popping into my head when I was trying to think of a name for this post.

Today I have two recipes for you. A two-fer if you will. I have been in a bit of a side dish rut lately. With all that we've got going on right now, creative meal planning has kind of been pushed aside for "Oh, crap I hope there's something in the freezer...".  

Somehow, though, the other night I rocked it. I tried a new spice rub on some pork chops that I grilled and had two fabulous side dishes, Easy Parmesan Risotto and Balsamic Honey Glazed Roasted Carrots.

Keep in mind that I am so not a food photographer, so please don't hold that against the recipes. They really are delicious!

Easy Parmesan Risotto

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more if needed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan (2 ounces), plus more for serving
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium-sized pot over medium heat.
Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until absorbed.
Add half the broth (1 ¾ cups) and simmer, stirring once, until absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the remaining broth and simmer, stirring once, until the rice is tender and creamy, 8 to 10 minutes. (If the rice is not cooked through and the mixture is dry, add more broth and continue to cook until tender.)

Stir in the Parmesan and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle with the basil and additional Parmesan, if desired.

**I did not use the white wine called for in the recipe. Instead, I just increased the broth amount to 4 cups and skipped the part about adding the wine separately.  I also did not add the basil, because well, I forgot. Still delicious, though!

Source: The Comfort Of Cooking, who adapted it from  Real Simple magazine

Balsamic Honey Glazed Roasted Carrots 

 
2 lbs baby carrots (or an equivalent of scrubbed sliced regular carrots)

1 TB olive oil

Salt and Pepper

2 TB olive oil

3 TB honey

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Drizzle the carrots with 1 TB olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes. Whisk together the remaining oil, honey, and vinegar and toss with the carrots. Return the carrots to the oven and roast for another 5 minutes.

Source: So Wonderful So Marvelous


***If anyone is still reading at this point, thank-you. I cannot for the life of me figure out why the font on the second recipe is smaller than everything else. Does it look that way to you or are my eyes just weird this morning? Any thoughts?


Please stop by Tuesdays at the Table at A Quilter's Table and the Pin-Did Challenge at the Modern Marigold to see what some other wonderfully crafty people have been making lately.