Slow cooked Sunday: Mushroom Risotto

I am loving our weekend schedule lately. Our normally quite busy schedule has slowed down a bit this month, allowing us some time to not only relax, but also be productive in some stuff around the house that has long been on the to-do list. I love a good balance between productivity and relaxation.

The forecasted high for today was around 50 degrees Fahrenheit so C and I took the opportunity (probably the last one we'll have) to finish up some raking that needed done. We are rocking at yard work this year. I'm sure our neighbors appreciate it.

Raking works up an appetite. We were both really hungry and devoured the mushroom risotto I made for dinner. Truth be told, it was pretty delicious and we probably would have devoured it even without the raking. This particular risotto took about 30-35 minutes to make, which isn't very long. However, risotto takes focus and concentration. There really isn't any multitasking to be done during risotto, which is why I think it's more of a weekend food. We ate ours with leftover pork from the Mustard Rubbed Pork I made earlier in the week!

On a side note: It was about 1:15 a.m. this morning when I posted last night's blog entry, but I just pulled up the blog and it shows that it posted at 11:00 p.m. on Saturday. I was a little bummed about not getting it done officially on Saturday, but it turns out that blogging miracles do happen!

Mushroom Risotto
serves 4 (or 2 really hungry people!)
Adapted from Gourmet House

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp butter, divided
8 oz sliced mushrooms
1 cup arborio rice
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 cups hot chicken broth
1/2 cup Italian blend finely shredded cheese

Directions:
1. Heat chicken stock over medium/low heat.
2. In a 12-inch saute pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter and saute mushrooms in melted butter about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate or bowl until risotto is done.
3. In the same 12-inch skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter and saute arborio rice in butter for about 3 minutes. Add garlic salt. Add wine and saute until absorbed. Slowly add 1 cup of hot broth, stirring frequently. As the liquid cooks down, continue to add remainder of broth 1/2 cup at a time until all broth is used and the mixture is creamy. Fold in the remaining tablespoon of butter, the mushrooms, and cheese. Serve immediately.