Basic Risotto

 
This was supposed to be my version of a beautiful Giada De Laurentis recipe, Mushroom Risotto with Peas, but I had some supply issues.  By which I mean, I didn't buy mushrooms or peas, and the shops are all closed today for Epiphany.  I'm sure the children will be happier anyway - various groups of them don't like mushrooms and/or peas.

Beef and Rice Good Stuff

 
This skillet dish is combination of a leftovers casserole and beefaroni made with rice instead.  The name comes from a long-lost recipe from one of the first cookbooks my husband and I used after we got married.  The recipe may be gone, but the name has stuck.

White Bean Pasta Sauce

I was starting to worry that my kids were going to rebel at all the beans, and it seems a shame to not eat pasta when you live in Italy.  I got it in my head that you could make a pasta sauce out of pureed white beans and Googled it for a recipe.  Remarkably, nothing came up.  Lots of white bean dips and pureed white bean soups, and even an idea to make cheese fondue with white beans, but no pasta sauce.  Off into uncharted territory I went...

Sausage and Bean Soup

Today we are having one of my favorite soups.  This recipe started out as an Italian wedding soup and has gradually morphed into a beans and sausage soup.

Faijao e Banana

Once upon many years ago, my kids would watch some Disney Channel.  They had a series of mini-commercial type programs called Pass The Plate, aimed to introduce kids to the idea that different cultures would eat the same foods with different preparation.  My children latched onto a recipe called Arroz con Faijao e Banana, or Rice with Beans and Banana.

Black Eyed Peas

Well, I finished my first recipe and we all survived. I started out with four pieces of uncooked bacon and chopped them into rough bits. This bacon really didn't want to chop so it looked like a great big mess, but I threw it all in the three quart sauce pan anyway.

A New Year Tradition

Same black eyed peas, after soaking overnight

In large parts of the Southern United States, it is a tradition to eat Black Eyed Peas on New Year's Day.  There are all sorts of traditions - some like to eat them at midnight, for others it is a dinner thing, and many other think it must be served with some sort of greens and/cornbread.

My family has never had such a tradition, but I thought it would be a nice way to start out our Year of Beans and Rice.  I've heard and read about lots of folks who think Black Eyed Peas are just awful:  bland, boring and no fun to eat.  I'm pretty determined to make these things taste right, first, so my kids will eat what I've cooked and second, so we start this year out in a positive way.