Some recipes to kick off the new year...

Now ladies, if you are starting the year on a health kick I would maybe just look at the first recipe because the second one is bad, reallllly bad, but in the BEST possible way! After all our holiday traveling, which was delayed a few days and just plain crazy becasue of the east coast snow storm, we opted for a nice dinner at home on New Years Eve. We desperately needed some down time! I was dying to make a recipe I saw in this months Cooking Light.

Lobster Risotto

You'll need to get:

4 cups fat- free, lower sodium chicken broth
3 ( 5-ounce) American lobster tails ( I bought 2 larger tails and cooked them according to oz's. It took longer than it called for)
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice or other medium grain rice
3/4 cup frozen peas

Prep:

Bring broth and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Add lobster tails; cook for 4 minutes ( or according to weight of your tails). Remove lobster from pan;cool for 5 minutes. Remove meat from the cooked tails, reserving shells. Chop meat. Place shells in large zip-top plastic bag. Coarsely crush shells with mallet or heavy pan. Return crushed shells to broth mixture. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook covered for 20 minutes. Strain shell mixture through a sieve over a bowl, reserving broth; discard solids. Return broth mixture to pan and keep warm over low heat. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium saicepan over medium-high heat. Add rice to pan and cook 2 minutes stirring constantly. Stir in one cup broth mixture and cook for 5 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly ( I mean this, you really can't walk away). Reserve 2 tbl spoons of broth mixture for later use. Add the remaining broth mixture 1/2 cup at a time stirring until each portion is absorbed before adding the next. Remove from heat, and stir in lobster, the peas, 2 tbl butter and reserved cooking broth.

Phew! I know those directions are long winded but its pretty simple once you get going and there aren't many ingredients to work with. Plus, you don't need a side dish since it's so filling. Just cut up some french bread to go with and your done! I will say that risotto isn't for the easily bored or distracted, I was constantly stirring for about 35 minutes. Get a glass of wine and it goes by faster! It really was amazing though, so worth it!

Pic via Cooking Light. I am not talented enough to take pictures, drink wine AND stir risotto at the same time. Yet.

Now onto the most ridiculous recipe ever...



Apple Dumplings


Now this is straight form the Pioneer Woman. That being said, she never ever posts something I don't love. Seriously, all I can say is click on " Apple Dumplings" above to be sent to her site and the recipe. Mountain Dew, butter, sugar, vanilla, apple slices, wrapped in crescent rolls = hopped up apple pie in a bowl. Don't let the ingredients scare you, just make it! If you're feeling guilty about all those yummy things in one place then you can go the route I do. Diet Mt. Dew, low fat crescent rolls and half the recipe. Still amazing every single time. You'll love it. If you don't just mail the leftovers my way and hubs and I will finish it off for you. (I wish I was kidding)

Pic vie Pioneer Woman herself. Mine did not look like that. 

P.S I did not make both of these in the same night. My stomach would have exploded!


PPS. Happy cooking/baking/eating!!