Sweet Corn and Pepper Risotto with Chicken Skewers

       For Christmas, my aunt, a vegetarian, wanted a vegetarian dish to have instead of turkey.  That was the task I was given that day.  We decided on risotto even though I had never made made it before, but it turned out amazing!  Today it was 80 degrees out (yes, it's January) so while walking through the grocery I was drawn to summery things.  Things like sweet corn, bell peppers, and eggplant and what better way to combine them than in:

Sweet Corn and Pepper Risotto with Chicken Skewers:

6 servings

  Ingredients:

• 12 ounces dry arborio rice
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 8 cups chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth
• olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 onion
• 1/2 medium eggplant
• one jar canned bell peppers
• 1 bag frozen sweet corn
• 4 tablespoons half and half or cream
• 4 chicken breasts, cubed
• salt and pepper

  Instructions:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Once melted add rice and stir until each grain is completely coated.  This is important so that the risotto doesn't clump together.
2. Heat the broth until simmering in a separate sauce pan and add two ladles of it to the rice, stirring the rice constantly:
   
3. When all of the liquid is absorbed, add another ladle of broth, stirring constantly.  Repeat until all broth is used; the rice should now have the consistency of risotto:
   
4. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in another saute pan and peel and cube the eggplant.  Add the eggplant and cook for about 10 minutes, remove and place in a bowl:
   
5. Dice and saute the onion in the same pan you used for the eggplant and crush the garlic, remove and set aside in a small bowl:
   
6. Microwave corn just until warn and dice the bell peppers.
7. Place the chicken cubes on skewers:
   
8. Stir peppers, corn, onions and garlic, and eggplant into risotto
9. Salt, pepper, and place the skewers on a baking sheet in the oven at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes; until the chicken has cooked through:
   
10. Remove from oven and place over a bowl of risotto, enjoy!
    
    
    

Fun Fact: Pareidolia is the ability to see faces in random places.  My moms friend takes pictures of pareidolia so now we compete, I have found faces in the back of picture frames, electric outlets, coffee pots, and tonight (unintentionally) in my risotto:

Bursting with Lemon, Lemon Bars

       What a better way to use up delicious meyer lemons than in these delicious golden bars?  Lemon bars are a popular, relatively easy dessert that are popular for parties and snacks.  These ones are naturally a beautiful golden because of the meyer lemons and I chose to use high omega 3 eggs making the yolks golden.

Bursting with Lemon, Lemon Bars:

  Ingredients:

• Shortbread crust (I found a simple one online, just combining flour, sugar, and butter but substituted half the flour for ground pecans and almonds)
• 6 egg yolks
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice (I used meyer lemons)
• 6 tablespoons butter

  Instructions:

1. Line a casserole pan with parchment paper, and press the shortbread into it
2. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until golden brown; about 20 minutes:
   
3. Remove from oven and while the crust cools, whisk together egg yolks, eggs, sugar, and lemon juice together:
   
4. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and pour egg mixture into the pan.  Whisk constantly until a thermometer reads 170:
   
5. Strain lemon curd over the crust and place back in the 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until curd starts to firm up:
   
6. Remove and let cool completely before cutting, enjoy!