Happy New Year!

2008 was definitely a rocky year for a number of reasons, but I still count myself lucky to be married to a wonderful man, have a job that I enjoy, and great friends and family around! It is now 2009 and I resolve to be better about updating this blog! I certainly haven't stopped cooking, but when school started in September I hit the ground running and didn't have the patience to keep photographing my creations each night. What better time to start back up again than with a delicious New Years meal!

My husband loves steak, but I really don't and since I'm the cook of the family, we really never eat it. So for our special dinner I knew steak was a necessary treat. We balanced that out with one of my favorite seafood dishes - baked stuffed shrimp. For sides we had Wild Mushroom Risotto and sauteed asparagus. Delicious! **Note: Please excuse the quality of my photographs. I didn't want our food to get cold!

Pan Seared Rib Eye
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Ingredients

• 1 boneless rib eye steak, 1 1/2-inch thick
• Canola oil to coat
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Directions

Place 10 to 12-inch cast iron skillet in oven and heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring steak(s) to room temperature.

When oven reaches temperature, remove pan and place on range over high heat. Coat steak lightly with oil and season both sides with a generous pinch of salt. Grind on black pepper to taste.

Immediately place steak in the middle of hot, dry pan. Cook 30 seconds without moving. Turn with tongs and cook another 30 seconds, then put the pan straight into the oven for 2 minutes. Flip steak and cook for another 2 minutes. (This time is for medium rare steaks. If you prefer medium, add a minute to both of the oven turns.

Remove steak from pan, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 2 minutes. Serve whole or slice thin and fan onto plate.

Mushroom Risotto

Recipe courtesty Tyler Florence

Ingredients

• 8 cups chicken broth, low sodium
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, diced, divided
• 2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
• 1 pound fresh portobello and crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon truffle oil
• 1-ounce dried porcini mushrooms, wiped of grit
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese grated
• Fresh Italian parsley, for garnish

Directions

Heat the chicken broth in a medium saucepan and keep warm over low heat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 onion and 1 clove garlic, cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms, herbs and butter. Saute for 3 to 5 minutes until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper. Drizzle in truffle oil then add the dried porcini mushrooms which were reconstituted in1 cup of warm chicken broth. Season again with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Saute 1 minute then remove from heat and set aside.

Coat a saucepan with remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Saute the remaining 1/2 onion and garlic clove. Add the rice and stir quickly until it is well-coated and opaque, 1 minute. This step cooks the starchy coating and prevents the grains from sticking. Stir in wine and cook until it is nearly all evaporated.

Now, with a ladle, add 1 cup of the warm broth and cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Add the remaining broth, 1 cup at a time. Continue to cook and stir, allowing the rice to absorb each addition of broth before adding more. The risotto should be slightly firm and creamy, not mushy. Transfer the mushrooms to the rice mixture. Stir in Parmesan cheese, cook briefly until melted. Top with a drizzle of truffle oil and chopped parsley before serving.

Baked Stuffed Shrimp

Recipe courtesy Gourmet/Epicurious

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped mushrooms (about 1/4 pound)
• 3 tablespoons minced onion
• 2 tablespoons minced celery ribs
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound scallops, chopped, or lump crabmeat, picked over
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 32 Ritz crackers (about two thirds of a 12-ounce package), crushed into coarse crumbs
• 18 jumbo shrimp (about 2 pounds), shelled, leaving tail and connecting shell segment intact
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• Garnish: chopped fresh parsley leaves
• Accompaniment: lemon wedges

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. and butter a large baking dish.

In a large heavy skillet cook mushrooms, onion, celery, garlic, and parsley in butter over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated. Add scallops or crabmeat and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, 3 minutes. Stir in broth and cracker crumbs and remove skillet from heat.

Butterfly shrimp by cutting lengthwise along inside curve, almost completely through. Split open shrimp and devein. Mound about 2 tablespoons stuffing onto each shrimp, pressing gently, and put shrimp, stuffed sides up, in baking dish. Melt butter and drizzle over shrimp. Sprinkle shrimp with paprika and bake 20 minutes, or until stuffing is golden.

Garnish shrimp with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.