Thursday, October 9, 2008

Barefoot Bloggers, Take One

So, I recently joined a group called the Barefoot Bloggers. As a member (I guess that's what you would call it), you commit to making two Ina Garten (a.k.a. The Barefoot Contessa) recipes each month and posting about them on your blog on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays. Well, today is the day. The first assigned recipe of the month was Butternut Squash Risotto. I made it tonight...nothing like a little procrastination. It was pretty good, but it didn't wow me like it did some of the others who have blogged about it. There are probably several reasons for this.
1. I do not frequently cook with wine, so I'm not used to that flavor.
2. I have never in my life used (the very expensive) saffron and am still not sure if I can appreciate its flavor.
3. I used a richer chicken stock than I think was necessary for the dish.
4. I put in too much cheese.

I did love the butternut squash in the dish though. It was quite tasty. And, Phil thought the whole thing was just fine and helped himself to seconds. I did take some pictures, although my food photography falls far short of most bloggers. I'll try to post them tomorrow.

Although my first attempt was not the rip-roaring success I was hoping for, I'm still excited about being part of a group that tries out a variety of recipes. It's motivating and has the added element of accountability that I sometimes need to tackle all those recipes on my list. (And, it gives me an excuse to buy ingredients I might not on an ordinary day!)

4 comments:

Prudy said...

Welcome to BB! I'm glad you liked it-even it wasn't your absolute favorite.

webbie said...

Sorry it didn't wow you. I haven't met an Ina recipe yet that I didn't like. Welcome to the BBs.

Misty said...

Can't wait to see the pictures. Even if it didn't wow you, at least you didn't hate it, right? You can always make changes more suited to your tastes if you make it again. That's what I tend to do: follow the rules once, and then tweak them to make it even better.

I'm also liking the challenge of making something I might overlook on my own, such as the upcoming cheese danish. :)

Anonymous said...

I love reading about what the BB's are up to. You chose a great group to join!