From Italy to Galilee...to too toasty risotto

Since its summer, I've been experimenting with salads other than the typical garden salad with dressing. Either I've been making vegetable salads or fruit salads or making homemade dressings for field greens. The homemade dressings are so easy to make! And, when you think about the list of ingredients on the back of a store-bought dressing compared to the 4 or 6 ingredients in homemade dressing...it makes you smile...or cringe.

This night, we started with Green Bean and Mushroom Salad that was in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. This was very easy to make and tasted so fresh! I mean, it wasn't filling, but it was tasty! The ingredients were all fresh (except my green beans since I can't have fresh legumes, ridiculous, I know) and mostly something you'd find in your kitchen!

Each week, the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle includes recipes called "The Chronicle Cooks." I usually cut them out because a) They are (mostly) Kosher and b) Usually tasty!

Galilee Spinach Soup was Cheesecake Factory on a scale of McDonald's to La Tour d'Argent. It was edible and spiceful, but just okay. When I make soup, I like it to include a protein so it is not just extra calories. The recipe intrigued me because it included chicken. Dan had two helpings, go figure!

Since I didn't want us to be hungry after dinner and to avoid snacking, I made one side dish for the soup. Toasted Orzo Pasta is a recipe that I found in Parade Magazine (you know, the one that comes with your Sunday paper). Either my orzo toasted too fast or...well, really, that is it. So the ten little burned orzo added a very cajun taste to the rest of the orzo. Although the onion, chicken broth and barley did add to the taste, the burnt orzo really took over. I'd try it again and just toast very very slowly on low heat!

Bon appetit!