i need your hellllp

me and mr. fj are hosting a grand christmas feast (no roast beast though).

anyone have any awesome xmas recipes (please don't suggest croque en bouche! yikers). all I can think about is ham...if you've got any ideas for me, please post and comment.

here's a recipe for you; I'm not sure if I posted it already? I make it all the time, I know I shared it with colleen once. it's so so so so so soooooooooooooooo YUUUUUUMMY and nice and fattening and warm, perfect for monday when it's supposed to be balls-ass-cold and snowy. cut the recipe in half unless you're feeding like 8 people... this makes a ton (and don't save any for leftovers...it's not good leftover).

• 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, divided, at room temperature
• 2 cups parboiled long-grain rice, such as Uncle Ben's
• 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 pounds small shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 cup whipping cream
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium nonstick saucepan, heat 1/2 of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken stock and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmercovered for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes.

In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes untilaromatic. Add the shrimp, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the shrimp is pink and cooked through. Stir in the cream and heat through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Using a fork, fluff the rice and arrange on a platter. Spoon the shrimp cream sauce over the rice and serve.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/nonna-lunas-rice-recipe/index.html

And I don't need no hook for this shiiiit.

So, it's been quite some time since anyone has posted. And since i spent all weekend reading bon appetit magazines and running away from a small pug, i decided to do a little cooking today. I made lentil soup & proscuitto-gorgonzola twists.

I'll start with the soup. So usually when I make lentil soup, I use the recipe from the moosewood cookbook. It's a vegetarian tomato based soup and it's entirely delicious. Another option that I have utilized is to do a ham-based soup if i have a spare ham bone lying around. Buuut I came across yet another vegetarian version of lentil soup for all of your friends that haven't hopped on the sausage train yet.

So this starts as your typical lentil soup. SAUTE 1Tbsp olive oil, 1 med onion (I used 3 small. Gentlemen's Rule #144: Always double onions & garlic in recipes.) and 1 med carrot. Cook til the onions are translucent. Add 2 cloves of garlic (the recipe called for one), some salt & pepa. Cook for a few. Add 2Tbsp curry powder. This can be taken up or down depending on your tastes. Stir for another hot sec. Add 4c. water & 1c. lentils. (The recipe calls for french lentils. I couldn't find them at wegmans and honestly if danny doesn't have it, who does. But seriously, i guess you can find them at specialty grocery stores. I just used regular and it worked fine. Also, I used 2c. veggie broth & 2ish c. water...you might need more than 4 cups all together. It depends on how vigorously you simmer or something like that). Simmer for 55ish minutes or for the length of a csi episode.

Ok, so after David Caruso solves the crime and puts his sunglasses back on, you can grab yourself a 15oz can of garbanzo beans, peel 2 cloves of garlic, and squeeze a TBSP of lemon juice. Put this all + 1/4c. water + 2TBSP olive oil in a food processor and blend til smoooooth like justin bieber.

Add this mixture + 2TBSP butter (i think this is optional because i didn't do it.) to the pot.

Mix. mix. mix. Taste. Add more curry if you desire. Enjoy.

There was a suggested garnish of chopped green onions & lemon wedges. I skipped this but it would be a nice touch for a dinner party.

And if you don't want to read through my obnoxious instructions, here is the recipe:

3Tbsp olive oil, divided

1 med onion, chopped

1 med carrot, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped, divided

2 Tbsp curry powder

1 c. green (french) lentils

4 1/4 c. water, divided (or vegetable broth)

15oz can chickpeas, drained, rinsed

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp butter

Add now for the good stuff. I've had a love affair with prosciutto since italy when i ate copious amounts of melon wrapped in it. So obviously anything with prosciutto, puff pastry and cheese has to be amazing. You'll need:

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

4-6 slices prosciutto (definitely lean toward the higher bound in this one)

1/3 c. crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

2Tbsp Parmesan cheese

1 egg, beaten.

Preheat oven to 450.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry into a 12x12 square.

Place prosciutto on one half of the square. Sprinkle Gorgonzola and Parmesan on top.

Brush egg glaze on other half and fold over onto the cheese/meat side. Press sides firmly.

Roll out again into 11x8 rectangle. Brush with egg glaze and sprinkle with pepper.

Cut into 1/2 in. strips and twist three times before placing on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Brush with glaze again. Bake until golden brown, 15ish minutes.

Side note: make sure you keep an eye on these puppies. They go from 0to60 in about 2 seconds. But boy are they a mouthtreat.