I am a risotto freak. As soon as the weather starts to turn chilly, I swap out salads and light, no-cook meals for hearty fare just as happily as my summer clothing. To me, risotto is one of the most lovely dishes: Its soft, tender texture and creaminess always seem to hit the spot. But even a dish seemingly so perfect has a downfall: It takes so long to make! Lucky for us, the Real Simple test kitchen created a low-maintenance, almost hands-free recipe, so you can do something else (like actually take a minute to kick your feet up and relax) rather than stir a pot of Arborio.
To finish off our daily dinner blog, we have Kathleen Harris, managing editor of RealSimple.com. Kathleen directs all aspects of the website, including Simply Stated.
It’s the final day of our month of dinners, and I think we ended with a bang. When it came time for the staff to choose which recipe he or she wanted to make, I agreed to try whichever one was left. To my surprise, the Cajun Chicken With Collard Greens recipe was still on the list. I think collard greens might scare off some people, but just think of them as delicious warm, leafy, good-for-you greens. In this recipe, they weren’t overly bitter and instead provided a really nice complement to the chicken dish. Alas, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Closing out week 3 is Ashley Tate, staff editor of Real Simple and Money Rant blogger on Simply Stated. For the print magazine, Ashley edits the Moneywise section and the Discounts & Deals page in the back of the magazine.
I grew up in a small town in southwest Kansas. (Please don’t ask how many Wizard of Oz references I’ve endured through the years.) Some years during the county fair, my dad’s business would buy a pig from a child who raised the animal as a 4-H project. Then all that following winter, the freezer would be stuffed with locally-grown pork. As a result, I love eating pork in just about every form—loin, chop, belly, shoulder, and of course, bacon. So making the Balsamic-glazed Pork with Lentils recipe was right up my alley.
