Tuesday Dinner

Tonight's dinner was full of favorites, but nothing came out quite the way it should have.

First, I made my "Fake-Out" Lemon-Asparagus Risotto. I've gotten in the habit of making it with broccoli when fresh asparagus is out of season. Let's face it, that's most of the year. So I'd completely forgotten that The Kid didn't much care for it with asparagus. (I was reminded of that tonight after dinner was already on the stove and it was too late to change.) Second, my asparagus spears were so thin I was afraid they'd turn to mush during cooking, so I delayed longer than usual before adding them. As a result, they were undercooked and had a rather grassy flavor.

The solution? I'm going to change the recipe to "Fake-Out" Lemon-Broccoli Risotto and leave it at that. Turns out I like it better with broccoli, too.

The entree was baked salmon fillets, but those didn't turn out so great, either. Normally I just coat them liberally with Chef Prud'homme's Magic Salmon Seasoning and quickly pan-fry them. But tonight my big skillet was already in use for the risotto (I've never made them both together before). So I decided to bake the salmon instead. Since they didn't lose a lot of their seasoning while being turned (as happens during pan-frying), they ended up much too peppery/spicy.

So, all in all, good food that turned out....not so good. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

Totals:

$3 - salmon
$1.29 - asparagus
$2 - remaining risotto ingredients (rice, lemon, onion, chicken broth, etc)

$6.29 for dinner for 3 (with lots of risotto left over - hopefully the asparagus will cook more fully upon reheating)