boxed dinners.
Ahhhhhh!
It's ok. Really, it's gonna be fine. Let me explain.
I love me some Kraft Dinner. All of those boxed things, macaroni and cheese, cous cous, risotto, pre-made meals are really super for poor college kids like me. But it always seems like at the end of the week, when we've eaten all of our fresh produce and planned meals, I've got these poor lonely boxes. I've sort of become a master of editing these little guys to create something meal worthy.
Or so I thought.
This guy kind of stumped me, but I'm all for challenges.
THE BOX: Lundberg Organic Tuscan Risotto, Tomato, Garlic, and Onion flavor.
Also, I need to take this moment to comment on the fact that my digital camera stood up and WALKED OUT OF MY HOUSE. Tis GONE. As I'm home at the rent's house for the week (Poor Beau, he will miss me so...) I've found a weird old digital camera with no LCD screen...it takes so so photos, so we are just gonne deal.
The best thing about end of the week meals is that it's a great way to use up your extras stuff (frozen chicken breasts left over, the last of your potatoes, onions, etc). This recipe is totally forgiving and you can put whatever you like in it. I'm using the Lundberg Tomato Onion Garlic Risotto, but you could use any brand and any flavor. Just edit the additions.
So here's the cast of characters:
Boxed Risotto
1 Large chicken breast
1 Medium onion
2 Large red potatoes
1/2 Cup dry white wine (I used a funny little sutter home chardonnay bottle, which was fun because I got to drink the rest. And then write this.)
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves minced garlic
Aluminum foil for the bag
I guess I don't have in process photos because of the blurriness of this stupid camera. But.
Make the boxed risotto to the instructions on the back. However, only cook half the instructed time. For example, my box told me to cook for 10 minutes covered, 10 minutes uncovered. This was pretty much perfect for me because I just did the first 10 minutes.
While risotto is cooking, whip up a bag out of your aluminum foil. If you haven't done it before, it's super easy. Just rip a big ol piece of foil, probably a foot and a half long. Fold up the long sides a little way, and fold up the short sides so that you have a square in the middle. squirt some olive oil in there to coat the bottom.
Slice your two potatoes about 1/4 inch thick and lay half on the bottom of the bag. Chop up your onion to your liking, I like half inch chunks. Layer half in there.
Grab your risotto and spoon it into the bag. Mine had a whole lot of liquid, and I put almost all of it in there. But limit the liquid to a cup and a half, because this is where you are putting your white wine. Pour that wine on top of the risotto.
Cut up your big chicken breast into inch hunks and nestle them into the risotto.
At this point I ground some pepper and salt onto it all at this point, and then the minced garlic (ok, I used pre minced garlic from a jar...)
Go ahead and put the rest of the onions on top and then lay the rest of the potato slices on top. Spray a little more olive oil on top and then close up your bag!
Put it in the oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.
I topped mine with some parmesan and more pepper. It was really really good, don't get me wrong, but there was something so...brown about it. I feel like some chunked red peppers and maybe some zucchini slices would have made this off the hook.
See what I mean about the brown thing? It was very brown. But the taste was very good. And, if you take out the chicken and the parm at the end, it's totally veggie/vegan. And see what I mean about the camera thing? Stupid blurriness. I hope The Beau finds my camera when he cleans the house this week while I'm gone.
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