Breakfast Inspired Risotto

I made risotto the other night with bacon, white cheddar, everything bagel seasoning and topped it with a fried egg and I cannot be more excited about it. I made it back in 2014, according to instagram, but didn’t blog it since I didn’t make it up. I am now realizing this was the genius idea of We Are Not Martha! Hers is bea-u-ti-ful with a lovely poached egg! There are about 10,000,000 variations on pinterest too! I knew mine had to be all about the Everything Bagel Seasoning!
The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Risotto

It is so delicious prepared as risotto- maybe because the sticky rice seems like oatmeal texture? The everything bagel seasoning MAKES this. Do not skip it! I make my own or I’ve heard it is at every grocery store now. At first I gave the little one avocado instead of an egg but he ate so much of my egg that we made him his own and he ate it all. Eggs can be hit or miss so I love whenever he eats it up!

Bacon & Cheddar Risotto with Everything Bagel Seasoning & an Egg (for 3-4)

Ingredients:

1 cup arborio rice
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cups water (or white wine)
6-8 strips of bacon
1 cup white cheddar, shredded
2 tablespoons Everything Bagel Seasoning (here’s my recipe)
4 eggs

Directions:

Prepare the risotto according to the package. Mine went into the pressure cooker for 6 minutes.
(if cooking risotto in a pot: In a large saucepan, saute some olive oil over medium heat. Add in the rice and stir regularly for a few minutes to toast it, then reduce heat to medium low. In a medium saucepan, heat the liquids to low heat. Add a ladle of liquid to the rice cooking until absorbed. Continue adding, stirring, and simmering until absorbed. Cook for ~20ish-30 minutes.)
The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Risotto
While risotto is cooking, chop the bacon into bite-sized pieces and pan fry until crisp. Then drain on paper towel. (spoon a little bacon grease into the risotto…I won’t tell.)
When the risotto is cooked, add in the cheese, bacon, and about 3/4 of the everything bagel seasoning.
The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Risotto
Gently stir to incorporate without breaking the bacon too much.
The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Risotto
Fry the eggs and serve on top of the risotto.
The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Risotto
Top with additional everything bagel seasoning!

This was dinner and was ohh, so, delicious. I took leftovers as lunch the next day with a hard boiled egg. I added tons more Everything Bagel Seasoning and after I warmed the risotto (not the egg – ewww – weird) I dumped some grape tomatoes with a drizzle of Italian dressing on top of my leftovers too. The cool and acidic tomatoes with the warm decadent risotto were fantastic.
The Three Bite Rule - Bfast Risotto

Risotto is the best, though tricky for a crowd. It seems like the perfect meal for 1 if you halve it!  Or you could turn leftover rice into this to revamp some leftovers! I’ve made the same general idea swapping arborio rice for other grains, like as a farro bowl.

BLT Calzone

BLTs in all forms! I put all my fav flavors into a calzone. I prepped this on a weekend, let it cool, and wrapped it up, and it was ready to go during the week! I baked it a little less than usual and the night we were going to eat it, I popped it into the oven for about 15 minutes. Voila! The little one is veryyy ready for dinner when we get home so this was such a great time saver.
The Three Bite Rule - BLT Calzone

BLT Calzone

Ingredients:

pizza dough
6 strips of bacon
1 tomato, chopped
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
2 tablespoons cornmeal/wheat germ
2 cups shredded mozzarella

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees (and preheat the pizza stone, if using one).
Pan fry the bacon until crisp, and drain on paper towel.
Chop the spinach, tomato, and bacon.
The Three Bite Rule - BLT Calzone
Sprinkle the cornmeal or wheat germ onto the baking sheet or pizza stone.
Spread the dough out into a big circle. Then lay the dough off centered, onto the pizza stone/pan. (I try not to move the calzone once filled, so I lay the dough out onto the pizza stone to put the toppings on and fold the dough to become the top.)
Layer on half the cheese, half the bacon, half the tomato, half the spinach. Repeat. Pull the other half of the dough over the filling and pinch to close. Cut a few slits in the top to vent.
Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.
The Three Bite Rule - BLT Calzone
Slice and enjoy!

The beauty of this calzone is the classic combo of these few ingredients. Calzones also make great leftovers so I was also in luck for lunch the next day too. Calzones are also easy to make mini so this can be 1 big calzone or 4 individual serving ones!
The Three Bite Rule - BLT Calzone

Tomato Basil Polenta Bowls

I hadn’t anticipated what a hit these would be for the little one. He ate so much that he ate what would have been my leftovers for lunch the next day! The base is canned tomatoes, white beans, spinach, and basil topped with a polenta cake and melted cheese. It was an easy meal to prep in advance for a quick #meatlessmonday !
The Three Bite Rule - Tomato Basil Polenta Bowls
I liked the warm & comforting nature of this dinner, especially for a cold night. I imagine it would have reheated nicely, but some three-year-old I know ate about 4 servings-worth. Seriously, what am I going to do when he’s a teenager?

Ok, onto my soap box: go get some Pastene Kitchen Ready Tomatoes. Not sponsored- they have no idea who I am. These are the best for pizza sauce and as an everyday tomato sauce. I looooove that there isn’t any sugar, check out your go-to tomato sauce. It likely has tons of sugar, and prob a surprising amount of sodium. Jazz it up however you like but I promise you’ll love it!

Tomato Basil Polenta Bowls

Ingredients:

~2 cups Pastene Kitchen Ready Tomatoes, or tomato sauce
1, 15 oz can of white beans, drained & rinsed
2 cups spinach, chopped
6-8 basil leaves, chopped chiffonade
1 cup instant polenta prepared, or 1- 18 oz tube sliced into disks
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
salt & pepper

Directions:

If using dry, instant polenta, prepare according to directions and pour into a baking dish. (I used instant and prepared it the morning before serving. I covered and refrigerated until dinner time.)
Add Kitchen Ready Tomatoes, white beans, chopped spinach, salt & pepper to a large pan over low heat. Cook for ~10 minutes to warm through, stirring occasionally. Add in basil at the end.
The Three Bite Rule - Tomato Basil Polenta Bowls
In a small skillet, pan fry disks of polenta in a drizzle of olive oil, just until crisped and warm. (I used instant polenta that I cut out with a biscuit cutter- or maybe it was a slider ring, who knows.)
The Three Bite Rule - Tomato Basil Polenta Bowls
Flip and top with shredded cheese. Pop under a broiler for just a minute to melt.
The Three Bite Rule - Tomato Basil Polenta Bowls
Serve polenta cake on top of the bean mixture. Enjoy!
The Three Bite Rule - Tomato Basil Polenta Bowls

Turtle Hot Chocolate

I can’t stop! Hot chocolate with all the flavorings and toppings are like the acceptable version of a sundae anytime of the day! This hot chocolate is caramel, chocolate, and pecans- just like the candy turtle!
The Three Bite Rule - Turtle Hot Chocolate

I used some salted caramel hot chocolate mix (half that, half regular) but a generous spoonful of caramel sauce into the hot chocolate works great too! I stole my pecans out of trail mix but walnuts taste great if you have them instead.

Turtle Hot Chocolate, for 2

Ingredients:

hot water & cocoa mix, quantities according to package (6-8oz per mug)
1-2 teaspoons salted caramel sauce
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (or spike it with almond liquor! I didn’t even think of that at the time!!)
1 teaspoon chocolate hazelnut spread
whipped cream
5-6 pecans, chopped

Directions:

Prepare the hot chocolate according to the instructions. (I used half salted caramel hot chocolate & half regular.)
The Three Bite Rule - Turtle Hot Chocolate
Mix hazelnut spread, almond extract, and caramel sauce into the hot chocolate. (I skipped the caramel sauce in the hot chocolate since my mix was flavored).
Top with whipped cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce, and pecans.
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Enjoy!

This is such a great treat. I wanted a real nutty flavor to come through and I tasted it. I’d totally make this as dessert, or some of those flavors would be good in coffee too! I have another junked up hot chocolate idea…stay tuned! In the meantime there are a few dinners in store.
The Three Bite Rule - Turtle Hot Chocolate

January 2018 Recap

January brought the new year and I feel ready for 2018! More importantly, January meant our little man turned 3! I can’t believe it! We had a fun birthday party with a waffle bar! I meant to blog it and really wanted to, but being in the moment, not rushing to prep before the fam arrived, and paying attention to the birthday boy were all more important.
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I’m totally into jazzed up hot chocolate. I made a Hot Chocolate with Raspberry and White Chocolate. So good. It started when NYE was just too cold for our traditional milkshakes so we went for hot chocolate with toppings. I have more ideas ahead, stay tuned!
The Three Bite Rule - Hot Chocolate w/ Raspberry & White Chocolate
#MeatlessMondays are a thing here for the last few months so I did a meatless Monday round up.

I was really excited to make this Cheeseburger Layer Dip, especially in time for the superbowl!
The Three Bite Rule - Cheeseburger Dip

The Little One:

He’s so big! He was proud to show his new age with his fingers. He was pretty amped up during his family party and after his nap he was so much calmer and focused. We’ve been playing a lot of trains and play doh. I was glad we could capitalize on any days that weren’t too cold. Getting outside is so important. Food-wise, he was into tacos and a dinner of white bean/tomato/spinach with polenta.

This year’s goals: 

Year of the candle: Yup, mint chocolate candle for this chilly month. 
Cook more appetizers/snacks:
Yes! I made 2! I made caesar deviled eggs and cheeseburger layer dip!  
Taking time to blog thoughtfully: 
ehh.
Journal the cute moments of my little one: Yes, I’ve noted a few amusing comments- often a “did you know that” or “I didn’t know that”
What I’m reading: 
 I read Necessary Lies and zoomed through it. I’m pretty far into my next one. 
What I’m watching: 
This is Us, the Superbowl (for the snacks), and The Amazing Race. We watched a few movies: Stronger & Battle of the Sexes.