spring cleaning

"What are you giving up for Lent,Mom?"  asked my son.  I signaled to him that I was busy writing and as he was leaving he said again, "You better think of a good sacrifice for Lent," as if he knew that I had yet to decide what to give up for Lent.

"So have you decided yet Mom?" he asked again the following day in the car as I took him to school. I answered him with a simple question.

"How about you?"

He quickly answered, "I'm giving up playing games on my phone."

Hmmm... I was impressed by his answer.  I knew this is going to be quite a sacrifice for him because he had downloaded so many games on his smartphone.

I was compelled to give him an inspired answer.

"I'm spring cleaning," I replied.  He had a quizzical expression on his face.

Yes, I'm spring cleaning my thoughts and actions, which means that I have to dust off the thick cobwebs from my mind, and discard the baggages I have been carrying in my heart. I have to learn to let go of all the ill feelings I kept against some people, lower my expectations, especially when it pertains to my family.  And I'll even work on being more patient.

"Then that means that you'll have to stop nagging," he joked as he stepped out of the car.

I laughed because I knew exactly what he meant.

So the question is... What are you giving up this Lenten season?

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Seafood Risotto 
They say cooking risotto takes a lot of patience, as you need to stand in front of the stove, stirring, adding more broth, and stirring some more, until you get the proper texture that you desire. Patience? Ok, Seafood Risotto it is for dinner then.

 If you think this dish looks like paella and/or palabok, you're exactly right. I had both dishes in mind as I was fixing dinner.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pack  mixed seafood
1 lb shrimp with head (set aside the head to be used as shrimp broth)
3 cups Arborio
4 cups shrimp broth (Boil the shrimp heads, crush the head or use an Osterizer, then drain)
fresh basil (chopped)
1/2 cream of mushroom soup (low sodium)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a skillet, add olive oil over medium heat.  Saute onions.  Add the seafood and shrimp. Brown the edges and set aside.  Reduce heat to medium.

Using the same skillet, stir in the rice for 5 minutes (stirring frequently).  Add 2 cups of shrimp broth.


Continue to stir gently then add the remaining broth mixture, feel the kernel if it's soft enough.  If not repeat this step until it's nice and creamy.  Add the cream of mushroom. Mix well then add the seafood back in.  Give it a quick stir.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add chopped basil and voila...

You may have to repeat the previous step until the rice kernels are soft.  This is where patience is needed.  Also, I keep my broth hot, so when I need more the temperature doesn't go down.

Now, for those of you who are familiar with palabok sauce mix, this could be a great option to use instead of making your own shrimp broth.

Verdict: Yes - patience is a virtue and I'm glad that I passed the test.  And the dish?  My son and his girlfriend gave it 5 stars.