It’s the first Monday of the new year!  ! – ?  I’ve always had a love/hate relationships with Mondays.  To me, Monday has always been the start of a new week.  I’m sure this is a big debate for some of you.  The fact that one can select either Sunday or Monday as the first day of the week in any e-calendar is an indicator that this is a dividing subject.  Yes, Mondays can be tough in the sense of getting back into a routine, having that alarm clock go off rather than easing into wakefulness, and having to go back into the office.  (Those of you with kids may be laughing at any of the three previous statements!  Fur babies count, too! )  For some reason, Mondays are to me the first chance to get things right in the new week.  Hubby had both the 1st and the 2nd off from work, so we’ve been in extended vacation mode since last Wednesday.  I’d like to call this Monday the first chance to get things right in the new year!

So far, I think we’re off to a great start!  (Let’s revisit in a week 😉 )  I managed to menu plan for the first half of the week yesterday.  Lately, I feel like I’ve been scrambling to meal plan, grocery shop, and cook on Mondays, which leaves me feeling unorganized.  Hubby and I did some pseudo-organizing in the kitchen yesterday, and we decided we wanted to work on cleaning out the pantry.  How many open boxes of pasta do we have?  Too many!  How about containers of rice?  Again, too many!  So, this first meal of the week is attempting to use up some of that rice.  I found a mushroom risotto recipe on Pinterest that is made in the (gasp!) crockpot!  We’re giving it a go!  I LOVE risotto, but it is a time-consuming dish with all the necessary stirring.  You probably know by now that I LOVE my crockpot (French Onion Soup, Enchiladas, Chicken Stock, or BBQ chicken anyone?), so anytime I can put it to use AND simplify a complicated dish, that’s a win-win in my book!

Slow Cooker Risotto

(Wilderness Wife via Pinterest)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a saute pan and over medium heat saute the shallots until they are translucent.
2. Coat the inside of the slow cooker with olive oil.
3. Add the sauted shallots and oil to the slow cooker.
4. Add the rice and coat with shallot/oil mixture.
5. Add ¼ cup of wine and chicken broth.
6. Add the salt and thyme and stir ingredients together.
7. Place cooker on slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours or until liquid is absorbed into rice.
8. minutes before the rice is done, sauté mushrooms in sauté pan with 1TBS of olive oil and ¼ cup of white wine.
9. Stir cream and cheese into slow cooker and stir. Let the mixture heat for another 5 minutes.
10. Serve with mushrooms on top. (And, of course, my favorite side salad!) (And, of course, a glass of white wine – the one already opened for the recipe would be perfect 😉 )

Mushroom Risotto

I’ll be 100% honest and confess that this risotto is not AS good as the real thing, but it is pretty darn close.  And, the fact that I didn’t have to stand by the stove and stir it for 20 minutes while trying to entertain a toddler more than makes up for the slight difference in texture.  😀

Bon Appétit!