Orzo risotto with sausage and artichokes and Shopping!

Tuesday: Orzo risotto with sausage and artichokes. http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/orzo-risotto-with-sausage-and-artichokes This is a great way to have a risotto dish in much less time and it is really good. I love Orzo. Orzo is the Italian word for barley but the orzo we buy in the store is really barley shaped pasta .Orzo cooks very quickly and makes a great side dish with meat or chicken. It can be served simply with just butter. parmesan and a sprinkle of parsley or it can be more elaborate as in this recipe. Give it a try and I will post pictures after we make it tonight.
Reflections from the Backcounter
Shopping, a modern day version of the traditional hunting and gathering task of women in ancient time. Although food shopping is often tedious, shopping for the big provisions at Costco is truly like hunting for big game on a safari. It takes cunning and skill to navigate the hordes of hungry people clamoring for a sample of the just cooked pizza bites or tuna salad prepared by the latex gloved and paper gowned freebie czars. Clearly, this is a challenging environment and a seasoned guide is a must. I recommend that you avoid weekend shopping at these large warehouse stores unless you are in a group...there is safety in numbers and great fun can be had by all. My sister and I went to Costco on Sunday and bought out the store. Then over a glass of wine and a lot of hilarity, we divided the spoils of our hunt and laughed all the way to the bank. We derived a great deal of savings because we were able to buy in bulk but more importantly, the task of hunting and gathering was shared and therefore, the burden lessened. Between the two of us, my two girls, her daughter and a friend we filled two carts and hit the checkout line in under one hour. We had no mishaps and even persuaded the sample lady to part with her wares and give the kids a taste.Everyone pitched in and we were able to return to our weekend in record time. The lesson here is to share your chores and enjoy the company of a friend! It may take a village to raise a child but on a busy weekend I’ll be satisfied to have just one other woman to help me survive the aisles at Costco! (In the time I have spent writing this; my poor sister has been struggling to sort out the accounting of the split on the wares from Costco. She was stymied by the tax calculation…time for another glass of wine.)

Peace,

Julia