My S.M. described it as "Good enough to be a Valentine's Dinner". He was impressed! I was relieved to know that the trauma I had endured was worth it and the hens had not perished in vain. Holding those little hens in my hands as I washed them almost brought me to tears. I recited the Tibetan Compassion Chant "Om Mani Pedme Hum" partly for them, mostly for me as I rubbed them with the zest mixture. I apologized for contributing to their death and those to come. I did not have the inner fortitude to tie their legs together (And I didn't have kitchen twine and was not sure regular sewing thread was an acceptable substitute). I would have to disagree with Giada when describing this recipe as "ridiculously easy" and more like "ridiculously complicated". What's wrong with store bought croutons? I want to follow the recipes as close as possible so I toasted olive bread for the croutons. The salad was ok. The Risotto was rich, creamy and delicious. I have never used dried porcini mushrooms before and it felt too much like a witch's potion ingredient so instead I used fresh cremini mushrooms. This recipe was also a labour of Love due to the constant nursing of the rice with the chicken broth every 20 minutes like a newborn baby. I was crazy to attempt all three dishes at once but the cooking Gods must have been with me this time as it all worked out.
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