the next best thing to sunshine

Of the many things we did over the long weekend (and there were many), the one that I am most proud of is that pot full of starchy goodness that you see above. 

I learned to make risotto. 

Risotto is one of those foods that I never exactly understood, so I just chose to order it at restaurants and call it a day.  But the January issue of Better Homes and Gardens had a recipe for Butternut Squash Risotto and, upon hearing that somebody else had successfully made it, I decided that I would too. 

Did you know that the whole trick is how slow you cook it and did you know that I'm finding that to be the trick of many delicious foods?  While you do need to use a specific type of rice (Arborio) for extra starchiness, the real key is that you add the broth, a half cup at a time, over the course of 30 or 40 minutes.  And stir, stir, stir- always stirring. 

The butternut squash gave the dish a lovely sweetness, without being overpowering.  I chose to roast my squash in the oven, as opposed to the microwave method suggested in the recipe.  Both because I love roasting things in the oven, and because I wasn't sure if the squash could fit in our microwave. 

And that was just Friday night!  On Saturday we wandered around the South End and checked out some thrift stores.  I love thrift stores.  Even though they're crowded and disorganized and I want to wash my hands immediately upon leaving, I still love the possibility of finding the perfect unique item. 

We didn't find anything, but had lots of fun looking.  And I got the strong urge to rearrange all of our furniture and paint the house.  You know, the usual. 

As we walked, Steve diligently took pictures of the new day bag I was carrying so that I can post it in the shop later today.  I am especially excited about this bag because of the matching accessories that go with it- both a wristlet and a zipper pouch!  I think that the day bag and zipper pouch set would make a great baby shower gift- what a fun diaper bag!  And I love making wristlets to match larger bags so that you can just grab out the wristlet with your wallet and keys when you don't need all that other stuff.  I recently introduced my mom to the idea of carrying a wristlet instead of a big purse on long shopping trips.  I think it may have changed her life. 

So we had a great weekend.  I think that all the time spent indoors this winter has us both wanting to tackle some major household projects, so we did some of that too.  To be specific, we installed three new light fixtures and made one lamp.  Is there a chance we're overreacting to the lack of sunlight in January?  Perhaps. 

Tomorrow: I'll share some pictures of all our lighting projects. 

Today: I'll hardly notice that the sun never even came out.