Ch-ch-ch-changes

Whew! If I thought I was behind in other areas of my life, keeping up with this blog takes the cake. Anyway, onward and upward.

I really can't believe it's October - the END of October actually. I don't know if it's the election, all of the depressing news about the economy or the phenomenon described to me by those wiser who say time starts to fly as you get older - but the past few months really passed quickly.

A couple of weeks ago, hubs and I went to our alma mater homecoming game, where we sweated profusely but had a great time cheering on the Bulls.

Last weekend, Zachy and friends dressed up in their Halloween finest and went to the annual pet costume contest in the Park. (Pics to come.) It was a great time, as usual. Dogs amuse me to no end.







Luckily, this week brought the first cold front, so I broke out my new boot(ies) and put my flatiron away. Yahoo! And Halloween is this weekend. I know Halloween is a love-or-loathe holiday for many, but I happen to love it. This year, I'm breaking out the full gore and going as a vampire. For once, Hubs can take part in the revelry, so he's going as a pirate. No lame-o couple costume for us!

I've also been cooking up a storm lately, probably because I get jazzed every year by the proliferation of pumpkin-flavored things. I came home with 10 cans of packed pumpkin the other day (yes, Hubs thinks I'm insane). So on that note, I'll leave you with a little somethin-somethin I whipped up for dinner the other night. Hubs gave it an A+.

Butternut Squash Risotto Recipe
(from Simply Recipes)
Ingredients
6-8 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided into 4 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups butternut squash, peeled, and finely diced
2 cups arborio rice (can substitute medium grained white rice, but arborio is preferred)
1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp chopped chives or garlic chives
Salt

Method
1 Heat broth in medium sized saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a large saucepan; add onion and butternut squash. Cook over medium heat until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.

2 Add rice to onion and squash. Cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine. Cook, stirring constantly until wine has been absorbed by the rice or evaporated. Add a few ladles of broth, just enough to barely cover rice. Cook over medium heat until broth has been absorbed. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes.

3 During the last minutes of cooking, add remaining tablespoon of butter, 1/3 cup Parmesan, and chives. At this point the rice should have a creamy consistency. Add salt to taste. Serve with remaining grated Parmesan.

Serves 4 to 6.