Good for what ails ya

The past few weekends have been full of fun. Our youngest sister came to visit Friday night, which lead to another night out on the town. My sisters are both tall, blond goddesses who attract men like flame attracts moths. It's pretty fun to sit back and watch.

Saturday morning offered a perfect opportunity for me to make a hearty, hollandaise-laden breakfast. We had butternut squash risotto a few nights ago for dinner, and I was laying in bed the other night unable to sleep wondering what to do with the leftovers (I think about food entirely too much). In popped the following recipe. For Mother's Day this year I made a salmon cake benedict that may have been the best breakfast known to man -- this is a close second.

Heather and I opted for a chill evening at home on Saturday, and I am so glad we did. I was able to take the love birds out for a great walk and as you can see, they didn't have a bit of fun.

Smiling happy Benny.

Super Berkley.

I missed these Idaho skies.

These tend to be a bitch to peel.

I nearly sliced off my hand. BE CAREFUL!

You can't make leftovers look sexy.

Sweet potato hash wasn't half bad.

Eggs benedict, risotto-style

leftover risotto (butternut squash recipe to follow)

2 tbs sour cream

1 cup breadcrumbs, preferably panko

1 package hollandaise sauce (I reserve ever right to use packaged hollandaise!)

poached eggs

paprika for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with pam. Stir sour cream into leftover risotto. This brightens up the rice and enable the breadcrumbs to stick. With an ice cream scoop or 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop out the risotto and form into patties. Dredge in the breadcrumbs and place on the cookie sheet. Bake 20-30 minutes or until golden; flip halfway through to crisp both sides.

Meanwhile, cook hollandaise according to package. Resist the urge to eat with a spoon. Prepare eggs. (I am no help with poaching. By the grace of God I managed to get three intact eggs).

Place two risotto cakes with with an egg(s) on top and spoon over the hollandaise sauce. Sprinkle some paprika for additional flare.

Butternut squash risotto

adapted from Art Smith's Back to the Table

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed

2 shallots chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups arborio rice

6 cups chicken stock

1 cup dry white wine

2 tbs unsalted butter

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, more for garnish

2 tbs fresh sage, chopped (I used chives to mix it up this time, but the sage is lovely)

2 tbs olive oil

s/p

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread the squash on a baking dish and toss with one tbs olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake until tender, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan and keep warm. Meanwhile, melt butter and the remaining olive oil in a large stockpot. Add the shallots and garlic and saute until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until it turns opaque. Again, about another 2 minutes. Be careful not to brown. Add the wine and cook until nearly evaporated.

Gradually incorporate the heated broth to the rice, 1 cup at a time. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until the rice absorbs the broth. Stir in another cup of broth and repeat this process until you use all of the broth and the rice is tender, about twenty minutes. If your run out of broth and the rice isn't tender, use hot water. Add the squash and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and sage. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

My sisters love this risotto. I promise, if you make it for your family they will love it, too. Be forewarned, they will ask you to make it all the time!