Bit of a risotto kick

First of all, allow me to freely admit that this is a fall recipe and it is wholly inappropriate that I made it in the middle of 85+ degree heat. Fortunately for me, a happy stomach knows no season. I made the (delightful) mistake of buying a lot more arborio rice than I could possibly use in one recipe. This has resulted in me making risotto at least four times in the last month.

I am reasonably sure this is not normal.

Since I do not want to deluge you with bits of my current obsession, I will discuss one today and leave the rest until I make one of them again far enough in the future that I do not run the risk of being a one trick pony. This is a butternut squash rosemary risotto. It. is. delicious. It's creamy, rich, flavorful and will be perfect when the fall comes around and people other than me start making these sorts of dishes. Even more importantly, however, I was able to hide the onions in it from my roommate (who thinks she doesn't like them) and even she inhaled it. And one more thing! I put the leftovers in the refrigerator and ate them the next day, even microwaved them, and they held up! Risotto is known for its inability to abide waiting or storage.

In short, I was thrilled and you will be too

Macaroons

Ooof. I have been slow on the update. Many apologies. Whilst away, I can assure you that I have still been cooking, though decidedly less frequently since I've been on a short contract project. Yesterday, however, I woke up with the all consuming urge to bake, so I perused the internet, various cookbooks, and my head until something struck my fancy. What was it, you ask?

Chocolate dipped coconut macaroons.

I can actually hear my dad make yummy noises upon reading that. I have never before made macaroons, however, as it turns out, not having the foggiest clue what I'm doing no longer stops me. So, off to the store I went to pick up some shredded coconut and melt-worthy chocolate. Of course, upon arriving at the store, I completely forgot whether I was supposed to be using sweetened or unsweetened coconut... and ended up with both, just to be safe. Also, since I was supposed to have 8oz of coconut and the bags are in multiples of 7oz (Why? Why would you use 7? It makes no sense, you never need anything in multiples of 7!), I ended up throwing in a handful of the unsweetened anyway. Mine turned out well, but in the future I would actually scale back the coconut to egg white ratio, so the recipe I'm giving you is tweaked to reflect that. Also, it allows you to purchase just one bag of blasted coconut and not have to worry about measuring. Tada.

On to the tastiness!