For Dinner last night I made my Husbands absolute favorite side dish, Risotto! This time I made Pepper Jack Risotto with Summer Vegetables but he really loves any kind (his favorite is NO vegetables but I keep trying to convince him that he likes vegetables). I was on Twitter (@daniellemahoney) for #GNO (Girls Night Out, for those of you not in the twitter sphere) and I discovered the idea of food buddies, a term that Jyl (@jylmomif )uses with her boys when they like the same foods. I absolutely loved the idea and have already adopted it. My sister Heather and I are Stuffed Mushroom food buddies, Ryan (my hottie husband) and I are Risotto buddies, and pretty much everyone I have ever made it for and I are Herb Crusted Flank Steak buddies (that is my favorite Dream Dinner by the way). Anyway I would love to hear some of your Food Buddie realizations so post a comment and let me know. Here is the great recipe, Enjoy.

Risotto
* 6 1/3 cups chicken stock
* 1 Tbsp Olive oil
* 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
* 2 sticks celery, trimmed and finely chopped
* 2 cups Arborio rice
* 2/3 cup vermouth or white wine
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2-3 cups Vegetables (Be creative and try new ones every time)
* 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (or your choice of cheese)

Heat stock in a saucepan and keep it on a low simmer.

In a large pan, heat olive oil and add the onion and celery. Saute on low without coloring for at least 10 minutes, then turn the heat up and add the rice. Give it a stir. Stir in the vermouth or wine (you can skip this step or use sprite or apple juice but this will change the flavor) Keep stirring until the liquid has cooked into the rice. Add 2-3 cups hot stock to the risotto. Turn the heat down to a simmer and keep adding cups of stock, stirring slowly to remove the starch from the rice, allowing each cup to be absorbed before adding the next. Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. This will take about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute or steam your choice of vegetables. My favorite is Asparagus and Mushrooms but the photograph has steamed carrots with sauteed peppers and squash. Remove from heat and set aside. You can add some fresh chopped herbs like thyme or chervil at this point.

Take the risotto off the heat and check the season carefully with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream, butter, and cheese (typically Parmesan but I tried it with Pepper Jack this time and it worked great). You want it to be creamy and oozy in texture, so add a bit more stock if you think it needs it. Stir in your vegetables. Put a lid on and leave the risotto to relax for about 3 minutes.

Taste your risotto and add a little more seasoning or cheese if you like. I served it with Dream Dinners Chicken Mirabella but it is great on its own or with any entree really.