One new and fun thing I’ve been doing since this crisis hit is reading and flipping through magazines – physical ones. Previously I had several ones I’d subscribed to digitally but right before the virus hit, I had received a gift of 4 print magazine subscriptions for a year and I thought “why not?” I have been especially thankful for them these days because it’s allowed me to enjoy images of delicious drool-worthy food without being on an electronic device.

Well, eventually the images look delicious enough to tempt one to attempt making them. And so I decided to try. Both risotto and pesto were things I’d always wondered how on earth one makes, and this was my chance to make both in one shot! And boy was it so much easier than I ever could have imagined!

Here is Real Simple’s recipe for Green Risotto with Pistachio Pesto. And here is how I made it my own:

• I halved almost everything since I was making this only for my husband and me
• I used salted butter
• I used salted pistachios
• I only used about 1 tbsp butter total
• I didn’t add additional salt to anything since I already used salted butter and pistachios
• I don’t own oven-safe pans so I transferred the risotto into a glass Pyrex for the time required in the oven
• I made it a side dish instead of a main dish (I’m an unashamed meat eater)

The point is, you don’t have to follow recipes To a T, pretty much ever. I love looking at inspiring photos, reading what the recipe entails, and getting excited about how I’ll make it for me. I hope you do the same! Have fun 😜