seared scallops with brown butter risotto

Risotto is a powerful word. It's resounding, sensual, Italian, and meant to be said with some kind of hand gesture (not that one, you). It incites a level of anticipation in me that is embarrassing to admit. I'm a sucker for starch, really that's all it comes down to. Rice, mashed potatoes, french fries, bread...
 

But risotto reigns supreme over all these lowly starches. Risotto is Queen Starch.

This brown butter risotto is creamy (obvi) and a just the right amount of salty, with a great depth of flavor from the browned butter and brandy. You can eat it by the bowlful if you're in a starchy mood, or pair it with any protein you want, like sea scallops. The recipe is Giada's that I found in some random magazine like Redbook. She paired it with lobster tail.

This was our first time making sea scallops and it went surprisingly well! We even used frozen (New England wild Jumbo) scallops from Trader Joe's: Thaw, sear, eat, be happy.

coconut-almond crusted tilapia

This recipe is so easy it seems like it shouldn't taste so good.
It's like 3 ingredients.

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Then I added a pineapple salsa. Because that pineapple had been loitering on my counter for a few days, looking all pretty and lonely. 

This pineapple salsa is simply made of:

-1 cup of chopped pineapple

-1 chopped kiwi

-1/3 cup chopped tomato

-1-2 chopped green onions

-2-3 T. brown sugar

-a few squeezes of lemon juice

-salt

However.

Were I to make pineapple salsa again (which is quite likely), I would probably do it differently. Since the above recipe was composed solely of what I had in the fridge, it didn't exactly include everything I thought it should, though it was still pretty dern delicious.
But here's what I think would be an even better combination:

-pineapple

-red pepper

-red onion

-jalapeno

-cilantro

-lime juice

-salt

Basically, it's a completely different recipe. The pineapple stays, and so does the salt. I'll let you know if/when I try it.

 Served it over parmesan couscous (thank you, Near East), alongside broiled asparagus.

And of course wine. Obvs.