I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching lately. Part of it has to do with the idea that I must start acting like a grown-up (retirement accounts, disability insurance, savings, mutual funds, estate planning, etc.) and part of it has been embracing the idea that I must give up a lot of the stuff in my life that has been weighing me down. I’m trying to balance a lot of things right now, and sometimes my inability to say “no” to people can get in the way. I’m sure you can all relate somehow.

And here’s the deal. I’m really in love. More specifically, I’m in love with this blog. This is my happy place, my safe place. This is the only thing that I have created on my own. I can control it by posting the recipes that I choose and I can write about the things that I want to. I know I’ve discussed many of my philosophies about blogging before on this website, and I still stand by what I have said.

This is not my profession. I do not want it to be. I do not rely on any income (what little I do receive) from this blog (well, except to cover groceries). I will not be writing a cookbook. I feel like nowadays there is this expected continuum that many bloggers feel that they must adhere to…or else. The blog, the social media, the eventual e-cookbook, the brands, etc. For some, it’s a straight line of “progression” which defines their success as a food blogger. And maybe for some, it works. Not for me.

When I feel stressed about deadlines and expectations and comparisons and all that stuff, I look back at my old posts and realize that my blog was never for anyone else but me. And I want to keep it that way.

All that being said, I am going to continue to post recipes that I have had success with and photos which will hopefully make you want to make and eat the food. Because it makes me happy. But, if it’s nice outside, I’ll probably be out riding my bike with my dream man instead. 🙂

Here’s a simple recipe that I have been meaning to post for a while. I used leftover risotto from this recipe, but you can use whatever kind of risotto you have on hand. For the cheese, I used some mild goat cheese for extra tanginess, since I thought that might pair well with the spinach/artichoke combination. You can use whatever kind of cheese you like.

Cheesy Risotto Cakes with Poached Eggs

Servings: roughly 4 small risotto cakes

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole wheat panko (You can throw in additional seasonings here if you like, depending on what type of risotto you are using.)

1 large egg

2 cups cooked risotto. For more risotto recipes, click here, here, or here.

2-3 tablespoons mild goat cheese (or roughly the same amount of whatever kind of cheese you like)

1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste.**I found that I didn’t need to add much seasoning here since the risotto already had enough flavor.

4 eggs, poached

Instructions

1. Place the panko in a small, shallow bowl.

2. In another bowl, whisk the egg.

3. Using about 1/2 cup of the cooked risotto, form a small patty in your hand. Create a small indentation in the center of the patty and place about 1/2 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon of the goat cheese in the indentation. Carefully fold the risotto over the goat cheese, forming a small patty with a goat cheese center. Repeat until you have four patties.

4. Dip each patty into the egg, followed by the panko, making sure to evenly coat each patty with the panko mixture-I like to gently press the panko into each one.

5. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat until shimmering.

6. Place each patty (I cooked mine two at a time) into the pan and let cook until crisp and golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes for each side.

7. Top with a poached egg and season as desired.

Source: A Curvy Carrot original.