Back in the Kitchen Again - Prepping for Tomorrow's Risotto

First off, i need to get rid of the "Read More" link at the bottom of these posts --- or I need to figure out how to get them to work.

MB is up in Toronto for the rest of the week but, as fate would have it, her mother and aunt are in town. I'm in the process of prepping the dinner I'll be serving them tomorrow night. They're going to arrive at my apartment around 7:30 so I need to get my act together in under an hour. As I was about to head out the door to Union Market without a plan, I decided to look in my risotto cookbook for something featuring fall ingredients.

I landed on a pumpkin and apple risotto, which should be easy enough since I prepped the pumpkin tonight. Unfortunately, i think I may have over-steamed it but it should still add some nice flavor and color to the dish, regardless. The recipe doesn't call for any spices but I'm thinking of adding a dash of nutmeg and cinnamon to enhance the fall flavors. I'm also going to add a few baby portabellas cause, well, why the hell not?

Before I serve dinner, I'm going to have a cheese platter with some fontina, rustico with red pepper, havarti and some smoked cheddar (if its still any good -- it's been in the fridge for awhile now). I grabbed some crostini and grapes to accompany the cheese. I'm also going to serve a simple salad with romaine, red onion, beets and a red wine vinegar dressing from Stonewall Kitchen. I've never cut my own beets before but I decided why not start now. I love the flavor and texture of beets --- and they definitely go with the fall theme.

As for dessert, I haven't made any decisions yet. I'm thinking I might take the easy way out and just grab something at a bakery on the way home but I'm not entirely sold yet. What do you think?