I feel like a lame rookie for even getting excited about this, but whatever. It’s my first appearance on A1.

Naturally, the story is food-related. As a 122-year-old Bloomfield meat packer closes its doors, it also ends production of a legendary Connecticut food: the two-foot hot dog at Doogie’s in Newington. Grote & Weigel has made the proprietary frankfurter for Doogie’s since 1999.

Doogie’s monster dog has been featured on the Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food” and in Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine, so its demise is significant. Yesterday, I found myself at the restaurant during a line-out-the-door lunch rush, interviewing fans who’d come to say a final farewell to the big dog. That became a Business-section story in itself.

Naturally, I’ve been craving a hot dog ever since.

I’m having a love affair with risotto. It’s easy, it’s versatile and it makes a truly elegant meal, even on an average Monday.

It’s also been a way for me to use up cups of homemade lobster stock, which I made and froze post-Christmas.

I had designs on a seafood chowder or some kind of soup, but a first, wildly successful attempt at this risotto left me wanting more – and now my stock supply has dwindled.

On the second attempt, I added a can of lump crabmeat for extra seafood flair. It was a good move.

(By the way, this is my first crack at “food styling.” Like?)

Lemony Seafood Risotto (Serves about 4)

1 1/2 cup arborio rice
1 large shallot, minced
3 large cloves of garlic, minced (or adjust amount to taste, I love garlic)
4 tbsp olive oil or butter
4 cups heated seafood stock
1/2 cup white wine (I like oaky Chardonnay)
Juice of one lemon
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 tsp fresh or dried thyme
1 lb. fresh or frozen (thawed) shrimp
1 can of lump crabmeat

Heat 2 tbsp butter or oil in a saucepan. Saute the shallots and garlic until golden brown. Pour in arborio rice and stir so that the shallots and garlic completely coat the grains. Add thyme, pepper, wine and lemon juice and stir until absorbed. Add 1 cup warm stock, stirring until absorbed.

Continue cooking for 15-20 minutes, adding remaining liquid 1 cup at a time, until the rice takes on a creamy texture.

In a frying pan, heat 2 tbsp oil or butter and saute shrimp until pink. Saute crabmeat in remaining oil. Chop shrimp into small pieces and stir into risotto mixture, then fold crabmeat into mixture. (For presentation, you may want to reserve several whole shrimp to top risotto servings.) Remove from heat and serve immediately.

I’m so glad this one worked out. Otherwise, I may have given up on lasagna for good.

Yes, I’m going to drop that bomb here and back away. I don’t like lasagna in its traditional form, probably because of my pickiness when it comes to the flavor, consistency and volume of tomato sauce. But drown something in alfredo or bechamel, and I’ll eat every bite.

I’ve been searching for new and innovative butternut squash recipes this winter. I’ve made too many bisques. A vegetarian chili with squash and black beans didn’t do it for me, and I certainly can’t make homemade ravioli every night. But a lasagna seemed like an interesting presentation.

Word of warning: I found this to be fairly labor-intensive. As in, not something you can whip up after working late. But I imagine it stores/freezes well if you want to make it in advance and reheat.

Despite the two hours of prep and cook time, this was a huge success – hearty and comforting without heaviness and regret. The roasted squash’s sweetness shines through every layer, melding with the just-enough creaminess of the white sauce and the nutty Parmesan.

I adapted my own twists on this Good Housekeeping recipe (no Swiss chard, more herbs in the sauce, the addition of minced garlic and shallots) but maintained the majority of it. Reworked steps after the jump.

• 12  lasagna noodles
• Salt
• 1 large (3 pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
• 1  large onion, minced
• 2 tablespoon(s) margarine or butter
• 1/3 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon(s) dried thyme
• 1 shallot, minced
• 4 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
• 4 cup(s) low-fat (1 percent) milk
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh herbs work especially well in the white sauce. I used parsley and rosemary; thyme and sage would probably be great additions, too.

Instructions

1. In saucepot, cook lasagna noodles in boiling salted water as label directs. Drain noodles and rinse with cold running water to stop cooking; drain again. Layer noodles between sheets of waxed paper.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In large bowl, toss butternut squash chunks with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place squash on large cookiesheet. Roast squash 30 minutes or until fork-tender, stirring halfway through cooking. Remove from oven and, with fork or potato masher, mash squash until almost smooth; set aside.  (Alternate preparation: puree cooked squash in food processor. This worked best for me.)
3.  Turn down oven temperature to 375 degrees F.
4. Meanwhile, in 5-quart Dutch oven or saucepot, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook about 25 minutes or until golden, stirring often.
5. Prepare White Sauce: In 3-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat.  Cook garlic and shallots until soft. With wire whisk, stir in flour, pepper, salt, nutmeg, and thyme, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually whisk in milk and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until sauce boils and thickens slightly. Boil 1 minute, stirring. Whisk in all but 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Remove saucepan from heat.
6. In 13″ by 9″ glass baking dish, evenly spoon about 1/2 cup white sauce to cover bottom of dish. Arrange 4 lasagna noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit. Evenly spread butternut squash mixture over noodles. Sprinkle half the chopped onions on top of the squash, and top with about 1 cup white sauce. Arrange 4 lasagna noodles on top, then about 1 cup white sauce, the remaining onions and all butternut squash. Top with remaining lasagna noodles and remaining white sauce. Sprinkle with reserved 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.
7. Cover lasagna with foil and bake 30 minutes; remove foil and bake 10 minutes longer or until hot and bubbly. Let lasagna stand 10 minutes for easier serving.

During the car ride to the grocery store yesterday, I facetiously tweeted: “Hope they haven’t sold out of vegetables.”

And then I walked into ShopRite to find this:

That was just the bagged salad display. The entire produce section was similarly decimated. Damn it, Resolutioners, save some for the rest of us.

It just speaks to everything I hate about New Year’s resolutions: the false urgency to end bad habits, the compulsion to stock the fridge full of healthy foods, the mad rush to the membership desk at local gyms. If you want to improve yourself, do it, but no one says you have to meet all your goals the second the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1. Do it bit by bit throughout the year. Make it manageable.

Maybe I’m just pre-emptively cranky because I know all the treadmills will be taken at Planet Fitness for the next four weeks.

Southwest burger (NICK CAITO)

I think it’s safe to say West Hartford is overrun with burger places. So much so, that my blogger friend Steve Wood (of CT Museum Quest) is going through 48 of the town’s burgers in the next year as a blog project.

While reading Steve’s most recent results last night, I remembered that Nick Caito and I had visited one of the town’s newest spots, BGR Burger Joint, in early December. We had just sampled a $30 tea cocktail across the street at Treva (for work, really) and needed some food in our stomachs.

BGR is a cool place to grab a quick bite. A Virginia-based chain, the West Hartford restaurant is the first in Connecticut. The Farmington Avenue space is sort of music-themed, decorated with album covers and an early-90s soundtrack to boot (at least during the afternoon we visited.) It’s very casual. There’s no waiter service; you grab your order from the counter and choose a seat.

Burgers range from classic beef (“prime, dry-aged, all natural, hormone free, grain-fed” according to the website) to alternative proteins like turkey, lamb, ahi tuna and lobster.

Sides include fries (Yukon Gold; Idaho sweet potatoes); grilled asparagus spears or thick-cut, beer battered Vidalia onion rings. To drink: extra-thick milkshakes, fountain soda (West Hartford has one of those Coca-Cola “Freestyle” machines, with eleventeen billion flavor options) and beer and wine.

I wanted a beef burger, but I was holding steady with our week of vegetarian eating and I didn’t want to be the one who cheated. So I ordered the ahi tuna version, seemingly shocking the cashier when I asked for it to be cooked rare (how else would you eat it?)

Ahi tuna burger (NICK CAITO)

As you can see, it was a beautiful seven-ounce piece of fresh fish, seared lightly and topped with teriyaki sauce, grilled pineapple and BGR’s creamy, spicy “mojo” sauce. Like a maki roll on brioche instead of rolled in rice and nori. Probably one of the better tuna burgers I’ve had.

Nick went with the Southwestern burger, which the cashier described as less of a burger than the consistency of a packed Sloppy Joe. The meat was a bit loose, but contained plenty of flavor from chipotles, poblanos, onion and chilis, along with mojo, pepperjack cheese and black bean salsa.

I wasn’t crazy about the Yukon Gold fries (they were standard-cut and kind of bland) but I did love the array of condiments ready for the taking. Plenty of ketchup, mayonnaise, various mustards and my favorite fried-food enhancer: malt vinegar. And the fries can be topped with Parmesan, rosemary or roasted garlic for an upcharge, should you need a hit of flavor.

If you’re craving a burger in West Hartford, you can throw a rock and hit at least a dozen joints. Some are lackluster, some are wildly overpriced. BGR is in the middle; priced for a quick lunch or dinner but with plenty of quality offerings. Worth a visit.

BGR Burger Joint, 983 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford Center. 860-523-3152, bgrtheburgerjoint.com.

If there’s one thing I love more than food in general, it’s trying new foods. Especially ethnic cuisines that I haven’t yet sampled. In the final days of 2011, I was able to check another one off my bucket list – Ethiopian.

I met several Hartford-area friends for lunch at Abyssinian today. Unfortunately, in the excitement of experiencing new things and catching up with my buddies, I took off my journalist hat. And that means I didn’t accurately note the proper names for our dishes. Apologies. I welcome intel from those familiar with the items!

If you’ve never had Ethiopian, prepare to get your hands dirty. Utensils disappear, to be replaced by trays of injera, a sour, spongy flatbread. You use pieces of the flatbread to scoop meat and vegetable stews. It takes some getting used to (and lots of napkins) but it’s a fun experience, particularly if you’re with a big group.

Appetizer: spicy collard greens cooked with cottage cheese (reminded me of spanakopita filling)

Ground beef balls, served with salad

An edible tray: injera with vegetables

Doro wat (see, I remembered mine!) - chicken stew with hardboiled egg

Spiced lamb bits

I’m looking forward to going back to Abyssinian and trying more delicacies. We tried to order sambusas (pastries filled with meat and vegetables) but were told the “sambusa guy was sick.” Next time, I may go for a beef or lamb dish – without utensils, it was difficult to pull the dark-meat chicken from the bone.

There are good servers, who are friendly and attentive and remember all the details of your order. And then there are great servers, who are so obviously (and legitimately) enthusiastic about a menu item that you feel the need to try it for yourself.

I’d hoped to snag seats in the bar at Vito’s By The Water in Windsor during happy hour last night, but that’s near impossible at 6 p.m. for a restaurant within a few-mile radius of a dozen office parks. So while that meant no half-price raw bar deals, it meant a quiet dinner table away from the after-work crowd and two simultaneous office holiday parties in nearby private rooms.

Our server immediately recommended Vito’s new Zinfandel flight ($12), tasting pours of three XYZin selections. I almost tuned out, because Zin is not my favorite – and overly peppery ones take me back to last December in Sonoma when I missed lunch and didn’t pace myself. (Don’t do that, by the way. Ever.)

But her genuine excitement for this wine won me over, and I ordered the flight, representing XYZin’s “Vine Age Series.” Tasting notes from xyzinwines.com:

The first one, from 10-year vines: “A medium-bodied Zinfandel, XYZin 10 bursts with upfront fruit. The wine offers appealing aromas of raspberry, currant and plum with a hint of sandalwood and lavender. The flavors echo the aromatics with juicy cherry and baked strawberry pie married to attractive pomegranate fruit, rounded out by suggestions of nutmeg and cocoa.”

The second, from 50-year vines: “XYZin 50 offers beautiful briar and pomegranate fruit at its core followed by waves of sandalwood, mocha, and a light whiff of pepper on the finish.  The refined structure and polished spice are perfected through aging in French oak barrels and make the wine versatile enough to complement a variety of dishes.”

The third, and easily the most gorgeous, from 100-year vines: “Lovely cola nut and dark cherry fruit flavors are followed by strawberry jam and cappuccino. Firm, zesty acidity provides vibrancy and longevity and mingles with pleasing earthy accents of slate and chaparral. Aging in a blend of French, American and Eastern European oak imparts a sophisticated array of textures to complement the extensive depth and range of flavors present in the fruit.”

I don’t know if I picked up even half of that, but all I know is that the 100-year wine just smacked of refined beauty. The same “this is so amazing, I know it’s so expensive, I don’t want it to end, because I can’t afford a whole bottle” mixture of pleasure and pain I’ve experienced while tasting Opus One and Rodney Strong’s ridiculous Rockaway. But unlike those, it looks like this XY is retail-priced around $45. Not an everyday table wine, but not a break-the-bank bottle, either.

The 10-year, the lightest and fruitiest, seemed to be the most food-friendly and went nicely with my white ricotta-and-herb pizza. But I saved the “century” pour, trying to sip the two-ounce glass really slowly because I wanted it to last as long as possible.

And it’s all thanks to our server (whose name I didn’t catch, but our check said “Sara”) who took the time to point out this great find. It was a wonderful treat on a Tuesday night.

I didn’t realize tofu would be such a polarizing ingredient when I started this vegetarian experiment. And that’s fine. To each their own, but I’m loving it.

If only it didn’t take so damn long to drain. I’ve found that it’s best to freeze a package, defrost the block and cut it into usable strips/portions, and then press those pieces between two cutting boards with a cloth towel on top (absorbs more liquid than paper towels.)

But once it’s dried, you’re ready to go. This time, I decided to see how tofu would do with a classic buffalo-wing sauce and blue cheese dressing. After grilling the slices, I tossed them in Frank’s Red Hot Sauce with a touch of Tabasco for some more heat.

The verdict? So-so. I do enjoy deep-fried boneless buffalo wings on occasion, and maybe this was just too healthy for me, or not crispy enough. I think I would have been better off making baked buffalo chicken tenderloins.

Nor did I love my chosen brand of “healthy” blue cheese dressing: Bolthouse Farms, with yogurt. I’m not a fan of processed salad dressings to begin with, but it just tasted odd. Another blogger suggested making your own “dressing” by blending blue cheese crumbles with nonfat Greek yogurt, and I think I would have enjoyed that quite a bit more.

I don’t have any photos to share, because I am delinquent. But we finished another semi-vegetarian week and guess what, we’re starting to like it.

Monday: I cooked this curried lentil soup with lemon from Vegetarian Times, adding handfuls of baby spinach for more leafy greens. (I absolutely love spinach in soup.) Great success; I enjoyed eating it for lunch over the next few days. I bought a big loaf of wheat bread to serve with it.

Tuesday: Black bean and butternut squash crockpot chili. I personally didn’t love it. But Rob did, so at least it got eaten. If we’re being totally honest, I’m not a chili fan to begin with, but I figured I might enjoy a version without tons of beef.

Wednesday: Margarita pizza with fresh mozzarella. Basic. Easy. And my pizza stone did not divide itself in the oven.

Thursday: Black bean burgers, again. They were a little too spicy. I need to cut back on the chipotle.

I ate meat on Wednesday (pork banh mi and rare-beef pho at Huong Viet in Hartford) and Friday (my beloved chicken korma at Pintu’s in West Springfield.) And all was fine until Saturday, when we decided to pick up some grass-fed ribeye to cook at home. First, I wasn’t thrilled with the outcome of my red-wine reduction sauce. Second, the flavor of the meat didn’t excite me nearly as much as a good steak used to. Third, I had an upset stomach for the remainder of the night. While I’m not positive the meat caused it, I suspect that it could have been a culprit.

But yesterday, all I wanted for lunch was a turkey sandwich. And so that’s what I ate, returning to vegetarianhood at dinner with handmade butternut squash ravioli and roasted Brussels sprouts.

And while I’m sure this has coincidence written all over it, this is the week where I’ve reached two major running milestones. I’ve been following the Couch to 5K training program on and off since May and began hitting a wall around week 5, where the first of three runs (alternating 5-minute runs and 3-minute walks) jumps rather inexplicably to an 8-minute run/5-minute walk interval and then to a 20-minute run with no walk breaks. I spent months stuck on the first run of that week, mastering the five-minute run and feeling too intimidated to move on.

Until last Monday, when I decided to just go for it and attempt the 8 minutes. When I finished with ease, I felt like a damn superhero. And after completing two more of those runs on Tuesday and Friday, I got on the treadmill Sunday and went for broke. I passed 8 minutes and kept going. Re-evaluated at 10; kept going. Gave Rob the thumbs-up at 11 minutes when he stopped by the water fountain. Shortly after that, I just entered a zone. At the end of the full 20 minutes, I just started dancing on the treadmill. I don’t even care who was watching.

Let me assure you, the last time I ran that far – and long – I was in training for junior varsity cheerleading during my sophomore year of high school, when I was trying to come back from a nasty knee injury. And I thought it would take me another few months to reach this goal. I believe I’ll be signing up for a 5K sometime next year for sure now.

I thought my first taste of meat after five days of vegetarian eating would be nirvana. And while I didn’t have any major cravings during our meatless week, there were a few moments where I just wanted to rip into a burger. We decided to indulge this weekend at Max Burger in West Hartford, figuring if we were going to eat beef, we’d do it right.

We committed the faux pas of ordering virtually the same meal (Kobe Fun Guy: with medium-rare Kobe beef, truffled cheese, French onion aioli and au poivre dipping sauce – hold the mushrooms for me.) And when the burgers arrived, they looked as gorgeous as they did in my dreams.

But something was off. As Rob tore into his and pronounced it the best ever, I found myself treading more lightly. Yes, it was incredible. Yes, that meat was utterly perfect, juicy and the ideal pink-red through the center. And yes, the rich aioli and earthy truffle cheese elevated the decadence factor. At the same time, it was almost a little too much for me, after a week of grains, vegetables and tofu. I ate half and brought home leftovers – something I hadn’t planned to do.

I guess I should have known what was coming when the restaurant’s “Grateful Veg” burger – with quinoa, sunflower seeds and lemon-tahini vinaigrette – looked especially good that night.

No way am I going full vegetarian, but I think we’re going to continue on this part-time meatless kick. We both agreed the experiment made us feel better; gave us more energy. (I fit in five workouts in seven days; almost unheard-of for me.) I didn’t feel sluggish in the late afternoon like I normally do.

And I had a much more successful round of tofu-cooking last night. Several people told me they’d had better results when freezing the tofu first, and they were absolutely right. It took extra time to drain it, but once it dried out, it pan-fried up beautifully. We planned to save a portion of the unmarinated slices for future meals, but we couldn’t resist – it all disappeared in a matter of minutes.

This week, I’ll be fashioning some kind of black bean and butternut squash chili, and a potential red-lentil soup. I may even make quinoa meatballs again. And there’s a lonely eggplant in my fridge, wondering when it’ll get its time to shine. Suggestions?