Eat this. Now.

OK. So this post is going to be short. I want to share a recipe. Plain and simple.

In the whirlwind that has been my life over the last month, I have rarely taken the time to research and try any new recipes. I was bored the other night, so I picked up the Food Network Kitchens Cookbook. What a fantastic book, y'all! The recipes border between gourmet and homestyle and are all delicious-looking. I settled for Lemon Risotto with Shrimp and Asparagus. Oh. My. Word. I happened to be sitting alone in my apartment when I took the first bite, and I was so overwhelmed by the taste that I just had to call someone. Naturally, this person was my mom. If I could count the times I have called her over the years to tell her the most ridiculous, pointless, silly things that I see/do/hear, you would be amazed. It's quite funny to me that even after 23 years, she still laughs and listens to my ranting. That's love. Even when I call and forget why I called before I could tell her the stupid or random fact. :)

Any who, back to the risotto. OK. So I ate so much, I was stuffed. No jokes. I want to pass this along to you, my readers, because you will die. It's for certain that this is one of my new favorite meals. Just make it. Trust me.*

Lemon Risotto with Shrimp and Asparagus**

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus

4 oz. frozen shrimp

Olive Oil

3 cups chicken broth

A pinch of dried thyme

1 shallot, diced (this is a small pinkish onion -- use 1/4 white onion if you can't find a shallot)

1 1/2 cups Arborio (risotto) rice

Salt

Pepper

Zest of half lemon

2 tablespoons butter

Juice of half lemon

Recipe:

Cut asparagus into inch pieces discarding woody stems. Heat a few turns of olive oil in a large Dutch oven pot (this is a pot with two handles on the sides) on medium high heat. Add the shrimp and let warm up for about 5-6 minutes. Take the shrimp out and keep warm on a plate under tin foil. Meanwhile, add chicken broth and thyme to a large pot (just a regular pot this time) and warm up just to a simmer. Add the diced shallot to the pot the where you took the shrimp out and let it cook for about 2 minutes until translucent. Add the rice and stir until it is coated and covered in oil. Ladle in about 1/2 cup of broth to the rice and let it absorb while stirring. It's important to let the rice absorb all the liquid before adding anymore. Keep adding broth to the rice until about half the stock is used. Add the asparagus and lemon zest into the rice and stir gently. Continue ladling 1/2 cup of broth stirring between additions until all the stock is used. When rice is al dente (which is just a fancy term for "firm to the bite") after about 15 minutes, add in the shrimp, lemon juice and butter and stir quickly so it absorbs.*** Remove from the heat and let the risotto rest for a minute before serving. Top with salt and pepper to taste.

Y'all it's so yummy!! Please, please let me know if anyone decides to use this recipe and tell me if you think it's as good as I do!!

I thought I could keep this post short, but I guess not. Ha! Enjoy the rest of your week and weekend! DC is getting snow on Saturday! I'll have to wait for the next time because I'll be visiting Adam's family in Virginia Beach this weekend. And, I made his mom some Pumpkin Spice Biscotti, so I'll post how it turns out soon!

*Sorry I couldn't get a better picture. I had already started eating it and couldn't stop. You know how that goes, right?

**I really edited this recipe from the original because I didn't like some of the ingredients. Does this mean I am honing my craft?? Oh, now I'm excited!

***Now the rice is called risotto because it has absorbed flavor and liquid.