Parmesan Risotto with Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

Tamara and I had the perfect date night planned.  You might think this strange, but it was adorable.  We both were free and wanted to make something amazing for dinner.  She had most of the ingredients to make risotto and I was going to the grocery store.  I think risotto is a fantastic dish and this is why: When you go grocery shopping, it is always way more fun to go with no idea what you are going to buy.  You say to yourself, "Self, I would like to make dinner." And then, you just go to the store and see what looks good.  Risotto supports this perfectly.  You have the rice, oil, wine, and onion lying around so then you go to the store and see what fresh and exciting ingredients you can find to throw in there.

When I was at the store I found some fantastic asparagus baby portabella mushrooms.  On top of looking beautiful, they were on sale!  I also found some grape tomatoes that looked amazing as well.  And there you have it, the makings of a great dinner.  

We made the risotto, which turned out even better than I thought possible, and munched on our fresh veggies.  We also found some lettuce and used the extra vegetables to make a salad.  It was gorgeous meal and it was super healthy.  Needless to say, we were very pleased with ourselves.  We both agreed: Italy just does food right.  Tamara studied abroad in Italy and told me about all the great food.  Apparently Italians take leftover risotto and fry it in ball form.  Anything fried tastes good, so you can't go wrong with friend risotto balls.  However, seeing as how great this dish was, there really wasn't much leftover.

Along with our fab dinner, we painted nails, ate frozen yogurt, and watched Julie, and Juila.  I had NEVER seen this movie.  I know right? I am an avid food blogger and this movie is all about that.  Julia Child is like the original food blogger.  She took french cooking and made it amusing and accessible for everyone.  I suppose I am sort of like that.  Except I cook whatever I feel like/can afford and show how any college kid can cook! I'm way less refined/experienced, but I think I've got a decent amount of the passion.

Gorgeous Nails :)

Parmesan Risotto with Asparagus, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cups Arborio rice
1 clove of garlic, or garlic powder

4 cups chicken broth, heated

1/2 cup white wine

2 heaping cups of chopped asparagus, halved mushrooms, and grape tomatoes

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Sautee onion and garlic in the olive oil in a medium sautee pan.  Add rice and stir for a couple minutes. Pour in white wine and let evaporate.  Add vegetables and cook for about 2 minutes. Add hot broth gradually to this mixture, stirring until the rice is cooked.  Stir in parmesan.
Enjoy :)