IWAD #2- Yummy Risotto!!

I had so been waiting for this IWAD night! Last night we made another 3 course dinner! It started with "Asparagus & Prosciutto Antipasto". YUMMY! I even taught Brandy a new technique when cooking asparagus. I do watch The Food Network on TV quite often and they all do this! After rinsing the asparagus under cold water to clean it, hold each end and bend it slightly. It will automatically break at a certain point. That is where you should cut the spears to get rid of the hard ends. While munching on our appetizer we started the main course of "Risotto Bolognese". I had never made a risotto before, but I love it and order it out at Italian restaurants all of the time. This defintely turned out restaurant quality and was very delicious. It was pretty easy as well, but a little time consuming. Then for dessert...oh, for dessert...sigh. I am just not very great at desserts I guess. Don't get me wrong, this one turned out tasty, but the work I put into the damn thing was so not worth it. I made Cannoli Napoleans. You will notice that the recipe calls for 12 vanilla pizzelles. Well, my local grocery store, HEB doesn't carry them. Apparently the only place that does is Mandola's Italian Market, which is a good 30-40 minute drive from where I live, and with a 2 year old about to take her afternoon nap (of which I need for my sanity) I was not about to put her in the car and drive for pizzelles. "I guess no dessert for tonight" I thought. Wrong! My lovely Brandy decided to email me a link with a recipe for them. So I noticed I had all of the ingredients I needed to make them, AND I have a Pizzelle Maker! It has never been used, but it was an attachment for my Emerilware Waffle Maker (of which I don't know where the manual is). So, I'm thinking great, I can make them! Then the chaos begins.

Before I put my daughter down for her nap I whip up the batter to make them. After I put her down I heated up the pizzelle maker. The recipe states to leave it in for 45 seconds, but my machine says 2-2.5 minutes. Now I am confused. The recipe also states to use 1 tablespoon of batter per pizzelle and I decided to eyeball it instead of using a measuring spoon. The first batch (2 at a time and I need 12 of these things) I leave on for 1 minute and is a little under done, oozing out the side of the maker, and slightly sticks to the pan. I took them out, sprayed down the pan with cooking spray, added some more (less) batter, and closed the lid. Okay, 2 minutes this time...BURNT! So, I scrape out the pizzelle maker again and decide to try one more time. (Keep in mind that this naptime is supposed to HELP my sanity). Once again, I spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray, add batter, and close the lid. Wait 1.5 minutes this time...happy medium. NOPE! Burnt again and so stuck to the pan I can't even get them out. I'm DONE! No dessert tonight! I unplugged the maker so it could cool down, threw the batter in the fridge, and decided to get in my workout of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred, which is a major stress reliever I will tell you!

After cooling down I decided to give these damn pizzelles one last try. After all, I had already made the filling for the dessert. So, I thoroughly clean the pizzelle maker, dry it off, and plug it in until it's heated. This is when I realize how this pizzelle maker works...duh! There is a light on the machine that goes off when it's heated and ready. This is when I spray it with nonstick cooking spray and drop in the batter. I wait 2 minutes and open the lid...PERFECT PIZZELLES!! I closed the lid and the red light was back on. I waited until it re-heated and the light went off, sprayed the pan, dropped the batter, closed the lid, and waited 2 minutes...AGAIN PERFECT PIZZELLES!! After all of the stress I put myself through I felt very silly. If only I had the user manual for the maker it would have been easier, but I wound up with more than enough pizzelles and a very yummy dessert for after dinner!

"Asparagus & Prosciutto Antipasto"

• 12 asparagus spears (about 8 ounces) -I just bought a bunch and used as many as we wanted
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled gorgonzola cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 package (3-4 ounces) thinly sliced prosciutto

1. Trim and discard tough ends of asparagus spears. Simmer asparagus in salted water in large skillet 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain; rinse with cold water until cool. Drain; pat dry with paper towels.
2. Combine cream cheese, gorgonzola cheese and pepper in small bowl; mix well. Cut prosciutto slices in half crosswise to make 12 pieces. I bought more than enough prosciutto and didn't cut them in half but used a whole piece per asparagus. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over 1 side of each prosciutto slice.
3. Wrap each asparagus spear with prosciutto slice. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

"Risotto Bolognese"

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) uncooked Arborio rice
• 4 cups SWANSON Chicken Broth (Regular, Natural Goodness or Certified Organic), heated
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups PREGO Fresh Mushroom Italian Sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Shaved Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat. I used a 3 quart saucepan and it worked fine. Add the onion and cook until tender. Add the rice and cook and stir for 2 minutes or until the rice is slightly browned.
2. Stir 1 1/2 cups of the broth into the rice mixture. Cook and stir until the broth is absorbed, maintaining the rice at a gentle simmer. Continue cooking and adding broth 1/4 cup at a time, stirring until it's absorbed after each addition before adding more.
3. Meanwhile, cook the beef in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it's well browned, stirring frequently to break up meat. Pour off any fat. Stir the sauce and black pepper into the skillet. Heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes or until the beef is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
4. Spoon the rice mixture on a serving platter. Spoon the beef mixture in the center. Season to taste. Serve with the cheese, if desired. We did!

"Cannoli Napoleons"

• 1 container (15 ounces) whole milk ricotta cheese -I used low fat
• 3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 vanilla pizzelles
• 1/3 cup grated semisweet chocolate
• Sweetened whipped cream
• 6 tablespoons chopped toasted pistachios -To toast nuts, place in single layer on ungreased baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally

1. Combine ricotta cheese, mascarpone cheese, powdered sugar, orange peel and vanilla in large bowl. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
2. For each napolean, place 1 pizzelle on dessert plate. Spread 1/4 cup ricotta mixture over pizzelle. Sprinkle generous 1 teaspoon chocolate over mixture. Repeat layers. Top with dollop of whipped cream. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon pistachios. Serve immediately.