Every day, I inevitably encounter the question, “what’s for dinner?” And yet every day, it somehow sneaks up on me and surprises me.

Sometimes, it’s my husband asking the question. Other times, it’s me, and my stomach is already growling.

And yet, when the question comes around, I often find myself with no answers, because I feel like I am running out of ideas when it comes to food. I go through cycles of cooking the same few dishes over and over until I am sick of them. Often, my rotation includes a variety of pastas, burrito bowls and beef and broccoli or fried rice, before I end up back at the beginning of the circle.

Sometimes, when I am trapped in this cycle, I find myself groaning and saying ridiculous things to my husband like, “there aren’t enough foods. Why aren’t there more types of foods?” As in, in the world. In my groaning and complaining, I blame the entire culinary world for not inventing enough options of foods for my taste buds. (Yes, I know, I’m completely ridiculous.)

But this week, when I was bemoaning the culinary experience the world has to offer, I decided to try to look for a recipe for something completely new that I had never tried before.

With that in mind, this week, I attempted to make Rosemary Lemon Arborio Rice with Shrimp. Well, actually, I was following a recipe for lemon risotto from Julie Wampler with the Food Network. But when I couldn’t find risotto in stores, I had to substitute Arborio rice, which led me to a dish that was even newer.

Armed with my ingredients (including my substitutions) and a little bit of unfounded confidence, I got to work in my kitchen making this dish. The biggest appeal of the recipe was that it was a one-pot recipe, but of course, with it being my first time making it, I managed to use two. (Trying to cook in a pot too small first is always a right of passage for a new recipe.)

Otherwise, the recipe only took a little bit of prep work, like getting the shrimp cleaned and ready for the pot and chopping up an onion.

The most labor-intensive part was standing in the kitchen and stirring in chicken broth over and over again, until all of it was absorbed.

About 30 minutes into the rice cooking, I started tasting, and realized I wanted a more complex flavor than just lemon to compliment the shrimp. That’s when I added the rosemary to this dish, since lemon and rosemary are a favorite combination of mine when it comes to seafood. Technically, you could probably swap in any dried herb you wanted in its place, but I thought the rosemary and lemon combination was a great way to go.

If you’ve never tried cooking a dish like this, I would recommend approaching it with an open mind. While I was nervous initially about jumping into something I had never tried to cook before, I found that, by the end, I had something completely new and different to enjoy for dinner.

My husband and I liked it so much that, by the end, there was nothing left in the pot, which is great, since we both agreed it was delicious. But I do have to say, I was sad to not have any leftovers. Because the next day, we were both asking each other, “what’s for dinner” all over again.

ROSEMARY LEMON RISOTTO WITH SHRIMP FOR TWO

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 c. diced onions
1 clove minced garlic
3/4 c. Arborio rice (or risotto, if you can find it — I couldn’t.)
1 Tbsp. lemon zest, plus juice of 1 lemon
1/3 c. white wine
3 1/2 c. chicken broth, or more as needed
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
Salt and ground black pepper

Directions
■ In a heavy-bottom pot, add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and heat up over medium-high heat. Brown the shrimp on both sides without fully cooking them through, about 1 minute per side. Remove and set aside on a plate.
■ In the same pot, add the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil, then add the onions and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes, then add the rice and cook, stirring gently, to toast it. Add the lemon zest and juice and turn the heat to medium; add the white wine. Continue stirring until most of the wine has cooked off, 5 to 7 minutes.
■ Slowly add about 1/2 c. chicken broth, and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has been absorbed. Then add another 1/2 c. chicken broth. Continue doing so in this manner until only one 1/2 c. broth remains. Then add rosemary and final 1/2 c. of broth, stirring frequently until the liquid is completely absorbed. (You may need more or less than the 3 1/2 c. of chicken broth. I used 4.)
■ Season with salt and pepper to taste, then add the shrimp back in. Toss to incorporate and cook until the shrimp are cooked all the way through, 2 to 3 minutes. Divide evenly into 2 bowls and serve!

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