5-6 cups chicken broth (one of those big cans usually does it -but I always have more kicking around just in case)

3 T butter

1 T olive oil

1 C finely chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/4 Cups Arborio rice (no substituting!)

1/2 c dry white wine

1 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 lb very thin green asparagus cut diagonally into 1 1/2 inch lengths

1 1/2 cups diced red bell pepper

1 1/2 cups yellow summer squash, diced

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 T chopped parsley

1/2 cup (at least) freshly grated parmesan cheese - don't get the green can!

either 1 - 1 1/2 lbs grilled chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces or 1 lb cleaned shrimp, grilled or sauteed*** optional

in a medium saucepan, bring the broth up to a simmer, and keep hot over low heat

in a large heavy skillet or dutch oven melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, stir for 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the wine and lemon zest; cook, stirring until the wine is absorbed.

Raise heat to medium high. Stir in 1/2 cup of the hot broth; cook stirring until most of the liquid evaporates (the spoon will leave a track on thebottom of the pan, but there is still liquid around the grains of rice)Cook stirring for another 10 minutes, adding the broth a 1/2 cup (i use a big ladle) at a time, as the liquid evaporates.

Stir in the asparagus, bell pepper, squash and black pepper. Cook 12-15 more minutes, adding hot broth 1/2 cup at a time until the rice is firm but tender and there is a creamy sauce and the veggies are tender. (Sitr in the shrimp or chicken here, just until heated through)

Remove from heat, stir in remaining butter, parsley and cheese.

serve immediately - pass more cheese.

this is a very versatile recipe - you can substitute other veggies that are in season, but if you add carrots for example, they need to cook longer - though part of the appeal of this dish is the color combination so keep that in mind

*** to prep the chicken or shrimp - i usually just sprinkle w/ lemon pepper and grill it (the GF is good for this one) or saute it