They say that smell is one of the best memory makers for the human mind. A smell can take us back to our childhoods in an instant. Rain in the woods can remind me of camp, bleach reminds me of the pool at the health center where I use to take Tae Kwon Do as a child, and the smell of suntan lotion, of course, brings me back to playing on Florida’s soft sandy beaches. One smell that I cherish though is my mother’s pasta sauce recipe.

I feel like everyone has that one “family recipe” that they just love and pass down and this is one of my favorites. I can remember being a child and laying on the floor of my living room watching TV while the smell of this sauce floated in from the kitchen. I love it now because it reminds me of my mother, and it’s easy to make, freezes well and can be used not just in spaghetti dishes, but in lasagna too! I hope you love it as much as I do and that it becomes a staple in your home as well.

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This Valentines’s you don’t need to get on a reality show and be verbally abused in order to learn how to make this very iconic dish from Hell’s Kitchen. Nor do you have to make the journey to Las Vegas to eat at Hell’s Kitchen in the Ceasar’s Palace. Thanks to the magic of the internet, you can make this risotto in the comfort (and safety) of your own home with only your spouse to yell at you…if you’re into that kind of thing (no judgment). I got this copy cat recipe from Bake It With Love.

First, I think it would be obvious, but if your significant other has a shellfish allergy, and you don’t want to kill them, then it would be best to find something else to cook. Shellfish allergies can be extremely serious and you don’t want to spend your romantic evening in a hospital (or worse).

Secondly, for those of you wondering what it tastes like, I’ll do my best to describe. The wine that is used adds a subtle flavor and the alcohol is cooked off early on in the process (so it’s safe to feed kids). The addition to lemon and chive added at the end seems to enhance the flavor of the lobster meat, and the risotto has spent a lot of time cooking in the lobster stock juices which means not only is it tender, but really full of flavor. It was a serious win in my book and didn’t really take long to make once all the ingredients where assembled.

Thirdly, on that note, make sure to assemble your ingredients BEFOREHAND. You don’t want to be fumbling around trying to find measuring cups and praying that your risotto isn’t burning. I did mine in sections. So while my stock was simmering I was prepping the ingredients for the risotto.

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