Too Good to Be True?

All right, I write romance novels for a living, so a certain faith in happy endings is sort of a prereq for doing the job well. But I still have those cynical moments of wondering if something is too good to be true--usually moments after purchasing something I saw in an infomercial. Tonight, I'm doing a cooking experiment. Part of me is giddy with joy over finding a new recipe that sounds this good; the rest of me is skeptical. Just where is the fine line between buoyant optimism and gullible stupidity?

I love a good risotto--but it's a pain in the butt to make. It requires lots of patience and lots of stirring. The times I've made it where it turned out as delicious as it deserved were tag-team efforts, such as when my best friend and I were chatting and laughing and taking turns stirring and when my sister and I made it, alternately pouring white wine into the pot and stealing a glass for ourselves.

Last time I was in the pediatrician's office, scanning a magazine, I found a "quick" and "easy" recipe for shrimp and asparagus risotto. I love shrimp, I love asparagus, and as a mom with two kids home for the summer and books out with two publishing houses, I am easily seduced by "quick" and "easy." Even though these are two words one does not associate with a good risotto.

What about you? When was the last time you attempted something (or purchased something) despite your suspicion that it was "too good to be true?" Did it pleasantly exceed your expectations or reinforce the theory that, if it SEEMS too good to be true, it is?

I'll let you know how the risotto turns out...