Chilly Nights

First of all, thank you for the response on my last post. I was completely nervous about posting it but was pleasantly surprised by the positivity I received. To me, it confirms you got what I was saying. :)

I pride myself on being a decent "chef", when I do cook. Which is less than I'd like, but a decent amount still.
I also pride myself on winning over my Husband to vegetables. I think deep down it's an extra huge feat because growing up, my Mom rarely made cooked veggies. My Dad only liked corn cooked,
basically :)

First Hubs tried and liked asparagus. Then spinach. Then brussel sprouts. And THEN. Then, last night he tried Mushrooms for the second time since we've been married....and asked for "A few".  Yippee! Go me. (Not to mention, he never used to eat fish. Now one of his favorite meals includes Salmon! Yes. I'm bragging a bit.)

So yesterday was a really chilly night and definitely called for some crusty bread, colorful salad, and roasted mushrooms. If only we had some wine, it would have been perfect.

What's your favorite chilly evening meal?

Grass is green...and so is Asparagus.

If you're at all like me, you like to serve (and try to eat) vegetables that look incredibly delectable. They make the perfect side both visually and taste-wise.

The first time I had ever tried asparagus was on a warm Summer night in California- I was probably 8.  My Aunt had served them soft with creamy cheese sauce. They were delicious! 
My Dad has never been a veggie kind of guy- so growing up our meals didn't include any kind of "ordinary" looking or tasting vegetable side dishes.

So holding onto that Asparagus memory for 15 years- I can proudly say I now purchase, prepare, and enjoy Asparagus in my own home. :)

I wanted to share a quick, easy recipe with all of you out there- in case you want to try your hand at this new, tasty veggie.

You'll need:

Olive oil (PAM or butter)
Asparagus
Salt & Pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan Cheese, if you'd like

First, preheat oven to 375*-450*. 
(On this particular occasion I roasted the asparagus at 375* because I was using the oven for two different meals. The lower the temp is, the longer the asparagus will need to roast.)

Place parchment paper or foil down on a baking sheet for easy clean up.

Clean and cut off thick, hard ends of asparagus. Toss in the oil so that every piece is well coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
Spread asparagus in a line across the baking sheet and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Bake anywhere from 15-30 minutes or until brown and fork tender.

Enjoy!

There are lots of ways to incorporate Asparagus into meals. Cut them up into pasta, add to a cold or warm salad. Dip them in cheese sauce! So good!


Until next time, eat some veggies!!