Spicy Asparagus Pasta

"Asparagus made into a pasta sauce...interesting..." That's what I thought too. Honestly, the first go round was "interesting" at best.

The original recipe I found used asparagus, but also called for A LOT of parsley in the sauce. Don't get me wrong, I like a little parsley here and there to lighten up a dish. However, I think my sister said it best when she pointed out that the first attempt tasted quite similar to grass.

I still liked the idea of the asparagus pasta sauce, though so I have fiddled around with this dish a few different times and the current (parsley free) version is by far one of my favorite vegetarian dishes.

What You'll Need:
Asparagus (estimate-depends on how much you're making, I used about a half a bundle)
3 cloves garlic (obviously increase if you make more)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Red Pepper Flake
Parmesan Cheese
Whole Wheat Spaghetti

Cut the asparagus into 1 inch pieces and blanch in boiling water for about 5 min. Ice it immediately to stop the cooking, blend up with garlic, olive oil, red pepper flake, and salt pepper. The seasonings are all just to taste. I love spicy food so I like to use about a teaspoon of red pepper flake to give it some heat! Use as much olive oil as you need to get to the consistency you want... probably a couple of tablespoons will do.

The end product is sort of like an asparagus pesto, mix over whole wheat noodles with freshly graded Parmesan. Genius...quite a change from its grassy beginning

Ye Big Ol' Pot of Irish Stew

So, I must admit that this post is LONG overdue!!! I promise the cooking has continued even though the blogging has not. This has left me with a long list of delicious concoctions that deserve a proper posting, although most likely they will receive a castrated version of their former glory (however, some cultures really value eunuchs).

I digress: this pot of stew was the perfect winter warm-me-up and it fed my 2 roommates and me for about a week and a half! The thing that makes this stew so great is the really rich broth. Don't get me wrong the medley of delicious veggies and perfectly tender meat was scrumptious, but the broth was so flavorful that I could have lived off the liquid alone for a week and a half and still been satiated.

The other great thing was how easy it was: chop, stir, wait, stir, wait, stir, eat, stir, eat...you get the idea.

What you'll need:

1 1/2 lb. Stew Beef
1 lb Red Potatoes

1 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes

1 Large Yellow Onion

3 c. Carrots, Chopped

4 stalks Celery, Chopped

1 Large Head of Garlic (8-10 cloves)

6 c. Beef Stock (I like starting with low sodium so I can control how salty to make it)

1 c. Red Wine (anything will do, I used a Pino Noir)

1 1/4 c. Guinness (almost one whole big can of theirs)

1 Tbl. Dried Thyme

1 Tbl. Sugar

Salt and Pepper to taste

All you do: Chop your meat into 1 inch cubes and brown in the pot with some olive oil. after a few minutes add in the crushed garlic (don't chop it even if you're tempted, the smashed cloves will break up and then later you get sweet garlic pieces...yum!). After another minute or so add in your stock, wine, Guinness, tomato paste, Worcestershire's, and herbs. Let the mixture boil and then reduce the heat to low and cover.

While the beef and liquids are simmering away, cut up all of your vegetables then brown them in a big pot with the butter (about 15 min or so). They don't have to cook through, they will do this in the stew, but it gives them a little more of a caramelized flavor.


Add the veggies to the beef and broth mixture and simmer for another 30-40 minutes. Stir every once in a while to prevent sticking to the bottom and sides. Thicken if you want to with a little roux of cornstarch or flour and water (I didn't find this necessary. It's stew, not a thick soup, I liked the thinner broth with the chunky veggies). Make sure to remove the bay leaves before you serve it.

Honestly, I don't usually even like stew. But this one will become a yearly tradition... maybe even bi-yearly (and that's saying a lot for me)!

Apple Pie with Crumble Topping

So, Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is approaching quickly. When I think of the fall holidays, I think Apple Pie! I am not a huge fan of pie in general... but Apple Pie is a different story. This is my favorite apple pie recipe and I hope it will be one of yours too!

When making the filling, I like to use a combination of different kinds of apples. I usually use 3 Gala and 3 Jonathan apples. These apples are firm enough that they don't get mushy when you cook them, but they are tangy enough to stand up to the sweetness of the filling.

When it comes to the crust. If you have a really great crust recipe, by all means use it. I, however, like the Pillsbury pre-made pie crusts. They are so quick and easy and they taste great! Grease your pie plate and lay your crust inside. After mixing the filling, plop it inside the crust, and top it with the

For the filling:
6 apples cored, peeled and sliced

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinimon

For the topping:

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

1 stick butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake at this temperature for 7 minutes then turn the temperature down to 350 and continue to bake for another 35-45 minutes until golden brown and the juices are bubbling.