Asparagus Season

I haven’t posted lately; I have been around but busy. When I am not at work I have been doing a little spring cleaning (tossing/giving away a lot of things I haven’t used for a few months), visiting friends, planning our trip to Europe at the end of the month (!!) and, yes, cooking.

My mom has given us asparagus from her garden when she has seen us recently, and I just love it!  It’s so delicious and tender, and I love finding new ways to fix it.  I love making it with my Venetian Apricot Chicken recipe (and it’s so much better than the store-bought stuff I had for those pictures).

I have also been baking it with olive oil, salt, garlic, and ginger.  I tried that with some orange bell pepper (unbaked picture above) and that was a delicious combination as well!  Another great way to make asparagus is this simple Asparagus and Onions recipe.

Have you gotten any fresh asparagus this season?

Insta-Inspiration

I like… Old Pot Holders

I am going to be sharing a post like this every day this week – sharing something I like/use and why.

I am going to go out on a limb here, and share something silly that I like – my old, worn pot holders!

I don’t care for big oven mitts, and most pot holders are too stiff to be worth anything when trying to remove a dish or cookie sheet from the oven.  I have two old pot holders (they were passed to me from someone else) that are super thin and flexible, and I use them every day.

Burned, stained, I don’t care.  They are probably my most essential kitchen items!

Does anyone else feel the same way about pot holders, or am I completely crazy?

I like… Clean hands

I like… keeping handy wipes in my car for use while shopping!

I hate, hate, hate the dirty feeling when I get to the car after shopping.  You know the feeling – you’ve handled lots of groceries or clothes that everyone else in town has handled, and you’re just dirty.

I always keep a package of wipes in my car and it truly is a sanity-savor!  Occasionally you’ll find coupons for them as well, and I’ve even gotten free samples.

and while we’re on the subject, I really like those car-size Kleenex boxed.  Genius.

I like… Repurposing and Youtube Tutorials

strips of old t-shirts turned into a braided headband, learned here

I have a love-hate relationship with youtube.  I hate all the stupid videos and hateful comments, but…

I like all the re-purposing videos I find on youtube!

I want to sometime turn a pair of jeans into a skirt, turn a shirt into a skirt, and get that Old Hollywood Glam.

As far as kitchen tutorials, I love Anne Jisca‘s tips for peeling garlic quickly.

Do you have any favorite youtube tutorials or DIY videos?

Black Bean and Corn Roasted Salsa

 

I discovered this really cute blog.

On it, I found this really awesome recipe.

I made it tonight.

It was so worthwhile that I am staying up late to post about it.

Black Bean and Corn Roasted Salsa

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, mostly leaves
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup minced red onion (I used vidalia)
1 tablespoon minced jalapeño
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 14.5-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes, well drained
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 cup corn kernels
the juice of 1 lime*

Directions:

The original recipe called for the use of a food processor, which I don’t have.  I just used a knife, which is basically the same thing but it requires more elbow grease. If you do have a food processor, be sure to check out the original post for easier directions.

1. Chop the cilantro, garlic, onion, jalapeño, and tomatoes until they are very fine.  Combine in a bowl and stir in salt.

2. Add the beans, corn, and juice.  Stir well and enjoy served on tortilla chips.

* I used 2 tablespoons lemon juice

I like… Wine Glasses

 

Today I will tell you…

how much I like wine glasses.  I love that wine glasses dress up any meal, no matter what you put in them. (All right, maybe not milk…)

Wine glasses (and candles) are two of my favorite easy ways to create a restaurant-like atmosphere at home.  That, and good food, of course!