Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

It's been hot in this part of the country lately. We're talking majorly hot for Iowa, and pretty humid, too. But that hasn't stopped me from firing up the oven and roasting some asparagus. Thank goodness for air conditioning.

Summer or winter, it doesn't really matter to me. Roasting is an absolute necessity in my everyday cooking, mainly because it's easy and requires very little hands-on time. But you already know how much I love roasting, don't you?

I make this asparagus quite frequently. Last fall when Joey and I visited our aunt, uncle and cousins in Wisconsin, I made this asparagus to go with dinner. The four kiddos we were feeding were all under the age of 11 and this asparagus was a major hit! If I remember correctly, there were even requests for seconds. Now that's a sign of a good recipe if I've ever seen one.

Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients
*1 bunch asparagus with the ends trimmed
*1/2 tablespoon olive oil
*1 clove garlic, minced
*Salt and black pepper 
*1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
*Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking pan with foil. Line asparagus on baking sheet.
*In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and garlic. Drizzle over the asparagus in the baking pan. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
*Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how thick your asparagus is. During the last two minutes of baking, sprinkle Parmesan cheese atop asparagus and bake for the remaining two minutes.

Happy Cooking!

Madison

Sun-dried Tomato and Asparagus Pasta Salad

Thanks for all your kind words and support about our race. I'm already searching out my next race. Joey, on the other hand, is taking a few steps back from distance running and is going to focus on shorter runs paired with lots of lifting and agility workouts.

Races aside, we are in full-on wedding mode over in this neck of the woods. Tomorrow is my last day of work before the wedding, and my family starts arriving in town tomorrow, too. I'm so excited to spend a few days with my mom, dad, Andrea, my little sisters among other family members before the wedding day arrives.

But amid the craziness, a girl's gotta eat, right? My mom and I made this tasty and off-beat pasta salad last week, inspired by Food Network's 'Mix and Match Pasta Salad' article. To be quite honest, the combination of ingredients was fun and tasty, but the Creamy Parmesan Dressing was anything but rich and complex. So we did our thing and dressed it up a bit with the addition of Greek yogurt, balsamic vinegar, dried dill and a little olive oil for a thinner consistency.

Thank goodness there is plenty of summer left to make this again and again.

A serious dose of wedding updates coming up soon!

Sun-dried Tomato and Asparagus Pasta Salad

Ingredients
Pasta Salad
*1 lb. fusilli pasta, cooked according to package directions, drained and rinsed under cold water and drained again
*2 cups steamed chopped asparagus
*3 ears of cooked fresh sweet corn kernels
*1 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

Dressing
*1/2 cup 2% Greek yogurt (plain)
*1/2 cup sour cream
*1/3 cup olive oil
*3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
*1/8 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
*1/2 teaspoon dried dill or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
*1 garlic clove, minced
*1 1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese 
*Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
*Place cooked pasta in a very large bowl along with the asparagus, corn and sun-dried tomatoes.
*In a small mixing bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients. Stir until well combined. Pour mixture atop pasta mixture in larger bowl. Toss or stir until well-combined. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to an hour before servings. Makes 8 to 10 side-dish servings

Happy Cooking!

Madison