Asparagus? Eww!

I have a ton of different pictures of things I've cooked, but no time to post about them! May has been/is going to be crazy. I feel like all month I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I can't imagine how much crazier it will be when I have kids in school! Every weekend is busy, most weeknights are crazy, I can't wait for my Florida vacation! (I don't know when I'm going to find time to pack...)

I cooked dinner last night. It was crazy, I don't have much else to say about it... (honestly I've deleted 5 different paragraphs of writing this morning). I made Steak teriyaki, which I love! Rice (I usually prefer noodles, but rice was easier, so rice was made), and Asparagus, which I hate. Or at least I thought I hated. So why did I buy it & cook it? Kind of on a whim I suppose. I usually buy some napa, some water chestnuts, some sugar snap peas & throw them in some noodles with a yummy sauce. But I know Matt likes asparagus so I randomly decided to give it another try. Well, I googled "asian asparagus recipe", clicked on the first link, made that recipe & loved it! So, while I would love to give you my teriyaki recipe (it is super easy!) I think the asparagus recipe deserves to be posted. Perhaps next time you will get the teriyaki, for now, enjoy some Asparagus!

Asparagus Grilled with an Asian Touch

Ingredients:
3 lbs asparagus, tough ends removed
1 tablespoon brown sugar or 1 tablespoon honey
1/8-1/3 cup sesame oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar (I just used rice vinegar)
3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced finely
1/4 inch fresh ginger, grated
black pepper
chili pepper flakes

Directions:
1. Put all marinade ingredients into a zip-lock bag shake and add asparagus and marinate for 1 hour to overnight.
2. Remove from marinade, cook on a hot grill about 5 minutes just till lightly browned.
3. Turning often.
4. Optional: Heat the marinade and pour over the grilled asparagus.

(I halved the recipe (I mean, really, who needs 3 lbs of asparagus), only marinated for about an hour, and didn't do step 4, and I'm not really sure Matt did step 3 either... I would also like to add that while I was putting the marinade together I knocked the bag off the counter & ended up with most of the marinade on my dishwasher & kitchen floor, so I'm not sure my end proportions were quite right. It still tasted good :-))

~ http://www.food.com/recipe/asparagus-grilled-with-an-asian-touch-90746#ixzz1MoG6zxfK

(This is part of the reason dinner was so crazy to get together :P)

Angel Hair (as in pasta...)

I never realized how that first hair cut would change the way my child looked! I waited and waited and waited to have Evie's haircut. She's a girl, her hair can be long, why worry about the stress of  a screaming child getting their hair cut? (I've heard a few horror stories!) Finally about a month before Evie turned 3, Mommy & Evie went in for a mother daughter haircut. The stylist cut my hair while Evie watched very attentively and then it was her turn. She sat so well & was so excited (she wanted to go back the next day for another haircut). They only cut off about an inch and a half of her hair, but how different she looks! I'm so glad we conquered the first haircut, but I miss her old hair. Yes, it's all nice & uniformly cut, but it's just not the same.

This brings us to Laurence. He needs a haircut! He isn't even 9 months old & he needs a haircut. He was born with quite a bit of hair, most of which fell out. The hair near his forehead however didn't and it is long & wispy and I think it keeps on growing. It gets in his eyes, it gets tangled, it is just a hassle! But how I dread cutting it. I know I will miss it and I don't want my baby boy to grow up yet! I think I'll let him keep his angel hair awhile longer :)

Yes, yes, I'm getting to the pasta part! It has been a pasta sort of week! I love this pasta almost more than the penne. It is light & pretty easy to make. The only difficulties I've had are that the garlic tends to burn (I think roasting it separately would fix this problem) and making sure all the elements are done at the same time can be difficult. (It also works well as a side dish to grilled chicken or pork)

Angel Hair with Roasted Butternut Squash

1 2 lb Butternut Squash, peeled & cut in small pieces
1 bulb garlic, peeled
3 T olive oil
1 lb Angel Hair
1/4 C butter
3 slices bacon, chopped & cooked
1/2 C walnuts, chopped & toasted
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 C Parmesan Cheese (I serve this separately)

1. In baking pan, toss squash, garlic, olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp pepper. Spread squash in single layer. Bake 15 - 18 minutes or until squash is tender & lightly browned.
2. Cook pasta with 1 T salt
3. Heat butter over medium heat until it turns light brown, stir frequently
4. Toss Spaghetti with half of butter. Toss squash, bacon, nuts, & nutmeg with remaining butter. Serve squash over pasta. Sprinkle with cheese.

~bhg.com
(amusing, after typing this out I just realized I forgot to put the nutmeg in last night. Ah well, it still tasted great!!)

Penne Alla Vodka & Tantrums

So with turning 3 I had high hopes that the tantrums were coming to an end. They just seem to be bigger, louder & more dramatic. (And they also wake up the baby, NOOOOO!)

Last night Matt was home late from work (I know, I know, I'm lucky, when I say late I mean 5, but he does go in really early). I was attempting to get dinner made with a fussy 9 month old who didn't want to nap & a grumpy 3 year old who wanted to be entertained. I handed Laurence a whisk & a mixing bowl and let him bang around. Evie of course wanted to join the fun, but she wanted some pasta to pretend to cook. With some misgivings I gave her some uncooked macaroni noodles to play with & went back to the pasta I was really cooking. Well, the next time I turned around there was pasta all over the kitchen floor. Trying to keep my frustration in check I asked Evie to put it back in her bowl. "I don't want to" she tells me with defiance. The next 30 minutes consisted of me telling her she had to pick it up & her laying on the kitchen floor saying she wouldn't.

Dinner was of course finished during this time, Matt got home & we sat down to eat, minus Evie (who was still laying on the kitchen floor). When she realized we were going to eat without her she got that pasta picked up in under a minute. Then she sat down & ate 2 huge helpings of this yummy pasta! (Of course another tantrum followed when I asked her to eat one piece of spinach... the conflict never seems to end). Anyway, enjoy the recipe, it's one of our favorites!

Penne Alla Vodka

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, reserve liquid
5 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 small onion, (1/4 C) minced
1 T tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teas red pepper flakes (leave out if you don't like a little spice)
Table Salt
1/3 C vodka
1/2 C heavy cream
1 pound penne
2 T chopped fresh basil (or 2 teas dried)

1. Puree half of tomatoes in food processor until smooth. Remove cores & dice remaining tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces. Combine tomatoes in measuring cup, add reserved liquid to equal 2 cups.
2. Heat pan over medium heat, saute bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, add onion & tomato paste, cook stirring occasionally until onions are light golden brown around edges, about 3 minutes. Add garlic & pepper flakes; cook stirring constantly until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Stir in tomatoes & 1/2 teas. salt. Add vodka. Simmer briskly at medium high heat, 8 to 10 minutes, until alcohol is cooked off. Stir in cream and cook 1 minute.
4. Add sauce to cooked pasta in Dutch oven, toss over medium heat until pasta absorbs some sauce. Stir in basil & bacon. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

~Cooks Illustrated #83, with some variations. (let me know if you want the original recipe, the articles that go along with the recipes are very useful!)