Asparagus - My Way

One of the things I like best about spring is asparagus. Right now, in just about any grocery store, you can find tender, young asparagus for as low as $0.99 a pound. I was in my local Tom Thumb on Sunday and picked up a bunch of asparagus for our Monday dinner. I love asparagus most ways (except boiled - gross), but this recipe is my absolute favorite.

Spring Asparagus with Garlic

2 tbsp. butter (the real stuff please)
2 tbsp. good olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt (do yourself a favor and buy some good salt - don't use the shaker stuff for this!)
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. asparagus spears, washed and trimmed

In a medium saute pan over medium heat, melt together the butter and the olive oil. Once this is melted, sprinkle the salt and pepper over the oil and allow the salt to melt into the butter/oil mixture.

Add the minced garlic and let it cook down and infuse the oil for a minute or two - don't let it get brown or burn!

Once the garlic is just barely cooked, add the asparagus spears. Saute the asparagus, turning to coat in the salty, peppery, buttery olive oil, for about 10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Turn the asparagus every minute or so so it doesn't overcook or get brown. The salty-garlicky oil will permeate the spears and they will be so tender and flavorful you'll want to spank your mama.

With asparagus so cheap right now, we're going to be eating a lot of this. Try this recipe - I promise you will NOT be disappointed.

Let me know how it works out for you (but don't really spank your mama - unless she deserves it!)!

Susan's Famous Pot Roast recipe

Since you've been asking... here it is!

1 good-sized roast - 2-4 pounds, with decent marbling (that fat isn't going to kill you)
1 large onion, cut into quarters
4 stalks celery, washed and cut into large chunks
1 pound baby carrots
1 pound fresh green beans, cleaned and the ends trimmed
1 pkg. instant onion soup mix

Get out your crock pot and turn it on LOW. Make a mirepoix (that's a fancy French term for vegetables you are going to throw away) of the onion and the celery. Place them in the bottom of the crock pot.

Place a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a deep pan and turn it on medium high to high. Get your roast and season it liberally with seasoned salt and LOTS of black pepper. Now we are going to sear this puppy.

Sear the roast on all sides in the hot oil until browned on the outside. This is the secret to the pot roast (shhhh!). This takes a little time, but believe me, this roast will make you want to spank your mama.

Once the roast is seared, place it on top of the onions and celery in the crock pot. Sprinkle with one envelope of onion soup mix. Then top the roast with the carrots and the green beans.

Cover the crock pot with foil and then put the lid on. NOTE: We did NOT add any water to this roast. You don't want a New England Boiled dinner here. DON'T ADD ANY WATER!!!

Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until it smells so good you will sell your kids to the neighbors for a set of dinnerware.

Remove the green beans and carrots to a bowl. The roast will be falling apart tender, so put that on a platter. The onions and celery are for flavoring only. You can eat them if you want, but I usually just toss them.

You will find you have a fabulous stock left. Strain this into a small saucepan and turn on the heat to medium-ish. In a shaker, mix 1/4 cup flour with about 1/2 cup water. Shake shake shake until there are no lumps in this mixture. By this time, your stock should be boiling. Mix the flour mixture into the stock with a wire whisk. Simmer for a minute or two until the flour is cooked through and the gravy is thickened.

I serve this with cream cheese smashed potatoes and the vegetables. And a BIG glass of milk.