asparagus with feta and vinegar

alternate title: Asparagus for the Asparagus Hater.

true story.

i’m typically no fan of the asparagus. we have been nurturing a crop of it in our garden for three years now…truthfully, for me it’s more of an experiment and exercise in persistance vs some longing for bountiful harvests of fresh asparagus.

this year we picked our first stalks.

three. to be exact. one of which was too woody anyway and got chucked.

anyway, i saw a post from @lorchick on instagram (thanks lady!) where she showed an asparagus/feta dish. hmmm asparagus + feta? sounded good. sounds like something the mister would like (he’s the asparagus eater of the family). so i looked up a few recipes, allowed them to meld and process in my brain and then extracted this.

let me tell you something: the first time i made it i bought one pack to add to our measly three homegrown stalks. that first batch never even made it to the dinner table. jeremy and i and the oldest three hunched over the stove eating stalk after stalk. when it was gone we grabbed crackers to dip in the sauce lingering in the pan. the next day i got about three texts from him…i want more asparagus. i can’t stop thinking about the asparagus.

file that under “married almost 15 years”. used to be asparagus = me. used ta bes don’t count anymore ;)

so i went back to the store and bought more asparagus. LOTS more asparagus. and made it again. and this time, i took pictures to share with you.

make it. it’s made an asparagus eater of me. the oldest two googies were fighting over the leftovers on their sister’s plate. smelly pee is just a bonus.

it’s that good.

ASPARAGUS WITH FETA AND VINEGAR

okay this may be the world’s worst recipe. more a set of vague ideas than actual recipe.

first: i used the honey ginger balsamic we bought at a local specialty vinegar shop. if you can get your hands on some of this, i highly, HIGHLY recommend it. it’s a white balsamic, and the touch of sweetness with it is…just yum. i can’t even be more eloquent than that. if you don’t have it and can’t get it, i would maybe sub either a good balsamic or red wine vinegar and add a touch of honey and a sprinkle of powdered ginger. mix this up in a bowl first and then add it to the recipe.

also, i didn’t and don’t measure anything. it’s a splash and a pinch and a spoonful. i did my best guesstimating, but my best advice is go with what feels right. it’s just olive oil and garlic—you’re not gonna hurt anything. ;)

final note: i don’t add any salt. the feta is plenty salty, and the final taste—a combo of sweet, tangy, salty, a little spicy and a touch of bitterness….yummmm…don’t need any more salt.

INGREDIENTS
+ 2 bunches asparagus (3 lame stalks from your garden optional)
+ olive oil
+ chopped garlic
+ lemon juice
+ honey-ginger vinegar
+ pepper
+ crumbled feta

DIRECTIONS
+ preheat oven to 425F.
+ prep asparagus stalks by washing in cold water in and breaking woody ends off (just hold both ends and bend. wherever the asparagus naturally breaks is bueno. throw away the bottom, keep the top. good job for littles.)
+ put the asparagus in a bowl and add enough olive oil to coat.
+ toss in a spoonful of finely chopped garlic (about 2 cloves)
+ add lemon juice and vinegar. i’d say about 2 tablespoons of each.
+ pepper to taste
+lay out on baking sheet in single layer
+pour the rest of your sauce on top
+ bake 10-12 minutes, or until tender and lightly browned.
+ top with feta and put back in the oven 1-2 minutes
+ eat it. ALL.

just thought you’d want to know: number of times i said “asparagus” in this post—20.

window box house number tutorial!

my super MIL gave me two plastic planter boxes that she wasn't using anymore.

so i took one and sprayed it black.

then put on a 'no. 27' in cream vinyl that i ordered from my new bff--shelley at wonderfully wordy. {if i don't get my own vinyl cutter at some point than i'm probably going to be paying for her kids' college educations.}

wouldn't it have been nice if i actually got three mums for the planter to actually fill it up? and maybe even some that were in bloom, so there was maybe some flowers?

hold on...let me exercise my mad photo shop skillzzzzzz...


ahh, much better.

the vinyl was a little tough to get on real well because of the nubby texture of the plastic, but i just kept pushing it down and going over it. once i got it one there pretty well, i gave it a coat of clear sealer.

i can't guarantee this will last forever, but it's under the covered porch--so not directly exposed to the elements. and it only cost me the price of the vinyl--which is SUPER reasonable!

what i love about this is that i am really diggin' the "no. xx" in vinyl people put on their front doors. but my front door is glass (see it there in the background?) so it's not really an option for me. 

i will NOT show you the rest of the porch. we'll just leave it here. you can imagine the rest of my front porch as completely clean, web-free, color coordinated and adorable.

i absolutely DO NOT have beach chairs & an umbrella from the last time we went to the beach (beginning of august), various camping supplies (from the camping trip last month), random bits of broken sidewalk chalk, someone's sweater, a bag of clothing to be donated, and tons of dead leaves all over the porch. nope. no way.

harvest

our first official "bounty" from
googie garden 2010



and for the life of me, i can not conceive of anything more appropriate to do with fresh basil than make

Basil Pesto



here's my official recipe:
2 cups of fresh basil
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 cloves garlic

all mashed up in the food processor

drizzle in olive oil until pesto-y (my official term)
add salt, pepper and parmesan cheese to taste



you would not believe how this smells

it meets the pasta...



they mingle and mix, and this beautiful combination finds its way to my plate



ohhhh...i died

Little Bear had FOUR helpings. Four. She only weighs 23 lbs.

of course, for the meat eaters in the family, googiedaddy provided some additional nourishment.

sirloin stuffed with horseradish cheddar and wrapped with bacon, all from the local Amish market.



word around the dinner table was that it was pretty good stuff.
but i'll stick with the pesto, thankyouverymuch

algebra is my strong suit

We've had a summer vegetable garden for the last few years, and enjoy it immensely.

Deciding what to grow, picking and planting the seeds, nurturing them and watching them spring to life....and the final result of harvesting your own fresh veggies--well, we love it...the kids love it. It's a fun and rewarding past time in so many ways. In fact, it's more than a past time or hobby, because you reap (no pun intended) so many benefits.

In a related story...

Our home is situated so that we have a sideways 'L' shaped yard. The side yard got some attention three summers ago: a paver patio, a privacy fence, some outdoor furniture, and a small veggie garden. We haven't give much (read: any) attention to the back yard--basically since we bought our home (8 years ago).

But there's reasons for that.

The back has alot of issues: it's fairly narrow, with a hill going up to woods at the rear.

Woods + deer = ticks = YUK

It also has some pretty severe drainage issues, which lead to ALOT of standing water when we get even a modicum of rain.

Standing water = mosquitos + (dirt x dog + (kids x 4 - 1 baby) = mud) = YUK

Beyond those, there's just all the other reasons why in the past the backyard has consistently drawn the short straw...

8 years in house = ('fixer-upper' + major renovation/addition) - $$$ + 2 additional kids (swollen ankles x 18 months) - $$$ = who cares what the backyard looks like I don't even have time or energy to pee let alone look out the windows

Well, NO MORE my friends.

This year, we decided to knock down our existing raised circular garden (about an 8' diameter) and move around to the back of the house with the garden.

googiedaddy + googiemomma = more is better + irrationality² x overdoing it =

"Let's regrade a bit so the hill is steeper and we have more flat space to work with"





"Then let's put in 4 huge raised garden beds, and plant everything from asparagus to zucchini"


what we affectionately refer to as "the back four(ty)"


"And then let's build our children a playhouse. But a huge one. And let's raise it 5 1/2 feet off the ground, so it will be cooler. And more complicated. Oh, and let's try to do it in three days."

Start:


End of day 1:


End of day 2:





The end of day 3 was brought to an untimely conclusion by the arrival of a thunderstorm. So the house is not quite finished, and I didn't get a picture. But it's looking cool, and the kids are dying to get in and play.

So, to sum up:

4 huge gardens + one giant playhouse = one very negligent blogger + multiple bruises x sore muscles²