Egg Cups with Asparagus, Gruyere & Ham

These are so adorable! I was happy to use my muffin tins for more than my cute cupcakes for once! These are perfect for a quick breakfast but elegant enough to serve at a brunch. Asparagus season is now, so buy up those slender stalks because they are perfect for this recipe. And they are sure delish!

<3 Lishie

Egg Cups with Asparagus, Gruyere & Ham

• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1 c cooked ham, chopped
• 1 c asparagus, chopped into 1" pieces
• 1/2 c gruyere, shredded
• 1/4 c milk
• fresh parsley

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  

Spray 12 muffin tin cups with cooking spray.

Mix together all of the ingredients.  Add the mixture evenly to all 12 cups.  Bake for 13-14 minutes or until puffed and browned.  

Parmesan Asparagus

I love asparagus. They're beautiful little stems of goodness. And right about now, they are coming into season which means... skinny, perfect stalks good enough to munch on raw (which I do) as I prepare it.

Here are two ways to enjoy the one recipe.

<3 Lishie

Parmesan Asparagus

1 lb. bunch of fresh asparagus, trimmed*

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

3 TBSp fresh garlic, minced

1/4 c parmesan grated

Place the asparagus in a plastic bag combined with the olive oil, garlic & parmesan- make sure the marinade coats all stalks- for an hour in the refrigerator.

Cooking-

Roasted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roast for 10 minutes, turning the asparagus stalks at 5.

Grilled  perfect for summer

Heat up grill. Grill 10 minutes, turning the asparagus stalks at 5.

*Bend one asparagus stalk gently at the bottom & where it snaps, the piece gets discarded. Line the rest of the bunch up with this first stalk &, using your knife, cut the rest at the same break off point.

Stovetop Ham Mac & Cheese with Asparagus

I was thrilled. Oh so happy. Easter meant leftover ham. I hardly ever get to make ham at home since the hubs doesn't really like it much! I gladly accepted leftover, slick slices of my sis-in-law's spiral ham...

Then I made this meal, for one... Leftovers of this await me as well :) 

<3 Lishie

Stovetop Ham, Mac & Cheese with Asparagus

• 1 lb. medium pasta shells
• 1-2 TBSp olive oil
• 1 small, red pepper, diced
• 1 small bunch of fresh asparagus, trimmed & diced into 1-2" pieces
• 1/2 lb. thick-sliced ham 
• s & p, to taste
• 1 c mixed, shredded cheddar cheese

Cook pasta al dente (save 1/2 c of cooking water before draining.)

In a deep-sided saute pan, heat the olive oil. Add the pepper, asparagus & ham. Saute until the veg is tender. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 c of the cooking water... Add the pasta to the saute pan with the ham & veg... Quickly stir in the shredded cheese. Add as much of the reserved cooking water as needed to thin out the cheese & combine the ingredients. Serve!

Orzo Salad with Lemon, Mint, & Ricotta Salata

Birthdays at work- do you celebrate at yours? Is it the same old cake or whatnot every time? Not at my job! We all contribute & it is so much fun. AND the goodies are a selection of sweet & savory so you can have your pick. Amongst the array for the latest, my boss' birthday, we surprised him with: my blondies, K's cherry or strawberry topped vanilla cupcakes, A's brownies, G's (well V's) strawberry rhubarb pie & chocolate chip cookies, mini pitas/hummus, tortilla chips/salsa & another "A" brought in cold salads from Dean & DeLuca... One of the salads was my inspiration for this dish. Well, inspiration AND recipe since the only "adaptation" I made was to add fresh asparagus. This pasta salad is delicious in itself, as a side, for a picnic, etc. The tiny salad packs a lot of taste! Try it- you.will.love.it.
<3 Lishie

Orzo Salad with Lemon, Mint, & Ricotta Salata

slightly adapted from Dean & DeLuca

• 1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 c minced shallots
• 2 TBSp fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest, or more to taste
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 c uncooked orzo
• 1/2 c very finely diced thin asparagus
• 1/2 c very finely diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 c very finely diced seedless cucumber
• 1/2 c crumbled ricotta salata cheese (about 3 oz)
• 3 TBSp minced fresh mint leaves

Stir together the olive oil, shallots, lemon juice, garlic, & lemon zest in a small bowl. Season to taste with S & P. 

Cook the orzo in a large kettle of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain pasta completely in a colander, running under cold water. Transfer orzo to a bowl, stir in the olive oil mixture, & let cool. Stir in the asparagus, bell pepper, cucumber, ricotta salata, & mint until combined well. You could serve the salad immediately, but we think it tastes best if you let it stand at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours.

Some of the work booty pictured. My Blondies, far left.

Recipe Swap~ Holiday Favorites

How is it that I always get so lucky with my swaps?! This time, I received Sarah, over at "A Taste of Home Cooking"'s Holiday Favorite Appetizer: Asparagus with Fried Egg and Pecorino (but I used Parmesan). First off, I will say, I made it as an appy for one because my hubby does not eat asparagus... & the thought of an egg on the veg? No way! Oh well, more for ME! Ha ha ha!!! Because this was delicious. When I breakfast out at the diner, I love to order eggs over easy... grab my fork & let the yolk burst & flood over my hash browns, envelope my bacon... soak up into my toast... So this.was.perfect. YUMMY. And please excuse my asparagus, I wanted them as crispy as the edges of the egg! DeLish! Thank you so much Sarah!!! 

<3 Lishie 
PS- I gave my potato pancakes because I love to make them for Chanukah (Yes, I am Catholic, lol!)  


Asparagus with Fried Egg and Pecorino
from A Taste of Home Cooking

• 1 bunch asparagus, woody ends removed 
• salt and pepper 
• olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon butter 
• 2 eggs 
• Grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese 

Preheat oven to 350. 

Toss asparagus with salt and pepper and olive oil. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the asparagus is tender to your liking. 

Meanwhile, heat butter in a small skillet. Add eggs and fry to your liking. 

Remove asparagus from the oven and divide into two bunches. Top each bunch with a fried egg. Grate cheese on top and serve immediately. 

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

Fluffy goodness!

So my hubby has to really work on lowering his cholesterol & triglycerides. They are scary high & it's convinced him to start trying the food I make for Gabriel & me. But as I know best of all people, with my crohns disease, you cannot restrict 100%- you must have taste & some comfort. A great way of doing this is figuring out a way to cut the fat & salt in recipes by substituting other, healthier components. One great substitute is buttermilk.

Buttermilk is what's left in cow's milk after butter is made; The fat has been removed to make the butter, hence the name. And it is healthier than milk. It also has more lactic acid than regular milk so it's easier to digest. (This fact has been attributed to it's long shelf-life.) So if buttermilk can be subbed in a creamy meal- do it!

Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

• 6 large Potatoes, skinned (I used Golden)
• 1/2 Cup Milk (I use Skim)
• 1/4 Cup unsalted Butter
• 1/2 Cup Buttermilk
• S & P, to taste

Cut the potatoes into even pieces. Boil a 4 Quart sauce pan of water. Add the potatoes carefully & allow the water to be brought to a boil again. Lower the heat to a simmer & cook the potatoes 10-15 minutes more, until a piece falls off of a fork. 


While the potatoes are cooking, warm the (regular) milk & butter in a small sauce pan, allowing the butter to fully melt (but do NOT boil or simmer!)


Drain the potatoes in a colander then return the cooked potatoes to the sauce pan. Mash to your desired consistency. Add the warmed milk/butter mixter. Add the buttermilk & S & P, to taste.

To accompany the buttermilk mashed potatoes, I was able to get my hubby to try my Turkey Meatloaf... & it was a hit! He liked it; Mikey liked it! (Note- I never call Michael, Mikey ;) )  Look at all of the delicious, fresh goodness in that picture to the left... I mean, FRESH spinach, how can one go wrong?! And another side for this Monday night was asparagus. Tonight, to make it simple for Michael, so he can actually taste the veg, I tossed the fresh asparagus in extra virgin olive oil, lemon zest & juice & grated a tiny bit of parmesan cheese on top. I roasted it in the oven on 375 degrees for 15 minutes.  

My toddler, Gabriel & I have have eaten asparagus tons of times, no big deal... but Michael didn't.ever.want.to.touch.it. He ate his serving tonight though. Baby steps... for my hubby...it's all that I or the nutritionist can ask!

Michael seemed content & full at the end of the meal. And guess what? I'm content that he was content... & that he was attempting to be healthy.

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic

It's well known how much I love seasonal, fresh veg & these asparagus were gorgeous peeking at me in the produce aisle!

Green Goodness!

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic

• 1 lb. Asparagus, trimmed
• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper 
• 1-2 TBSp Balsamic Vinegar (to taste)

Place the asparagus in a baking dish. Sprinkle the olive oil, S & P over it & toss to coat. Roast at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Drizzle with the balsamic before serving. 

The asparagus is stays a gorgeous green & still has a bite to it. It's absolutely delish as a salad, side or snack!

Yep- that IS an asparagus plate :) Shows I really love my veggies.