By the Book Friday- Parmesan Asparagus for Easter

{printable recipe here}
Can you believe Easter weekend is here? It's snuck up on me again. We are going to have our standard menu- ham (Costco style), potatoes, homemade rolls, and Parmesan asparagus or green beans (whichever is on sale, is that awful?) I usually make something fruity for dessert, like Lemon Curd Cheesecake. This week I tried out a Cherry Pineapple Cobbler thanks to Lucky Leaf Pie Filling. I will post that delicious recipe later today (crossing my fingers!)

The recipe that inspired today's By the Book Friday Post comes from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Family Style. It's no secret that I have a big crush on Ina and she really can't do any wrong in my eyes. I'll admit that I didn't follow the recipe exactly, as she roasts the asparagus and my oven was full at the time (oh, to have a double oven!) So instead, I blanched the asparagus by cooking them for two or three minutes in boiling water, then stopping the cooking by covering them with ice water. Then I crisped them up in a hot skillet with a little butter and olive oil and added the rest of the flavors in Ina's recipe- kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, generous Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. It just takes a couple minutes and the final product is really fragrant and delicious (even my little man ate these up). And like I said, you can use fresh green beans instead- either makes a delicious spring dinner side dish.

Do you have any Easter favorites that you make every year? I hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Parmesan Asparagus with Lemon from Anne Strawberry
{printable recipe here}
adapted from Ina Garten

2 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus (about 30 large)
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 lemons cut in wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. (note- I blanked them instead, so I boiled a large pan of water to begin).

If the stalks of the asparagus are thick, peel the bottom 1/2 of each. Lay them in a single layer on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and return to the oven for another minute. Serve with lemon wedges.

Variation: Instead of roasting in the oven, I blanched the asparagus for three minutes in salted boiling water. Next, submerge the asparagus in ice water to 'shock' it. Transfer to a skillet warmed over medium high with a couple tablespoons of olive oil or butter and brown for just one or two minutes. Then season and garnish as above, with salt, pepper, sliced Parmesan cheese, and the juice of half a lemon. Serve immediately.

By the Book Friday- Sheet Cakes

I kind of hate sheet cake. Not really, I mean, it's easy to make, transport, and serve- but there's no way to try a bit just to make sure things are okay before you send them off! Or to snitch a bit of the tempting mint brownies! I've been hoping to get some great new recipe tried this week for today's post but when it came down to it, I needed to make dessert for 80 guys tonight I didn't really want to make something new and fancy when I needed quantity and dependability, so I stuck with trusty old favorites. They don't technically meet my own 'by the book Friday' parameters but if there was an Anne Strawberry Cookbook (At Home with Anne Strawberry? See Anne Strawberry Burn through a Ton of Butter and Flour? All the Stuff Anne Strawberry Tries to Fatten Her Friends and Family with?) these would each be in there. Well, minus the Rice Krispie treats. Those are just not my style but my tall man will jump through hoops for them so I included a batch. I bet they will get eaten quickly even if I don't like them! And the chocolate, well, I couldn't decide between the mint brownies and the Texas sheet cake as I mentally tried a piece. Fortunately for me, I thought the sheet cake looked a little full before I baked it (ahem, that's a lie) so I reserved a tiny bit of batter for two mini cakes for the ladies tonight. They look so great in their tiny little pans, covered with pretty chocolate icing and pecans. Yum. I hope the men appreciate the chocolate (do they really?)

I read this poem today on Clover Lane and had to share. It's very sweet and I think I need to print it up for my house. Loving BMWs, pretty furniture, and expensive chocolate is easy enough. I need to focus on finding the beautiful in the everyday (even Rice Krispie treats?)

Learn to like what doesn't cost much.
Learn to like reading, conversation, music.
Learn to like plain food, plain service, plain cooking.
Learn to like fields, trees, brooks, hiking, rowing, climbing hills.
Learn to like people,
even though some of them may be different...
different from you.
Learn to like to work and enjoy the satisfaction of doing your job as well as it can be done.
Learn to like the songs of birds, the companionship of dogs.
Learn to like gardening, puttering around
the house and fixing things.
Learn to like the sunrise and sunset, the beating of the rain
on the roof and windows,
and the gentle fall of snow on a winter's day.
Learn to keep your wants simple and
refuse to be controlled by the likes and dislikes of others.
Lowell Bennion

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to enjoy some girl time with Baby Strawberry. We're going to try painting her toe nails again (and hopefully we'll have better results this time!) And cross your fingers that all my well loved, carefully labeled (if not shined) sheet pans and lids make it home. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little nervous...

Top to bottom:
Mint Brownies (aka BYU Brownies)
Lemon Cake (this time I used a lemon cream cheese icing instead of the citrus glaze since I was out of juice)
Texas Sheet Cake
Rice Krispie Treats (from the box, plus some sprinkles to jazz them up!)

By the Book Friday- Roasted Red Pepper Goat Cheese Tarts

{printable recipe here}
Ina Garten is my favorite so I figured I should start with one of her recipes for my first "By the Book Friday". I really want to focus on trying new things and actually getting through my cookbooks instead of just using them as decorations. I planned to take a nice picture of my cookbooks to show the material I would be working with for this new challenge but my hutch is just too crammed full of books (so next week, maybe?) We had Church recipe group this week and I happened to have a jar of roasted peppers, several boxes of puff pastry I scored at half off, and goat cheese, cheap from Trader Joe's. Everything else required was already in the pantry so I figured this was perfect. These tarts are so great- flavorful, crunchy, creamy, sweet, savory. It takes some time with the caramelized onions but every step is simple and the final product is stunning (even if the older women at recipe night told me the cheese smelled like goats! I think they liked it though!)

A few people asked to join up with By the Book Friday and so I signed up with Mr. Linky to get a widget, but I haven't gotten my sign up info yet so (hopefully) next week we will be good to go! Feel free to leave a link to your post in the comments if you've joined in! And please if you have a better name idea let me know!


Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Tarts
from Anne Strawberry
recipe adapted from Ina Garten's Back to Basics
{printable recipe here}

1 package (17.3 ounces/2 sheets) puff pastry, defrosted {I thaw it overnight in the fridge}
Good olive oil
4 cups thinly sliced yellow onions (2 large onions)
3 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slivers
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dry white wine {I used a 1/4 cup white grape juice}
2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
1/2 freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese
4 ounces garlic-and-herb goat cheese {I used regular goat cheese}
1 large tomato, cut into 4 (1/4-inch-thick) slices {note- I used 3/4 cup roasted red peppers or sliced bell peppers in the past}
3 tablespoons julienned basil leaves


Unfold a sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and roll it lightly to an 12 by 12-inch square. Cut sheet into thirds each way, to yield 9, 3 x 3 squares per sheet (18 total). Place the pastry squares on 2 sheet pans lined with parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to use.


Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium to low heat and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are limp and there is almost no moisture remaining in the skillet. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, the wine, and thyme and continue to cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are lightly browned. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Using a sharp paring knife, score a 1/4-inch-wide border around each square (being careful to go through only part of the pastry, just use gentle pressure). Prick the pastry inside the score lines with the tines of a fork and sprinkle a tablespoon of grated Parmesan on each tart, staying inside the scored border.

Place a teaspoon of the onion mixture on each circle, again staying within the scored edge. Crumble goat cheese on top of the onions. Place a slice of tomato (or bell peppers or roasted bell peppers) in the center of each tart. Brush the tomato lightly with olive oil (not necessary with the roasted peppers) and sprinkle with basil, salt, and pepper. Finally, scatter 2 or 3 shards of Parmesan on each tart.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. The bottom sheet pan may need an extra few minutes in the oven. Serve hot or warm.