Asparagus

Asparagus, I thought, was the cutest character in Veggie Tales. Junior Asparagus, that is. But to eat? No thank you.

I never had a single stalk of asparagus when I lived at home with my parents. We were a green beans, peas and corn sort of vegetable family. Asparagus was a little beyond us.

My first time to ever have it was at a wedding. A fancy wedding with a formal dinner that challenged my knowledge of fork selection. The stalks stared at me from the plate, cold and stiff...and when I dared to taste one, it was bland and hard.

My suspicions were confirmed. Asparagus was yucky, and my parents were wise in choosing to exclude it from our daily diet.

Then came that one night when {before Ryan} I spent the night at Lynne Ford's house. If you listen to Mid-Morning you know Lynne is health conscious. Scrumptious meat sizzled on the grill and I spied a clump {proper term? I don't know} of the offensive asparagus on the kitchen counter.

My mama raised me right. You don't go to someone's house for dinner and turn up your nose at anything served. You at least try it. So I watched as Lynne flitted about the kitchen, preparing...gulp...asparagus.

She promised me I would like it.

I highly doubted it.

But being a good house guest, I tried it.

Guess what?

I loved it.

Shut. Up.

Apparently it is all in the preparation, and this is asparagus preparation, a la Lynne Ford. It's a highly exact science {HA!!} so take careful note of the measurements.

Asparagus

* Good handful of asparagus {12-15 stalks}
* 1 tablespoon butter
* Tablespoon of seasoned salt or seasoning of choice

Thoroughly rinse the asparagus and break off the bottom of the stems. Boil water in a pan on the stove, and when it reaches a boil, carefully drop in the asparagus for one minute. Remove asparagus and transfer to a bowl of cold water momentarily. Remove from water and place in hot skillet with butter. Stir in with seasoned salt until asparagus is tender all the way through. Serve hot with meal.

A Few Tips

* Asparagus comes in a variety of thicknesses. The thicker the stalk, the longer it needs to cook. Thicker stalks are also usually tougher.

* When Lynne said to boil it for a minute, I thought she meant, "Oh you know, for just a little bit." No...she actually meant A MINUTE. That's all the longer it takes.

* The asparagus will turn bright green as soon as you place it in the boiling water.

* You can use regular salt and pepper to season it if you want, or you can use any kind of favorite seasoning you choose.   Season to taste.

* The longer you cook the asparagus, the floppier it gets. Cook it long enough that it's not tough, but not so long that it's chewy and slimy. Usually3-5 minutes is plenty.

* This works very well with any kind of meat. In the picture here, we were eating sloppy joes, and this was a good, healthier side dish.