We've Gotta Do Something With Those Peppers

A couple of weeks ago, my mom and sister stayed at the house and watched the girl while Tim and I took off and escaped to Corpus Christi for a short but romantic anniversary weekend getaway. I can't even tell you how thankful I am for that weekend. Due to the nature of Tim's residency program (a program that we're investing 4 years of our life into) we don't get to see each other much. I realize that that statement is all relative. I could probably sit here and write pages upon pages about how being a doctor's wife is not what those rose-colored glasses promised it would be (Yeah. I know. I I know. Woe is me.), but rest assured I won't because some one wise once told me that one shouldn't use one's blog as therapy; one should wait to write about something for when one has perspective. (That's called foreshadowing)

So the thing about my mom coming to stay at the house for awhile is this: regardless of the fact that I went to the grocery store specifically to stock up on things so that my mom and/or my sister would not need anything, SHE WILL STILL GO TO THE GROCERY STORE TO BUY THE ENTIRE STORE AND CRAM IT INTO MY FRIDGE.

So last night when I asked the hubs what he'd like for his Father's Day dinner, he said, "We've gotta do something with those peppers." There were 2 yellow and 1 orange peppers hiding in the depths of our produce drawer. And because I am a loving, doting wife, I overcame my aversion to cooking and quickly Googled, "recipe for peppers." Here is what I found (please note my changes, due to what was available in the house, are highlighted. also? those photos are mine):

Roasted Asparagus and Yellow Pepper Salad

Rated:

Prep Time: 15 Minutes

Ready In: 45 Minutes

Submitted By: Kim (that's some other Kim, not me)

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Servings: 8

"Roasted asparagus and yellow peppers are tossed with a tangy dressing."

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed

and cut into thirds

2 medium yellow bell peppers, seeded

and diced (used 1 yellow & 1 orange)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large red onion, cut into strips (used 1 shallot)

1/4 cup toasted almond slices (halved cashews)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard (used Spicy Brown)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons lime juice (used lemon juice)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon hot sauce (Tabasco)

salad seasoning mix to taste (used Mixed Up Salt)

Directions:

1.	Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Arrange the asparagus spears and bell peppers in a single layer on the baking sheet, and drizzle or mist with 1/4 cup of olive oil.
2.	Roast 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender, turning occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from heat, and cool completely. * I did not turn occasionally & they did not burn. Also, because I was pressed for time, to "cool completely" I threw them in an ice bath & drained.
3.	In a bowl, toss together the asparagus, bell peppers, onion, almond slices, and Parmesan cheese.
4	In a separate bowl, mix the 1/2 cup olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, lime juice, sugar, hot sauce, and salad seasoning. Pour over the salad, and toss to coat. *WARNING: I found that the amount of "dressing" far exceeded the actual amount needed and only added enough to lightly coat. Also, though good, I will more than likely adjust many elements of the "dressing" ...like reducing the amount of oil used.

Printed from Allrecipes.com 6/21/2010

I'm really happy that I found this recipe. I'm not much of a cook... so having this turn out successfully was quite the triumph! It was easy and DELISH and I will most certainly make it again and again.

Tim's Father's Day dinner looked something like this... VOILA!