Food: Oven Roasted Asparagus and Tomato Basil Pasta

The weather has been so nice here, which is a big deal in the part of the country where I live since the summer heat can be especially cruel. But it seems like fall is approaching and this is the time of year when it's truly beautiful outdoors: breezy, sunny, blue skies. I had dinner on a restaurant patio the other day with my friend Min-Jeong, and I feel like the nice evening weather made the food taste better, conversation linger longer, and atmosphere even more relaxing. We both decided that it was time for a well-deserved break from the grueling years of school we are now almost done with. While I should be studying EKGs and cardiac pathophysiology right now, I'm cooking food with windows/doors open to the outside world listening to Ella Fitzgerald instead. #yayforthingsilove!

Oven Roasted Asparagus

• 1 bunch thin asparagus
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
• 1 clove garlic
• Dash of garlic salt
• Dash of black pepper
• Lemon juice (didn't have any of this)

Directions 
1) Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
1) Place the asparagus into a mixing bowl, and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat the spears, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Arrange the asparagus onto a baking sheet in a single layer.
3) Bake in the preheated oven until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. Sprinkle with lemon juice just before serving.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

Comments: This was really good! Sorry for the less than appetizing photo but the taste of the asparagus was really good with this method of cooking. There was a nice crunch on the outside from roasting and toasted Parmesan / garlic. This is a great way to serve asparagus especially for a dinner party or something more formal than everyday. Very easy to with little cleanup. I followed the advice on the allrecipes page for this recipe and snapped the ends off the asparagus to get rid of the fibrous, tough ends.

Oven Roasted Asparagus

Tomato Basil Pasta

• 1/3 - 1/2 package of fettucine pasta
• 2 medium sized tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves
• 3 cloves of garlic
• enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a skillet
• 1/2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
1) Boil water and cook pasta for about 10 minutes (I like pasta softer so I cook closer to 15 but I don't think most people like pasta like this). Drain pasta and set to side.
2) Dice tomatoes, chop basil, mince garlic.
2) Pour olive oil in a pan and brown garlic.
3) Add tomatoes to pan and cook until soft and some of liquid has reduced (prob around 10-15 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4) Add basil. Cook for a few minutes more.
5) Then add pasta to sauce, and mix together sauce and pasta in pan cooking for another few minutes.
6) Serve and sprinkle with Parmesan on top.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5

Comments: I've made this twice now and really like this simple pasta dish. It's a nice accompaniment to many other sides. This can be made quickly for a weekday meal. I make extra to eat during the week. This dish was inspired by the recipe below, but I modified it to be a quick dish.

Tomato Basil Pasta