2014 in review – Loved reading this and seeing how much this little blog has taken off

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 15,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 6 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Roasted Asparagus with Feta

I take pride in trying to feed my family healthy dinners, but I seriously need to up the ante on how often we eat veggies. That being said, I am trying to include one dinner a week that is 100% veggie based. The problem with this is that there are not many recipes out there that take a vegetable and stick to some sort of nutritional value AND pack in some flavor. All the recipes that look good are either smothered in a brown sugar glaze or have so much salt I would end up a bloated mess for about a week. This recipe surfaced from a google search that led me to www.gonnawantseconds.com, a beautiful recipe site that had me salivating by the time I was done looking through all the yummy meals. This recipe is a dream because it so easy to make and the asparagus tips literally melt in your mouth. You start by making a garlic and herb infused oil that I would probably drink if I knew no one would judge me for it. I think this oil would go great on roasted green beans, brussel sprouts, or basically any savory veggie you can get your hands on. I know that is what I plan to do to keep this veggie train in motion. The feta is an awesome creamy touch that Perry really enjoyed.

Serves: 4-6      Calories: 157 per serving     Time: 45

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs fresh asparagus, washed and woody roots trimmed
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 14 cloves of garlic, minced (original recipe only calls for 6 but I love garlic… Don’t judge me….)
• 1.5 tsp lemon zest
• 1.5 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta (I used sun-dried tomato and herb feta because… why not?)
• 1 lemon

Directions

1. Start by prepping your ingredients. If you’re using 14 cloves of garlic, which I totally recommend, this could take a few extra minutes.
2. In a saucepan heat oil, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, and pepper flakes over low heat stirring occasionally until garlic starts to turn a golden brown (approx.. 5 minutes). Remove the saucepan from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
4. In a large mixing bowl toss the asparagus with garlic and herb oil.
5. Lay the asparagus in a single layer on baking sheet. Top with oil left in the mixing bowl and 1/2 cup of feta.
6. Roast for approximately 15 minutes. Remove and spritz with lemon juice.
7. Serve immediately

*Original recipe found at http://www.gonnawantseconds.com/

*Photo is an original belonging to me