Recipes From the Garden

Asparagus Strata
(Caron)

4 cups water
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups milk
6 slices bread, crust removed, cubed
6 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt

In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Add asparagus; boil, uncovered, for 3 minutes.  Drain and immediately place asparagus in ice water.  Drain and pat dry.  In a bowl, combine the asparagus, milk, bread cubes, eggs, cheese and salt.  Transfer to a greased 2-quart baking dish.  Cover and refrigerate for 5 hours or overnight.  Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until bubbly and asparagus is tender.

Artichoke Bites
(Virginia)

1 (8-oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and finely chopped
1 cup (4 oz) Cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 envelope Italian salad dressing mix
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 ready-made pizza crust (like Boboli)

Preheat oven to 400.  Place artichokes, shredded Cheddar, mayonnaise, salad dressing, and Parmesan together in large bowl and mix well.  Spread evenly over the pizza crust.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until hot and bubbly.  Let cool and cut into bite-sized pieces.  Serves 8.

Skillet Pineapple Upside Down Cake
(Virginia)

1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1 (20-oz) can pineapple slices, undrained
9 maraschino cherries
2 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (optional)

Melt butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet.  Spread brown sugar evenly over bottom of skillet.  Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice; set juice aside.  Arrange pineapple slices in a single layer over brown sugar mixture, and place a cherry in center of each pineapple ring; set skillet aside.  Beat egg yolks at medium speed with an electric mixer until thick and limon-colored; gradually add granulated sugar, beating well.  Heat reserved pineapple juice in a small saucepan over low heat.  Gradually add juice mixture to the yolk mixture, beating until blended.  Combine all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder; add dry ingredients to the yolk mixture, beating at low speed with electric mixer until blended.  Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form; fold egg whites into batter.  Spoon batter evenly over pineapple slices.  Bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes.  Cool cake in skillet 30 minutes; invert cake onto a serving plate.  Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

Asparagus Spears with Goat Cheese
(Liz)

12 asparagus spears, ends snapped off, steamed but still crisp
12 slices white bread, homemade style, crusts removed
4 oz goat cheese
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 egg, beaten
8 oz cream cheese (you can use Lite, but regular is better)
garlic powder
pepper
1/4 cup butter

Flatten each slice of bread with a rolling pin so it is less that 1/4-inch thick.  Mix goat cheese, Worcestershire sauce, beaten egg, cream cheese and seasonings.  Spread the mix on each slice of bread.  Put an asparagus spear at the edge of each slice and roll up like a Jelly Roll.  Coat the outside of each roll with butter.  Cut each roll into 3 pieces.  Place, seam side down, on a cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes in a 375 oven.  Turn over to the other side after about 10 minutes.  The rolls should be nice and golden.

Asparagus-Tomato Saute
(Ashley)

1 lb fresh asparagus
1 tsp olive oil
dash of garlic salt
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
dash of pepper
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Snap off tough ends of asparagus.  Blanch asparagus, covered in boiling water for one minute.  Drain and rinse under cool water.  Drain; cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces.  Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and add olive oil.  Place over medium heat until hot.  Add asparagus and garlic salt; saute until just tender.  Add tomatoes, oregano, thyme and pepper.  Cook until thoroughly heated.  Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with cheese.