Asparagus!

Well, we finally have some reward for the long hard winter we endured! That's right, peeps, it's Asparagus Time. So important, it deserves capitals! We are lucky enough to have three well-established beds of beautiful asparagus that provide us with a seemingly endless bounty for several weeks in the spring. This year my mother even got ambitious and pickled some. I am giving this experiment some shelf-time before breaking down and cracking open a jar. For now, we still have fresh asparagus, so it does not make practical sense!

Every year I try a few new recipes to expand my repertoire. At times, the copious amounts of asparagus seems daunting, and we make a lot of people happy with a "bouquet" of stalks, so I am always looking for creative ways to serve it up. This recipe has received thumbs-up from everyone:

Dijon Caper Dressing for Asparagus

(I assume you already know how to steam or boil or barbecue or roast asparagus...)

1/2 cup regular mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon finely chopped capers
1 tablespoon milk

Mix all above ingredients together. I serve each guest with their own ramekin filled with this dressing. One of our favorite spring meals features barbequed steaks, steamed asparagus with Dijon caper dressing and baked potatoes on the menu.

It's our reward for shoveling snow and enduring deep-freeze temperatures for months on end.