April Showers bring May Flowers . . . and Asparagus!!

"The April rain, the April rain,
Comes slanting down in fitful showers,
Then from the furrow shoots the grain,
And banks are fledged with nestling flowers;
And in grey shawl and woodland bowers
The cuckoo through the April rain
Calls once again."
~ Mathilde Blind, April Rain

On rainy days such as yesterday I try to remember that April showers bring about May flowers, but sometimes it is hard. Over here the rain can get so very tiresome. Yesterday it was a bit of a mixed bag for we had a little of everything. One minute the sun would be shining and the birds were dashing about back and forth to the feeders and the next it would be bucketing down. We had sleet and thunder, hail and what else . . . rain, interspersed with beautiful sunny periods.



It was really not a fit day to go out and about and do much of anything so we just relaxed here in the cottage. I had some big chores to get to, such as tidying up my cook books. I do have rather a lot of them, and like anything they get out of sorts from time to time from me pulling one out here and there to look at, and I do confess I am not the greatest one for putting things back right away. Thankfully Todd is, or we'd be in a right mess. I think we are perfect together. He is the tidy one, you know . . . a place for everything and everything in it's place . . . and he reminds me to be tidy and gently urges me to pick up and put away my stuff from time to time. (read here . . . when it gets so bad he can't stand it anymore . . . insert sheepish grin)



In the afternoon I did my Dorie challenge for the week and then I settled down with my paints and got all creative again. My mind was very much on April showers and May flowers and such that I did this little girl stopping to smell the flowers. I know the robin is not so much a harbinger of spring over here, but they do frequent gardens and are so friendly and tame, so she has a little robin there to keep her company and a few butterflies flitting about. I do so enjoy sketching and painting these little muses of mine. Not sure what I am going to do with them, but for now, I am just having fun creating them.



Last evening we were invited out for dinner. (I know! Two days in a row I haven't had to cook! I'm going to get all rusty!) We had a lovely meal at some friend's home. It was delicious. There was a layered Mexican Dip to start off with, served up with tortilla chips, and then the main course was a lovely chili (Delia Smith's recipe I've been told) served with a tasty chopped salsa garnish and sour cream,rice, and crusty bread. It was the nicest chili I have had in a long time. For dessert we had the most beautifully moist carrot cake with a luscious cream cheese icing. It was truly to die for!! I must get the recipe for I promised someone I would make them a carrot cake on Tuesday this week. Afterwards we relaxed in their living room and chatted about everything under the sun . . . I do think Todd was a bit bored of the recipe chat though, tee hee! All in all we had a lovely evening. Time spent in the company of friends is always time well spent, in my opinion.



We are battling ants big time here in our kitchen. I don't think I've ever seen them this bad. I am sure there is an old wives tale that must go along with such a thing, but I don't know what it is. It probably foretells a good warm summer, or a rainy cold one or some such. (I'm rooting for the first one!) It reminds me of the first place I boarded at when I first left home and went out into the work force. It was a big old Victorian boarding house run by what seemed to be a very old woman to me at the time. She had ants in her larder, and I can remember watching them chase each other around the edges of my plate come supper time and it putting me off my meal . . . I was such a shy young thing, I would never have said anything about it. She did make the most delicious corn chowder though and lovely bread, that she made up my sandwiches with each morning to take to work . . .

One of the things I love most about spring is the lovely asparagus that starts to appear in the shops. It's so beautiful and delicious. I have been anxiously waiting for it to appear as my friend Honey had told me several months back about this delicious way to prepare it, and I could hardly wait to try it. I know I could have used asparagus from Peru or some such . . . but I really wanted to try it with English Asparagus . . .





*Crumbed Asparagus*
Serves 4

I love asparagus in any way shape or form. It's not a vegetable we had at home at all when I was growing up . . . perhaps it was too expensive. I have come to love it as an adult though. Steamed until tender crisp and served with a lovely hollandaise . . . tossed with some lemon infused olive oil, seasoned with cracked black pepper and seasalt, then roasted in the oven and served scattered with flakes of Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of white balsamic . . . or this way, my new favourite . . . crisply roasted in a jacket of deliciously cheesy bread crumbs!

250g of fresh Asparagus
1/4 cup of good quality mayonnaise (I used French mayonnaise)
1/2 cup dry seasoned bread crumbs or panko
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan reggiano cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Lightly spray a shallow baking tray with some cooking spray and set aside.

Wash your asparagus and dry it really well. To prepare spears for cooking, grasp at either end and snap. The stalk will break naturally at the point where it starts to get tough and stringy. Use the fibrous ends for stock or for your compost pile. If the asparagus is thick-skinned or fibrous (take a small bite to test), peel the spears from just under the head to the stem end.

Combine the dry bread crumbs and the parmesan cheese in a shallow dish and set aside.

Rub each spear of asparagus with the mayonnaise, making sure each one is well coated, then carefully roll it in the bread crumb mixture to coat. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining spears.

Bake in the heated oven for 8 to 19 minutes, until the crumbs are nicely crisped and the asparagus is crispy tender. Serve. A nice garlic aioli for dipping goes well with this, but we liked them just the way they were with just a drizzle of lemon juice.