Asparagus turkey Sausage PAsta with Fresh Mozarella

1. Start Water to Boil, add Salt
2. Brown Sausage
3. Remove and add some olive oil to the pan
4. Add Thin Asparagus cut in half to pan.  Add fennel seeds, red pepper flakes.
5. Once pretty soft, add thinly sliced fennel
6. Add Red Wine to deglaze.  Put Sausage back in and stir with minced Lemon Basil.  Turn Off Heat as Pasta cooks.
7. Cook and Drain Pasta .  Lately we are using the Strangled Priests.
8. Mix Pasta with Sausage Asparagus mixture.  Add Olive oil and a few dashes of Ojai Olive Oil's White Balsamic vinegar.
9. Serve with Freshly Sliced Fresh Mozzarella

Butter Lettuce Salad with Sauteed Asparagus, Leeks and Smoked Ahi Tuna

1. Wash and Dry Lettuce.

2. Wash and Dry Arugula.

3.Thinly Slice and Wash Leeks.

4. Heat a little olive oil in a saute pan and add leeks, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes. Remove to a small bowl or plate.

5. Add more olive oil to the pan and add Asparagus to pan and saute until done. (I left these asparagus whole cuz they were short beautiful thick stalks from Nancy Pepper's garden, but you could also cut them into pretty diagonal pieces). About 10 minutes.

6. Tear lettuce into desired pieces and thinly slice arugula (shred). Mix Lettuce, Arugula, and sauteed leeks together and toss salad with lemon and olive oil and salt and pepper.

7. Arrange lettuce on plates. Lie asparagus over the salad and sprinkle arrange slices of smoked ahi tuna on top.

Asapargus and Spinich Salad with Toasted Pecans, Point Reyes Blue Cheese and Figs

Making dinner from what is already in your house can be a good way to stimulate creativity.

Toast the Pecans, set aside

Saute up and caramelize a thinly sliced shallot
Barely Saute Asparagus
Put Shallots and Asparagus in Salad Bowl

Barely Saute the Fresh Spinach
Add to Asparagus and Shallots
Toss with some Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil

Divide Salad onto to two plates or bowls
Scatter toasted pecans, blue cheese shavings and chopped dried Turkish Figs

Salt and Fresh ground pepper.

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon, Toasted Almonds and Parmesan

Oven at 400 degrees
Lay Asparagus out on a baking sheet.
Toss with Olive Oil.
Salt and Pepper.
Roast for about 8 minutes or until done to your liking.

Arrange on platter.
Scatter with Lemon Zest and maybe a little lemon squeeze.
Toasted Almond slices.
And Parmesan Shavings.