asparagus

 as·par·a·gus:  \ə-ˈsper-ə-gəs\

~noun:  any plant of the genus Asparagus of the lily family, cultivated for its edible shoots~

 my husband and i got married a little over a year ago.

i'm pretty sure moving in with a girl was a shock to his system...

...and not just because my couches happen to be a lovely shade of eggplant...

...although, i'm that didn't helped the transition.

i think it may have been more of a culinary shock to the system.  my husband's diet consisted of stereotypical bachelor food.  pizza.  wings.  pasta.  grilled cheese.

then, he moved in with me.

his wife who belongs to a csa and really, really loves her veggies.

one evening, i was whipping up dinner and had some delicious asparagus, which had been grown locally.  it was beautiful.

as i was getting ready to pop it in the oven, my husband looked over my shoulder and crinkled up his nose.

oh boy.  here we go.

him:  "i don't like asparagus."

me:  "have you ever had asparagus?"

{this was obviously not my first rodeo.}

him:  "i don't know, but i'm pretty sure i don't like it."

me:  {eye roll}  "okay.  well, there is a can of peas in the pantry, so i can heat that up for you instead."

him:  "that works."

fast forward 20 or so minutes later as we are sitting down to dinner.

him:  "that looks pretty good."

me:  {smug grin) "it is good."

him:  {stammering, glancing at the peas, glancing back at my asparagus}  "can i try some?"

me:  {big ol' smug grin}  "sure."

my husband's love for asparagus was born.

i think about that evening often.  not just because i was right, {which i was} but because of how many things we don't try and why? because we could've sworn we had tried it before and didn't like it, if we could only remember.

really, what's life without trying something new, even if it scares us?  no life at all.

and life without asparagus?  that's just silly.

image via

the recipe that won my skeptic's heart?  here ya go:

ingredients:

- one bunch of fresh asparagus
- 1 lemon, zested and juice reserved
- olive oil
- fresh cracked black pepper

instructions:

1.  preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2.  zest lemon.
3.  toss asparagus in olive oil, just until lightly coated.
4.  sprinkle lemon zest and cracked black pepper.
5.  roast for 5-10 minutes, depending on your style.
6.  serve with lemon juice on the side.

everyday's a holiday (when you've got fresh asparagus) -