Asparagus

Oh, how I love asparagus.  I have two and a half ways that I generally make it.  The prep is the same for all.  Cut off the bottom fibrous part that wouldn't taste good.  I usually bend one stalk, see where it breaks and then cut the others to match.  And because of a Rachel Ray that I saw a lifetime ago, I always think in my head "line them up like soldiers" before I chop.  Weird, I know.

Now you can do this a few different ways.

To grill, drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle coarse salt (sea or Kosher) and coarse pepper
Grill over medium direct heat for 3-5 minutes, until they are bright green.  Some of them will get burnt to black- but it is still super yummy.

To roast, preheat oven to 400 or so.  Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray, and then lay the cut asparagus down on the cookie sheet.  I usually spray them again with nonstick instead of olive oil, but you can do either.  Salt and pepper and then cook on the higher shelves for 8-12 minutes.  You want them to be fork tender when you take them out.

You can also steam asparagus- which I guess is good but I prefer the other two methods.  That is why this method counts as only a "half."

Enjoy!