Ham & Asparagus Wraps with Pasta

My husband has to work almost every night this week. So I thought I would share with you what a typical dinner looks like when I cook for myself. First off, when cooking for myself, I don't generally worry about if the food works together. I cook what I feel like eating and what needs to be used up in our refrigerator. A typical dinner could be broccoli, tater tots, and a fried egg. But if thats what I feel like eating, that is what I cook!

Tonight I knew I needed to use some asparagus and mushrooms that were getting close to spoiling, and I felt like eating pasta. This is what I created.

First I made some Ham & Asparagus wraps that we usually serve as appetizers in our family.

First you boil some asparagus until tender. Once cooked, drain the asparagus and immediately run cold water over it to stop the cooking process. After the asparagus is cool, take a piece of deli ham, spread some cream cheese on the ham, and then wrap it around the asparagus. Its that easy. And trust me, these are yummy and addicting to eat.

Next, I made some buttered pasta with mushrooms. First you boil your pasta until cooked. Drain the pasta. Add butter and garlic powder to the hot pasta and mix until butter is melted. Add sauteed mushrooms, asparagus, and parmesan cheese.

This was a great, easy dinner for one! (AW)

Spring Soup with Ham & Cabbage

OK, people, let’s talk about soup.

Soup is a weird subject for me, because I love it, but I don’t ever seek it out. At times, it doesn’t seem like real food to me, which is crazy, because it fills me up like regular food. There’s just something about it that doesn’t seem...substantial. I would never order it at a restaurant. Compared to honest to goodness food that you can sink your teeth into, soup just seems...like something less-than, if that makes sense.

There have been times in my life, like the great Pho Disaster of February ’10, that I have a bowl of soup for a meal, and I eat it too fast (this will be a theme with me, believe it), and I find myself clutching my stomach and groaning like a sick toddler, because the Eternal Truth is this: Soup is meant to be savored, enjoyed, relished.

I am not good at relishing food. I approach food like a battle, and I want to win it, and win it quickly.

So this is the paradigm into which this amazing soup was introduced. I can’t say I ate it slowly, but there was enough substance (ham, orzo pasta, cabbage) there that made it feel like an honest-to-God meal, and a hearty one at that. I ate three bowlfuls, in quick succession, but was still good for a quick walk-around-the-block a half-hour later. This is a Soup Record for me. (DW)

When I set out to make this soup, I had no real direction on where I was going with it. All I knew was that I had chicken broth and cabbage that I needed to use. I have to say that, being that it was created without any direction, this soup turned out great. It is a light and satisfying soup with lots of flavor. I couldn't decide whether I wanted to use potatoes, rice or orzo pasta in my soup. I ended up using the orzo because it cooks quickly, but I think potatoes or rice would taste just as good in this soup.

12 cups chicken broth
Olive oil
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped leeks or yellow onion
1 ham steak, cut into small cubes
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
3 cups cabbage, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste

In a stock pot, heat some olive oil. Add carrots, celery, garlic, onion, and ham steak until cooked thoroughly. Add chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Boil for 30 minutes. Add orzo and cabbage to pot. Cook 10 minutes or until orzo is cooked. Add salt & pepper. Serve with rosemary focaccia bread. (AW)