garlic noodles with asparagus

*please excuse the presentation. I knew the post wouldn't be as good without a pic and I wasn't in the mood to indulge you any more than whipping out my iphone and the bowl I was eating my second helping from.

I whipped this up for dinner tonight. I guess it would be called Garlic Noodles with Asparagus, I guess. It was done prep to table in 30 minutes. I was gonna cook some lobster ravioli I have from Costco but Ryan opted out so I nixed that. I make this a lot in the summer with kabobs. Tonight it took main stage. I just cook pasta until it's al dente. While it was cooking I roasted asparagus at 350 degrees (probably could have done 375) for 10-12 minutes (trim and toss with olive oil and then s&p). Then when 2 minutes left in pasta melt 1 tbsp butter in pan on medium-high heat when hot add 1 tbsp olive oil then add 1 tbsp minced garlic. Cook for 30 seconds or so dont overbook or burn then add drained pasta. Mix add more olive oil (I didn't measure, just went for the correct amount to cover, grated parmesan cheese, and s&p (sea salt and fresh ground black pepper) and serve immediately. The asparagus should be done at same time. I cut it up and mixed with pasta but it could be left in side as well. It's light but rich at same time with oil, garlic, and good amount of s&p. Yum!

** Remember with dishes that only have a few ingredients especially the quality of the ingredients used will really make the difference in the end result. You can only have food as good as the ingredients you put in it. That means a good olive oil since you will be tasting it and not cooking it much, fresh parmesan cheese, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper (not table salt or pre ground pepper).

I love the cooking class I took and the excitement it's given me in the kitchen. It's my new fav hobby and I already feel more confident in my cooking skills. Her tips for prepping garlic and shallots alone was worth the cost of the class ($20 for class and $15 for food supplies you cooked at it). If you're in the Chico area and looking to take some short classes (one night only, but she has a few different ones to choose from) contact CARD. So far so good! I'm taking her Thai food and Italian food classes later in March and April as well. Eat up!