i can't lie, the weather in southern california has been anything but winter like. it doesn't matter what the groundhog said, spring is pretty much here as far as i'm concerned. and my local produce store agrees. they had some BEAUTIFUL asparagus this week. a tell tale sign that spring is upon us. 

but despite the unseasonably warm weather, i am pretending it is still soup season. what i love most about asparagus soup is that it can be so creamy with out using any cream. this soup feels indulgent, and while it is an indulgence for the tastebuds, it is light on the waistline. 

creamy asparagus soup

serves: 4 appetizer servings or 2 for dinner

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 3 tbs olive oil, divided. 1 lb asparagus, ends removed and chopped into 1 inch pieces. 1 shallot, diced. 1 large garlic clove, minced. 1 tbs tarragon leaves, roughly chopped. 4 cups chicken stock. the zest of 1 lemon + 1 tsp fresh lemon juice. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. 12 baguette slices. .25 cup parmesan cheese. large, heavy pot. immersion blender, blender or food processor. rimmed baking sheet.

start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees f. combine the asparagus, shallots, garlic and tarragon in the pot with 1 tbs of olive oil and half the salt and pepper. heat the veggies over medium heat until the asparagus is bright green and the shallots are translucent.

while your asparagus is cooking, make your toasts. spread your toasts out on the rimmed baking sheet. drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle it with the cheese and lemon zest.

bake the toast for 7-10 minutes until nice and toasty. reserve the toasts.

when the asparagus is ready, pour in the chicken stock and season with the remaining salt and pepper.

bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce the heat so the liquid is just simmering. cook until the asparagus is tender. about 15 minutes. once the asparagus is tender, remove the soup from the eat.

squeeze in the lemon juice and blend with your blender of choice.

blend until smooth.

serve hot with parmesan toasts. 

xo, a

creamy asparagus soup

serves: 4 appetizer servings or 2 for dinner

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 30 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

ingredients: 3 tbs olive oil, divided. 1 lb asparagus, ends removed and chopped into 1 inch pieces. 1 shallot, diced. 1 large garlic clove, minced. 1 tbs tarragon leaves, roughly chopped. 4 cups chicken stock. the zest of 1 lemon + 1 tsp fresh lemon juice. 1 tsp kosher salt. .5 tsp freshly ground pepper. 12 baguette slices. .25 cup parmesan cheese. large, heavy pot. immersion blender, blender or food processor. rimmed baking sheet.

start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees f. combinethe asparagus, shallots, garlic and tarragon in the pot with 1 tbs of olive oil and half the salt and pepper. heat the veggies over medium heat until the asparagus is bright green and the shallots are translucent. while your asparagus is cooking, make your toasts. spread your toasts out on the rimmed baking sheet. drizzle with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle it with the cheese and lemon zest. bake the toast for 7-10 minutes until nice and toasty. reserve the toasts. when the asparagus is ready, pour in the chicken stock and season with the remaining salt and pepper. bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce the heat so the liquid is just simmering. cook until the asparagus is tender. about 15 minutes. once the asparagus is tender, remove the soup from the eat. squeeze in the lemon juice and blend with your blender of choice. blend until smooth. serve hot with parmesan toasts. 

today is a very special day. yes, fig and arugula bruschetta is pretty freaking fantastic, but that is not the only reason that today is special. september nineteenth so happens to be my lovely husband's birthday. and today, we celebrated the way any good, hard working man and his wife should. by lounging about, relaxing and watching day long football coverage as we prepare for our head to head fantasy football battle this week. 

it is our seventh year of celebrating birthdays together and it is hard for me to believe how much has changed. when we met, he had a crazy roommate who inexplicably made wes's french press vanish and i lived with my parents. he worked a regular old nine to five job at a construction company that sold concrete and i was a customer service coordinator for a surf company. 

the first night we met, i gave him a long lecture about how he should be doing something that he loved, not just a job. i didn't then realize i was also talking to myself. and more than that, i had no idea that what we loved would end up being making food together. and yesterday, to ring in another year of wesley, we enjoyed this sweet and tangy bruschetta dish in our tiny garden with a crisp glass of wine and our cat by our side. this dish is a true celebration. 

fig + arugula bruschetta
serves: 2 as a snack or 4 as an appetizer
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 15 minutes
ingredients: 5 black figs, cut into eighths. 1 small shallot, thinly sliced. .25 cup arugula, roughly chopped. 1 garlic clove, minced. 1 tbs olive oil. juice of 1 lemon. 1 tsp kosher salt. 12 .5 inch thick cut baguette slices. 1 tsp balsamic glaze. 

start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f. if you are using a toaster oven instead, just set it to lightly toast. 

combine the juice of the lemon, the shallots and half the salt in a small bowl. 

in a medium bowl, combine the figs, remaining salt, garlic and the arugula and set aside. 

then, toast your bread in the oven for 5-7 minutes till lightly toasted. 

after your bread has toasted, add the shallots and any remaining lemon juice to the fig mixture.

add in the olive oil and lightly toss. 

top each piece of bread with a healthy scoop of fig mixture. 

place the bruschetta on a serving platter and drizzle with balsamic glaze. 

serve and enjoy. 

xo, a

fig + arugula bruschetta
serves: 2 as a snack or 4 as an appetizer
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 10 minutes
total time: 15 minutes
ingredients: 5 black figs, cut into eighths. 1 small shallot, thinly sliced. .25 cup arugula, roughly chopped. 1 garlic clove, minced. 1 tbs olive oil. juice of 1 lemon. 1 tsp kosher salt. 12 .5 inch thick cut baguette slices. 1 tsp balsamic glaze.
start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees f. if you are using a toaster oven instead, just set it to lightly toast. combine the juice of the lemon, the shallots and half the salt in a small bowl. in a medium bowl, combine the figs, remaining salt, garlic and the arugula and set aside. then, toast your bread in the oven for 5-7 minutes till lightly toasted. after your bread has toasted, add the shallots and any remaining lemon juice to the fig mixture. add in the olive oil and lightly toss. top each piece of bread with a healthy scoop of fig mixture. place the bruschetta on a serving platter and drizzle with balsamic glaze. serve and enjoy.