Recipe: Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus Salad

I first tried this dish when Eric and I went to our wedding menu tasting. It was so good! We immediately fell in love with it and knew we had to have it again.

But since it was offered as an "upgrade" option at our wedding venue, we nixed it. Sorry, wedding guests.

A few weeks later, I decided to attempt to replicate the recipe at home. The dish seemed pretty simple and didn't involve that many ingredients.

This is what we came up with.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus Salad

Ingredients

Prosciutto
Asparagus
Balsamic vinaigrette
Sliced apple (We used Fuji because that's all I'm willing to buy)
Candied walnuts
Mixed greens
Olive oil
Fresh Parmesan cheese
Salt / pepper to taste

Directions

1. Rinse and trim asparagus as usual. Wrap bunches of two or three stalks with a strip of prosciutto.

Set into your baking dish. Once all of the asparagus is wrapped, top with a light drizzle of olive oil and salt / pepper. Bake at 400F (204C) for approximately 20 minutes.

Note: We used thick-stalk asparagus. If you're using the thinner type, maybe cook four in each bunch and check the cooking time starting at 8 minutes.

2. In a small pot, heat balsamic on medium-high heat. Since it's going to be reduced, you'll want to start off with about four times as much as you think you'll actually need.

Bring it to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes. I followed this recipe to make mine. Once it's done, set aside. It will thicken a lot more as it cools.

3. For each serving, start with a nest of mixed greens and top with as much, or as little, of the following items that you like: sliced apples, candied walnuts, and prosciutto-wrapped asparagus. Drizzle the reduced balsamic over the top. Finish with freshly shaved Parmesan cheese.

4. Eat it all and feel smug for being so fit and fancy.

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TILTE's Panzanella Salad.

This is a recipe for something healthy I ate.

I figured I should share it with you right away because I'm probably going to fall off the wagon before the week is over (I've already fallen off several times, actually) and I'd like to look back on this glorious moment and feel all nostalgic about that one time I became super healthy and fit.

Important Note: If you omit the chicken from this recipe, it is TOTALLY SUITABLE FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS!!!

TILTE's Panzanella Salad

INGREDIENTS

- Italian Bread
- Italian seasoning
- olive oil
- 20 cherry tomatoes, halved
- red onion, sliced into thin strips (however much you like)
- 8 leaves fresh basil, chiffonade'ed
- 1 avocado, sliced into wedges or cubes
- 1 chicken breast (we cooked extra, but all you need for this recipe is one)
- 3 white potatoes
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- romaine lettuce

Missing from this picture: Italian seasoning, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Sprinkle salt, pepper, and onion powder on both sides of chicken breasts. Place in a shallow baking dish that's been coated with olive oil. Cook for roughly 25 minutes at 400- or until juices run clear.



Slice bread into cubes and place on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and Italian seasoning. Throw it in the oven for 15 minutes. Or until they're toasted the way you like it.



Boil whole potatoes until you can easily stick a fork in them.



Once chicken is done cooking, cut into cubes. Throw chicken, tomatoes, onion, basil, potatoes, avocado, croutons, and lettuce into a large bowl.



In a screw-top jar (or one of those "make your own salad dressing" containers), combine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Shake that shit up. Pour over salad.

Eat it.


This salad is perfect for people who are NOT very "salady". The ingredients are hearty and filling and the dressing is full of flavor. I will definitely keep this on my regular dinner rotation.

Anyone out there willing to try it, let me know what you think!!

Boner'ppetite.

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Summer Recap! (Holy Molies, Save This For When You Have a Wiiiiide Open Schedule)

I'm a lazy blogger and I've decided to make this entry an all-out photo fest recap. I know... Nothing of real value will be typed from here on out (as opposed to all my other entries, which are always chock full o' hilarious, wild, informative anecdotes about absolutely nothing).

Ughhhh, I HateHateHate that summer has come and gone already. I'm not even close to accepting the idea that I have to pack up my Hawaiian Tropic canceroil, close the tab on my Sangria boozefest, and wake up from my big dreams of roadtrips up and down the California coast. Don't get me wrong. Fall is a cool season too, but I've just had so many noteable things going on this summer that I'm not really looking forward to letting it go. These last few months have been busier than ever and hopefully these pictures will keep you up to date on what's been going in the wonderful world of TILTE. Some of the pix you may or may not have already seen. Just go with it and pretend like they're just as earth-shattering now as they were the first time around.

Let's get this party sharted.

Biscuit LOVES the pool. She will dive right in at the drop of a hat and took full advantage of having a pool in the roasting hot San Fernando Valley.

Kosmo, on the other hand, has seen better days. I still haven't found the backyard lawn hooligan who did this, but Kosmo's feeling back to normal and doesn't even care that he has 12 staples in his side. He hears they're all the rage in Milan this season.

My rad little house with the rad little pool? Gone. That's what happens when you get a divorce. Apologies for never planning a Bloggers Gone Wild Pool Party. Maybe my mom will let me invite some friends over for root beer floats instead. But probably not, so don't hold your breath.

College roommates. :::Cue Peaches & Herb's Reunited::: These kinds of things need to happen more often.

Big time family reunion. I'm talking family members from near and far, united around one blessed tri tip and enjoying each others company. That's how it works with family- when you only get together once every 15 years, it's totally acceptable to have a good time. It's only the mofos you see every other weekend that you want to strangle.

The county fair. Guaranteed fun as long as you're cool with spending arms and legs for a corndog and some funnel cake. Also, watch out for the animals in the petting zoo- they're starving and will eat your face off. They don't even care how many times you tell them that silk shirts should not be chewed on, they will chew them anyway.







Another roommate reunion. This time it was with Orla, my flatmate from good old Londontown. She, her sister Tanya, and their boyfriends came out for two weeks and partied it up, Brits-on-holiday style. I met up with them on their last night here in LA and we had dinner at Bubbles Gump. I'd never been there before and didn't think I would be too dazzled because 1. I'm not really into the shrimps and 2. I don't think Forest Gump is a particularly appealing interior decor style. Alas, Bubbles proved me wrong. I ended up ordering the Pear and Berry Salad, Original Sweet Tea Cooler, and Mama's Best Strawberry Shortcake. THEY.WERE.ALL.DEELISHUS. Swearsies. The salad was good because it didn't have all that boring salad shit, like lettuce, in it- there were lots of fruits, feta cheese, and candied nuts. Mmm... just the way I like my salads. The Original Sweet Tea Cooler was a FAB drink that's super easy to make at home (Sweet Tea infused vodka and lemonade) and tastes JUST like an Arnold Palmer. And the strawberry shortcake was off the chizzain and I've been dreaming of it ever since. B. Gump, you get 4 chins.

Living near the beach again has its perks.









Tea Time with the Bunacers. Since we all lived in London, we got majorly spoiled on teas and scones and now we make it a point to enjoy these finer things in life as often as possible. We always stick with the Chado Tea Rooms, but this time we tried a new location, the Japanese American National Museum. The Afternoon Tea is a MUST have for anyone who's even thinking of being in the LA area- four finger sandwiches, scone with cream and strawberries, dessert, and your choice of tea from the huge 200 tea selection. There are pros and cons for each Chado location, which I will have to save for a later date, but all Chados are goooood Chados.

The summer was rounded out with an amazing wedding celebration at Shutters in Santa Monica. The couple's handwritten vows were so beautiful, even I (with my stone cold dead-behind-the-eyes heart) got a case of the watery eyeballs. The venue was perfect AND, as if they hadn't spoiled their guests enough, they had every wedding-goers dream come true: An Open Bar. To that, I say- Cheers Mr. and Mrs. Duke.

That pretty much sums up my crazy hectic summer. I know, this whole blog thing has propelled me into super stardom and my days will forever be filled with special appearances and I need to get used to it already. So, when I take a brief hiatus here and there, you guys all know why. It's because I'm totally making cameos with my celebuds, Paris and Lilo. Either that, or I'm taking a nap.

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