Cream of Asparagus Soup

Asparagus is in season! For less than $10 you can make this really simple and totally tasty soup. I made a half batch tonight and nearly finished it. The best part, it's guilt free when you use greek yogurt instead of cream. I hope you try this. It's one of my absolute favorites.

2 lbs. fresh asparagus, woody stems removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
Salt and Pepper
5 C. chicken broth
Olive oil
1/2 C. greek yogurt
1/2 a lemon, juiced (about 1-2 tsp.)
1 Tbsp. butter

Saute the the onion with 2 tablespoons olive oil until soft. Add the asparagus and salt and pepper and cook another 5 minutes. Add the broth, loosely cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are very soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly (about 10 minutes).

Using a stick blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Add in the yogurt, lemon juice, and butter. Mix until smooth. Season with more salt and paper as desired.

Chocolate Pecan Bread

This last week I saw a Nutella breakfast bread on Pinterest that got my mouth watering. I don't mind Nutella, but when I started thinking about making this, I thought 'how delicious would this be if I used dark chocolate instead'? Then it would be more like pain au chocolat, right? Right. It was a good decision.

12 Rhoades frozen dinner rolls
5 oz. (1/2 a bag) of dark chocolate chips (I recommend the Ghiradelli 60% cacao chips)
1 (2.25 oz.) bag of chopped pecans
2 Tbsp. melted butter
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
Flour for dusting
1 Egg
Water

First off, this is an overnight recipe. Plan ahead. Assuming you'll be making this for breakfast, spray a large bowl with non-stick cooking spray and place the 12 frozen rolls inside. Cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and let sit out overnight.

Once you've gotten your beauty rest, remove the cover from the dinner rolls and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. The dough should be really puffy and sticking together. Sprinkle some flour on a flat working surface and dump the clump of dough out. Roll out with a rolling pin to make a rectangle (roughly 9"x13").

In a small bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar together to form a paste. Spread the paste on the rolled out dough and sprinkle with the chocolate chips and pecans. Cut the dough in half lengthwise with a pizza cutter to create two sections. Starting on the long edge of the dough, begin rolling towards the center to form a tight log. Do this for both pieces of dough and then life the logs onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Twist the dough logs around each other and tuck the ends in. I made mine into an "S" shape. Cut slits in the dough to expose some of the filling. I like it when bits ooze out while it bakes. Cover, and let rest of an hour. The dough should puff back up slightly. Whisk together the egg and a little water and brush the dough with the mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Here's a replay in photos:

The night before, place the frozen dough in a grease bowl. Cover and sit overnight.

The next morning the dough should look like this.

Roll out on a floured surface.

Spread with the butter and sugar paste.

Sprinkle on the toppings. Don't go overboard. Nor possible you say? Yeah, I know, but trust me on this.

Slice lengthwise into two pieces and start rolling.

The two logs.

Move to the cookie sheet and twist together tucking the ends in. Cut slits in the dough if you like.

Cover and let rest for an hour.

After a rest...

Voila! Golden deliciousness out of the oven.