Is there such a thing?  All I know is that over the Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Vanilla Chamomile Sleep Body Lotion (long name!) that I just put on my very chapped hands still dry from Utah, I can smell remnants  of last night's "I'm so glad to be home I will cook you your favorite anything" meal…Prosciutto Asparagus and what was supposed to be garlic pull-aparts using Rhodes Frozen Dinner Rolls, but I didn't put enough of them in the pan to make them rise and stick together, so they looked more like delicious little garlic rocks…experimenting is always fun!  It's one of those kind of meals that I don't mind remembering fondly the aroma the next day, and it seems like asparagus is getting more expensive, which probably means we aren't at the height of the season anymore, which means I won't be buying it until next season.  I was able to get great deals on it this summer, so we have been eating it like crazy. 

But before you start the main dish, you need to start the meal by beginning preparations for the "Little Garlic Rocks".  I hope that Rhodes doesn't take offense to the rock analogy, because they weren't as hard as rocks once they were baked, but we all know that the less time you take to let yeast rolls rise, the heavier the bread…I like heavier breads. 

The reason that they have that funny little edge is because I used my Pampered Chef tool to cut the hard, frozen rolls in half, 18 of them.  Next, I melted about a cube of butter (you can use a little less) and stirred about a tablespoon of the Garlic Spread into the butter.  I just poured the butter mixture over the bread, but I think a pastry brush would have worked better to more thoroughly cover the surface of the roll. 

While I was in Utah, I picked up a package of the Rhodes Garlic Pull-Apart Rolls.  We baked those up for Sunday dinner at Mark's (it was a yummy pot roast, potatoes and carrots – thanks, Mark!), and I thought I remembered that you melted the butter packet that was included, and squeezed it over the frozen rolls in the pan and put it in a cold oven at 325 degrees for 25 – 30 minutes, but I guess that I didn't put enough rolls in my cake pan to make them bake up touching.  Anyway, there were no complaints and they disappeared the same as did the asparagus!  These will get done about the same time as the asparagus.

On to the main course!

I saw this recipe made on a morning talk show years ago.  It used to be something that I could cook up small portions for Scott and myself.  But then the kids reluctantly tried it and loved it…all except for Megan who only likes the prosciutto and pasta, with a little of the juice in the bottom of the pan.  If you like asparagus, you should try this recipe.  It is wonderful!

Prosciutto Asparagus

2 – 3 lbs. asparagus

6 – 8 ounces prosciutto

1 whole head of fresh garlic

olive oil

kosher salt

1 1-lb. box of bow tie pasta, cooked and drained

Rinse asparagus and cut into about 3" pieces.  Leave at least an inch off the bottom to avoid getting any of the woody part.  Set aside. 

 Next, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of your large skillet.  Add garlic…oh, wait!  You need to cut up your garlic the way you like it.  I put mine through a garlic press, mostly because it's easy and I'm lazy.  We like a whole bunch of garlic in this recipe, so I use a whole head.  You can adjust to your own tastes.  Put it in the olive oil, but don't turn on the stove yet because you need to prep your prosciutto. 

I get my prosciutto at Costco in this little thin package (sorry, I threw away the package before I checked to see how many ounces it was, but I remember thinking that a whole pound of it would cost over $25.) and each slice is layered on a separating sheet of some thin sort of plastic.  This is why you wait to start cooking the garlic – it takes a few minutes to peel each thin slice off.

 
Stack it on your cutting board (Now you can turn on your stove to a medium high heat and start cooking the garlic.) and cut it into small pieces.  It will really stick together, so once you put it into the garlic and olive oil, take two forks, one in each hand, and pull the meat apart. 

Let it get warmed and then add the asparagus.  Toss it in the pan frequently until you can poke the asparagus and it is slightly tender, but don't let it get limp unless you have a hard time chewing.  Reduce heat to low.  Sprinkle kosher salt over the ingredients and put a lid over the pan for a minute or so.  This seems to make a little juice in the pan which my carnivore likes to spoon onto the noodles along with the prosciutto that she picks out of the mixture.  I like to serve this over bow tie pasta, but you can pick your favorite.  Grate a little fresh Parmesan cheese over the top, and if you are like my husband, add a little freshly ground pepper.  Sorry…I didn't get any pictures of the finished product served on the pasta, but that's because everyone was hungry and I didn't think that they would appreciate me taking time to snap a shot.  Besides, I had to run over to the church to let people into the RS closet.

This is a highly recommended dish that even Mikey likes!

Tomorrow…paper crafts!