Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

I have an explanation for my recent absentee-ism.

It involves stacks of cardboard boxes, mountains of paperwork, peering through dusty windows to living rooms that turn out to have rotten floorboards. Musty basements with water damage. Sending copies of every possible identity-containing document off to someone I don't personally know.

The day has come for Gluten Free in SLC to be housed on its own piece of land. Have its own counter tops for photos, under its own south-facing windows. I bought a house!

My endlessly patient real estate agent took us through more than 30 houses in the area of town where I currently live, and where I wanted to stay. These are historic houses, mostly Victorians (built before 1905), and craftsman bungalows (built between 1905 and 1930). Historic can mean lots of foundation damage, sagging brick, poor fixes by previous exuberant homeowners, lopsided additions on the backs of houses, and a fair sprinkling of water damage. Lots of foreclosures to look through. We looked at one short sale where the homeowner, who was clearly mid-renovation, had pasted "dream photos" on every wall of the house, in every room, of how they wanted their finished house to look. It was like watching someone's dreams slowly bubble and peel around the edges. Those renovations, by those sets of hands, weren't going to happen like they planned.

I chose a very structurally sound bungalow on a great piece of land on a medium traffic street. It's across from an elementary school, and has huge, beautiful trees in the yard. It's got some serious charm, which had me at first look. Things like a little towel hook hanging on the bathroom door that's probably from the 1950s and is in the shape of a sun. An original walk in closet. Original windows that all open. Sigh.

To usher in spring, the daffodils just bloomed in my new front yard (I haven't even moved in yet.) Another sign of spring are the first sprigs of asparagus, which came from a local farmer. One of my favorite ways to make asparagus (besides tender risotto) is wrapped in bacon. Either in the oven or on the grill, this is a 15 minute side dish that would be perfect with any dinner. 

Grill on, friends.

Last Year: Dairy Free Potato Leek Soup

Two Years Ago: Taco Soup

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
higlighted at Aubree of Living Free's Favorite Recipes from Last Week (Check it out!)

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1 1/2 pounds asparagus spears, trimmed 4 to 5 inches long tips
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
A few grinds black pepper
4 slices bacon
Chopped chives, optional

Preheat oven, if using, to 400 degrees F.
Lightly coat asparagus spears in extra-virgin olive oil. Season the asparagus with black pepper. Take a quick count of the spear tips. Divide the total number by four. Gather that number of spears and use a slice of bacon to wrap the bundle and secure the spears together. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

For grilling: place bundles on hot grill and cover. Cook 10 to 12 minutes until bacon is crisp and asparagus bundles are tender.
For oven preparation: place bundles on slotted broiler pan. Bake 12 minutes.