My hubby celebrated a HUGE milestone yesterday and in our house that calls for a celebratory meal. On the menu: Hereford skirt steak (perfectly seared), garlicky asparagus bundles wrapped in bacon, crusty multi-grain bread, served with a big Shiraz, and for dessert homemade oatmeal raisin cookies with coconut milk non-dairy ice cream.

My little guy couldn't wait to eat the steak. He had to have a few bites before we sat down at the table, but the standout for the grownups was the asparagus. If you're a foodie, you've seen this done before. Take yummy green veggies and wrap them in bacon. You may have even eaten it before, but it usually turns out that the veggies aren't cooked enough, or the bacon is flabby and raw. Well, I found a great recipe and its shared below. Try it the next time you're celebrating a milestone!

Asparagus Bundles Wrapped in Bacon

adapted from How Sweet it Is Blog

serves 4

Ingredients

2 bunches of asparagus, about 40 spears (remove woody portion of the stem)

8 slices thick-cut bacon

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray. In a shallow dish or rimmed plate, mix together oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Working with 4-5 asparagus spears at a time, roll the spears in the oil garlic mixture and

tightly wrap a piece of bacon around the bundle. Place on the wire rack seam-side down and repeat. Roast for 35-40 minutes, or until bacon is crispy. Serve warm.

Sometimes you just need to get something on the table for dinner. If it happens to be delicious, it's just a bonus.

In addition to roasted broccoli (my old stand-by) and a quick salad, I marinated thin boneless pork chops in Bulls-Eye Barbecue sauce (my favorite), salt and pepper for about 15 minutes at room temperature.

In a pre-heated cast iron skillet, sear off the pork chops over medium-high heat until cooked through (approximately 2-3 minutes per side). While the chops are cooking, slice one onion lengthwise and set aside. Once the chops are cooked, place on a plate, add a little olive oil to the cast iron skillet and add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook until translucent (5-10 minutes), making sure to scrape up the fond from the pork chops and barbecue sauce. Finish by deglazing the pan with a little apple cider vinegar. Layer the cooked onions over the pork chops and serve.