Roasted Asparagus

We had a lazy sort of night tonight. Brayden woke up from his nap hungry and we had a friend over to play, so the only thing I cooked was asparagus. I love roasted asparagus. I made a whole large bundle and ate it all myself tonight! (In my defense, no-one else in the house likes it.)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Rinse asparagus and remove bottoms. Many people will tell you to cut off the bottom just above the tough part...but I always want to ask - where exactly is that?! I tried that once or twice and always ended up with a few bites of the tough, bitter end that I missed. Instead, break the end off by hand. The asparagus will naturally bend and snap off at just the right place. (OMG! The Bend & Snap! Works every time! - Kudos to any who know where that comes from.)

Lay the asparagus in a line on a baking sheet. Drizzle with EVOO and toss to coat. Lay them back out all nice and neat so they are touching but not overlapping. Add spices. (To me, spices are more of a generalization. I don't usually measure - and certainly not for asparagus. Besides, it's really influenced by your personal preference.)

Lightly salt and pepper. Add a generous amount of garlic powder. (Don't ward off any vampires, but this is your main spice.) Add about 2/3 as much paprika as garlic powder. Add just a touch of chili powder. Be careful, this stuff is strong. You just want to give it a slight kick.

Bake for 15-20 minutes - a tad longer if they are really thick stalks.

That's it. Totally yummy asparagus!