Wow, I’m so glad April is OVER. Shortly after I posted about my mom passing, the car vandalism and someone doing a hit and run on the rental…someone broke into our locked backyard while we were at work and stole some locked bikes and expensive lawn equipment.  Can you *&%$#@! believe it?  Mr. S and I discussed the matter and decided to purchase a sturdier shed…a Tuff Shed, to place our lawn equipment and assorted miscellany in. We got rid of the boat (thank goodness! That POS had been giving me the stink eye for the past few years) and Mr. S and Teen #1 have been dutifully leveling out the side yard and laying down weed cloth.  Gravel is being delivered this week and the 8x12 shed shortly after. We also scoped out several security companies and settled on an ADT system through a company called California Security Pro.  It was a smooth process- the salesperson, Greg, was not pushy and our technician, Jeremy, was fab. I highly recommend them. They were even able to connect our garage which stands separate from our house. We did decide to install outdoor cameras too but we decided to do those ourselves. Anyhow this experience gave me a crash course in getting to know my County Supervisor, my Assemblyman and my POP (Problem Oriented Policing) Officer for my neighborhood and what’s being done about the escalation in crime since the passage of Prop 47.  Our POP Officer turned out to be great…and responsive! I also got to know the lead for our Neighborhood Watch…she’s on top of things and constantly in contact with the various law enforcement for our area.  I never knew living by the river and a park would be such a hassle. Homeless, tweakers, and crazies galore down this way.  If you’re not already using it, I highly suggest signing up for Nextdoor.com. It’s free and I access it from my laptop and the app on my phone.  I was shocked at all the stuff going on in my neighborhood that I had no idea about!

So anyway, now that you’re caught up-- Let’s talk food!  You know how I love Mr. S’s balsamic grilled asparagus and portabellas, right? Well, we found a new recipe for asparagus, we’re equally crazy about- Sesame-Soy Grilled Asparagus.  I found the recipe in the March 2015, Rachel Ray Mag and we’ve made it several times since.  It’s quite delicious.  A nice Asian twist to the typical grilled asparagus side dish and takes just a few minutes to prep.

Sesame-Soy Grilled Asparagus

Ingredients

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger

1 scallion sliced (optional)

1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions