Here is the first recipe for Spring Fever, combining fresh asparagus with sausage, mushrooms, potatoes, and more. This is a relatively quick and easy one-dish dinner, perfect on those chilly spring nights (or, if you live in Michigan, snowy spring nights). This recipe is inspired by one in Simply in Season, but I added my own personal touch to give it a little more substance and flavor. If asparagus isn’t your vegetable, try broccoli, peppers, or sugar snap peas.

1 lb bulk sausage
1 medium onion, halved and sliced
8 oz sliced mushrooms
4-5 medium potatoes, any variety, cut into 1-inch chunks
3/4 cup water
1 lb asparagus, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
salt and pepper
cheese, for topping, if desired

In a large skillet over medium heat, combine sausage, onions, and mushrooms. Using a spatula, break sausage into smaller pieces (but do not crumble completely). Saute until sausage begins to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add potatoes and water to skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Add asparagus to top of mixture but do not stir in. Cover and simmer an additional 10 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp-tender and potatoes are tender. Stir and top with fresh ground pepper.

Serve immediately, topped with cheese if desired.

Cooking on the stove:

Ready to serve:

I’m back in the kitchen! For your enjoyment and consumption, I bring you this spicy, sweet, savory sauce with cherries, orange, and cayenne pepper. While I served the sauce over chicken, this would also be great over pork chops or a pork tenderloin. I used a blood orange for this recipe, but a regular navel orange would work just fine. Blood oranges can be hard to find, though usually available until Spring, and they have a slightly raspberry taste to them.

I also used a fancy Cranberry-Blood Orange Tea Jam from Republic of Tea in place of the preserves, but you could substitute a number of jams or jellies: orange marmalade, cherry preserves, even another berry-flavored jelly. Using frozen cherries cuts down on prep time and allows this recipe to be made in any season, but pitted fresh cherries would be great too.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bag (12 oz) frozen unsweetened dark sweet cherries, thawed 
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 orange, zest and juice
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne (red) pepper
1/8 tsp cumin
1 tbsp cherry preserves

Preheat oven to 350F or broiler. Lightly coat a baking sheet or broiler pan with cooking spray.

Season chicken with salt and black pepper as desired. Bake or broil 20-25 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink.

Meanwhile, combine onion and garlic in a medium saucepan coated lightly in cooking spray. Saute over medium heat for 3-5 minutes.

Add cherries with any liquid from the bag and red wine. Using the back of a spoon, lightly rush the cherries (leave some cherries whole). Zest and juice orange into saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To serve, spoon hot sauce over chicken breasts. Shown with steamed asparagus and Spicy Sweet Potatoes (the Spicy Cherry Sauce goes great with those potatoes!).

Want a bowl of comfort food? Try this simple and quick recipe for a homemade “Alfredo” style sauce. Toss this sauce with any pasta, such as angel hair or fettuccine. I prefer whole wheat pasta, it seems heartier to me, but that’s my personal taste. This sauce is warm, creamy, and soothing after a harsh winter day. There is no need to add salt to this sauce, as the condensed soup has enough sodium.

1 can condensed cream of mushroom and chicken soup
1 can-ful of milk
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
fresh ground black pepper

Over medium heat, combine condensed soup and Parmesan cheese in a small saucepan. Fill empty soup can with milk, add it to the saucepan gradually, until sauce is at desired consistency. Stir well, heating sauce for 10-15 minutes until smooth (do not bring to a boil, reduce heat if needed). Top with ground pepper to taste, serve immediately over pasta.

If you bring the pasta water to a boil first, the sauce will be ready by the time the pasta is cooked. Spoon sauce over pasta, top with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

This pasta was inspired by a Giada De Laurentiis episdoe of Everyday Italian. The original recipe, called Thimbles with Mushrooms and Artichokes, has pasta with a creamy, light Marsala sauce. I updated the recipe with asparagus instead of artichokes and added some garlic. Instead of “thimble” pasta, any twisty shape pasta will work. I used a corkscrew shaped pasta, one of my favorites. Try this for a quick and tasty dinner.

3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt, plus 3/4 tsp
1 lb mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned, and finely chopped
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 lb pasta
1/2 lb fresh asparagus, halved lengthwise and crosswise
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and 1 tsp of the salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms have cooked down, about 10 minutes. Add the Marsala and continue cooking until almost all the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Stir in remaining 3/4 tsp salt. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and continue to cook until pasta is tender but still firm to the bite and asparagus is crisp-tender, another 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and add it into the mushrooms, Marsala, and onions. Add the cream and Parmesan and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and pepper.

Serve immediately, topped with additional Parmesan if desired.

Here is a quick and simple dinner from Everyday Food magazine. The frozen peaches do not need to be thawed and are a real time-saver. To easily grate the fresh ginger, peel a finger of ginger and freeze overnight in a zip-lock bag. The flavors in this recipe are fresh and light, with a touch of Asian flair. The original recipe calls for bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts, but I prefer boneless, skinless. Adjust the red-pepper flakes to your tastes. Serve with Coconut-Ginger Rice.

1 bag (1 lb) frozen peaches, unthawed
2 red onions, halved and sliced 1/4 inch thick
salt and pepper
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste
3 to 4 chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 450F

Place peaches and onions on a large rimmed baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with ginger, soy sauce, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, sesame oil, and red-pepper flakes.

Rub chicken with remaining teaspoon vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange chicken (skin side up, if using skin-on) among peaches and onions.

Roast until chicken is opaque throughout and no longer pink, about 25 minutes. Serve chicken over rice, topped with peaches and onions.