Easter Dinner Pictures.

I know I am way behind but better late than never! Here are the pictures from our Easter Dinner. If I must say so myself everything was delicious! I had lots of help again so I can say that because I didn't make everything.

I am posting the Arugula and Wheatberry Salad and the Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes. These two side dishes are fancy enough for a holiday but perfect for any company or even a weeknight dinner side dish. I got the recipe for the wheat berry salad from the Whole Foods website. A tip for the wheat berries: some times they sell them parboiled which shortens the cooking time to about 15 minutes. Make sure you read the bag on the ones you buy to see how they say to cook it.. I would cook them according to the package because they might not take 45 minutes. They are chewy in texture and are my favorite grain! The asparagus dish comes from the Cooking Light magazine.

Arugula and Wheat Berry Salad

1 cup wheat berries
1/2 cup sliced shallots
1/2 cup apple juice
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 cup packed arugula
1 cup dried apricots (about 24), chopped
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

Place wheat berries in a large bowl and cover with several inches of cold water. Let soak 8 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse wheat berries and place in a medium saucepan. Cover by several inches with fresh water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until berries are tender and some break open, about 45 minutes. Drain well.

Place wheat berries, shallots, juice, celery, arugula, apricots and almonds in a large bowl and toss to combine. Let sit at least 1 hour to blend flavors before serving.

Asparagus with Balsamic Tomatoes

1 lb. asparagus, trimmed

2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 cups halved grape cherry tomatoes

1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic

2 tbsp balsalmic vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

3 tbsp crumbled goat cheese

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Cook asparagus in boiling water til crisp-tender drain. I did this ahead of time, put in ice bath and then drained and kept at room temp.) Heat olive oil in large skillet and add tomatoes and garlic. Cook 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in salt, Arrange asparagus in platter, top with tomato mixture, sprinkle with cheese and pepper.