Asparagus Tart = Spring Renewal!

Transitioning your home for warmer weather takes effort—packing away cold-weather

clothes only to find summer clothes wrinkled and stale—in need of attention. Deciding

what to keep or give away brings its own tension.

Relax. It’s proof of movement, growth, and a life in progress.

Recovery works the same way. We don’t have to fix everything at once. Just start where you

are.

Open a window. Clear a shelf. Chop something green.

Go to the kitchen and reset.

Culinary Meditation

Celebrate the power of managing everyday life with a bright spring dish.

Completing tasks—one day at a time—is life-affirming behavior. In recovery and in the

kitchen, small actions build momentum. Washing, chopping, tasting. Showing up.

Taste the self-esteem. Taste the personal satisfaction.

Feed that sense of accomplishment with a bold, fresh recipe—one that reminds you:

If I can make this. I can do anything.

Culinary Magic: Two in one!

Buy extra asparagus and goat cheese for a simple side dish on another day.

Extra spears store well in the refrigerator for days. Gently rinse and cut off the ‘woody’

end, place loosely in a wide jar with a few inches of water, or wrap rinsed asparagus in a

linen dish towel, plastic bag, and place in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. Tarts freeze well, pop into the freezer for another time!

INGREDIENTS

Puff pastry sheet

1 sheet all-butter puff pastry, thawed if frozen. Defrost in the refrigerator,

keep cold until using.

All-purpose flour for dusting

1-2 lb. thin asparagus, woody ends trimmed (rinsed, trimmed)

Goat Cheese

1 cup soft goat cheese, at room temperature (4 ounces)

1 cup plain yogurt, sour cream, or crème fraîche, at room temperature (8 ounces)

1 large egg, lightly beaten, at room temperature

½ teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1½ tablespoons (optional) chopped fresh tarragon leaves, plus more for serving

Egg wash

1 whole egg— add 1 tablespoon milk or water

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, using a fork, mash together the goat

cheese, egg, salt, and nutmeg until smooth. Switch to a whisk and beat in the

yogurt/sour cream/crème fraîche until smooth.

2. Dust some flour onto parchment paper, sized to fit the cookie sheet. Roll out pastry

sheet to about 1/8 inch thick. Leave a 1-inch border on pastry, use a fork to score (poke) holes around that edge.

3. Place parchment with rolled out puff pastry onto cookie sheet. Spread the cheese mixture evenly inside the scored border.

4. Line up the asparagus spears, snug against each other, ok if touching, and drizzle with

olive oil. Sprinkle salt on the spears.

5. Whisk egg and water/milk for egg wash. Brush the 1-inch border of puff pastry dough.

6. Bake until the pastry is puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are golden

brown. Let it cool on the cookie sheet for at least 15 minutes or up to 4 hours before

serving.

Drizzle a little oil on top.

BOOST IT

Serve with a bright spring salad. Select whatever’s the freshest lettuce—arugula, baby bib,

spinach or kale. Add whatever looks crisp and fresh— sugar snap peas, radish, sprouts. Make a classic vinaigrette dressing: Dijon mustard, olive oil, apple or white vinegar, 1/2 lemon, plus a teaspoon of sugar. Pour into an old jelly jar, shake, needs no refrigeration.

KIDS PLAY

Bring the kids into the kitchen —it’s where connection grows.

Cooking together becomes more than a task—it’s time side by side, without pressure. For a

sober mom, these moments matter. They’re a chance to show up, be present, and create

something steady and real.

Give them simple jobs: washing vegetables, collecting scraps, setting the table, helping with

cleanup. Let it be imperfect. Let it be shared. Small routines together build trust. Laughter

comes easier. And the kitchen becomes a place where everyone belongs.

Not just cooking—connecting. One meal, one moment at a time

SOBER SENSE—LINKS TO LEARN

Click around and compare a few versions of the same dish before you shop. One adds

lemon, another swears by garlic, but you’re in the mood for something tangy and sweet, choosing to add a tablespoon of honey instead. Suddenly, you’re not just following a recipe, you’re thinking like a cook.

That’s where the shift happens. Your intuition kicks in. You start to anticipate flavors, trust

your taste, and make it your own. A pinch more salt. A squeeze of brightness. Improvising.

That’s confidence. That’s recovery in motion.

Read. Remix. Taste. Adjust.