This salad comes from the days of castles and knights in shining armor - the fourteenth century, or 1390 to be exact. It is surprisingly modern and you can find something similar on the menu of many San Francisco restaurants right now: the ingredients are fresh, simply prepared and able to speak for themselves through a light dressing.
Homemade salad dressing is a particular passion of mine. Usually quick and easy to make from a few pantry ingredients and whatever fresh herbs are in the CSA box or growing out in the garden, it is almost always better than anything I can purchase pre-made from the store.
I neglected to mention this yesterday, but after dropping last night's Teriyaki Salmon on the grill I re-used its marinade for tonight's flank steak. I just can't let a half cup of soy sauce go to waste. Even my son took note of its long pouring time during preparation.
I have tried for many years to get my children to like noodles with peanut butter sauce. All eight million of the recipes I've used are easy to make and usually taste pretty good, but my kids just won't. This one was no exception, though the sauce tops any other recipe I've made so far.
Avocado, cucumber, feta, olive oil and spicy chili for a kick. I love this for lunch, for me, especially since one avocado is enough for two days. Haven't tried serving it to my kids yet, though they might enjoy having the choice of what to include. Except that one of them doesn't like lettuce, cucumber or avocado.
Yes, it's true. I often leave my children at home with nothing more to eat than a bowl of pasta. This time we just happened to have a few mini-sausages and a gift of ripe strawberries from another CSA member, which inched their meal's nutritional content above moderately sub-par. Plus, our babysitter was thoughtful enough to bring cake pops to celebrate my son's birthday!
Yes, again. Tortilla soup for dinner. From yesterday's leftovers. What a great camping trip!
It seems like a million years ago that I made this for a different camping trip, way back in 2010. That dinner went so well that I'm doing it again, for my daughter's 3rd grade camp out potluck, four years later. Basically the same procedure this time, but with canned tomatoes instead of fresh. This summer's delicious locally grown ones haven't hit the markets yet.
A composed salad is the obvious thing to make when the fridge is full of Easter Eggs. Salad Niçoise is one version that I especially love, there is something magical about the combination of vinaigrette, hard boiled egg and canned tuna. They work phenomenally well together.
I discovered Waitrose Kitchen magazine while in London with my family last week. I know, everyone always complains about British food. However, these days the Brits seem able to cook up some pretty delicious meals from what's popped up in the back garden. Or allotment. It must be because of that love of gardening they are also known for.
Another one from The Commonsense Kitchen, p 327. How can anyone resist a meal with a name as fun to say as "Rico's Tacos?" It rhymes. And rings of a party with warm sea air where fairy lights hover over tables lit by flickering colored votives. The 1970's version of these candles, that I remember from my toddler-hood on the island paradise of Aruba.
Pounded pork with breading, fried in butter, along with my favorite salad: Canal House's Mock Cesar. Both are from Volume No 3, p. 95. To make croutons, I'll cube up the leftover bread we have, rub it with a clove of garlic cut in half, then warm some olive oil in a big pan on the stove, toast the cubes and add salt. My friend Jill would mock me for making my own croutons, but they sure taste good!