pear salad with champagne vinaigrette

pear salad - scrumptious!

Heavenly Pears!  I don't think I realized how fabulous pears could be until my twenties, when I received my first box of Royal Riviera Pears from Harry & David. They were a marvel - golden-green skin, amazing aroma, sweet nectar.  And I might add, a far cry from the canned pears of my childhood.

This time of year there is always a bowl of pears ripening in the kitchen.  If I can grab one before the kids eat it - I love to add thin slices to a winter salad. Somehow that simple addition makes a weekday side seem special.

Here's my pear fix. The ingredients are thrown together to accompany a quick dinner ... and are not exact.  Feel free to experiment with the vinegar, too.  Use whatever you have on hand!

Pear Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette

serves 2

Ingredients:

 composing the salads

2 large handfuls of mixed greens (arugula and baby spinach are my favorites)

1 T champagne vinegar

1 t dijon mustard

3 T evoo

s/p to taste
(I go heavy on the fresh ground pepper)

1 ripe pear, sliced

2 T crumbled cheese, blue or goat
(I used Shropshire Blue, a cow's milk cheese from the UK) 

Tip:  When making salad for more than 2 ... I usually make my dressing in the bowl that I'll use for tossing.  Tonight my salad was more composed so I made it in an oversized measuring cup.

Directions:

1. Rinse and spin your greens.  While drying, make your vinaigrette.

2. Put vinegar and mustard in a bowl.  Whisk in the evoo and add salt and pepper to taste.

3.  Toss your greens in the dressing.  Or plate them, place pear slices and crumbled cheese on top, and drizzle with the dressing.

Enjoy!

my kids love their fruit and veggies au naturale
(hold the dressing!)

10 loves: walnuts

10 Walnut Loves

It is a common trait of my generation - a love of top ten lists.  Did it all begin with David Letterman?  Now they are everywhere: news reports, travel guides, holiday sales, marketing launches, etc.  And our little blog is no different!

This walnut top ten is inspired by a recent gift from our family's DF, Dorothy Quilty.  We came to know Dottie many years ago through DF's Woody, Jen and Anne.  She is a neighbor of ours, living in Winchester for decades with her sisters.  She lives alone now, and we have weekly visits with lots of storing telling, book and movie shares and some produce swaps in summer.  She is an inspiration - a strong, brave, intelligent and witty woman with a love of reading, current events and a little gossip here and there.  This one is a 'shout-out' to her and her amazing spirit!

10. heart healthy walnuts Take a quick peek at this interesting article from Dr. Andrew Weil about the benefits of walnuts.

9. sugared walnuts Leave it to Martha Stewart to have a quick and easy recipe for this classic - great for salads and to munch with cocktails. I also like to quick-toast mine in the oven.

8. blue-cheese walnut cream  Another party classic from Martha, I thin mine with a little cream or 1/2 and 1/2. It is great on top of grape halves or spread on crostini.

7. cranberry, walnut quinoa salad I fell in love with Quinoa this fall. Shout-out to Denise Costello, our local fit foodie, for inspiring me to make this a pantry staple!

6. walnut butter cookies  My kids love making these 'horseshoe' shaped cookies.  Claire has an Italian version, Crumiri, on her blog!

5. walnut cookie molds I covet these - aren't they adorable?  Don't you want to spread a little Nutella between two halves? Or perhaps a little chocolate ganache?

4. salad with pears, pomegranate & walnuts  This recipe from NPR's site gives an alternative recipe for sugared walnuts, but Martha's (see above) is easier. I make a version of this every Christmas.

3. walnut marinated goat cheese  I am a big goat cheese fan and this epicurious.com article was an inspiration for some of our homemade holiday gift giving.

2. walnut-arugula pesto  Yum!  Calling all arugula fans!  This pesto is so versatile; use it on pasta, pizza, sandwiches and to make an amazing potato salad!

1. Our newly, inherited Nut Cracker - Thank you, Dottie!  We love it!

cabbage salad

great lunch on a cold day
garnished the soup with sour cream

The first time I had a fresh cabbage salad was in the kitchen of my DF (dear friend), Anne. She is one of those moms whose children seem to magically eat vegetables.  But of course, it is not magic - just Anne, sharing her love of all things fresh and seasonal, creating a home where her children appreciate good food.  

I'm unpacking holiday decorations today and reheating leftovers for lunch.  I want a little roughage to go with it.  This salad is the perfect accompaniment to my black bean soup and really to any smokey, grilled meats or a blackened salmon.  It is crunchy, refreshing and easy to put together. You could add grated carrot to this - like a mayo-free coleslaw. 

shred to your size preference

black bean soup was just as
yummy as day 1

Cabbage Salad
serves 2, adapted from Urban Pantry, by Amy Pennington

you can substitute your favorite vinegar:
champagne, apple cider, shallot, etc.
I recommend keeping it to a light color

Ingredients:

2 T Rice Vinegar
pinch of salt
pinch of sugar
3+ T evoo
1/2 head of green cabbage, sliced thinly

Directions:

1. Combine the vinegar, salt and sugar in a medium sized bowl and whisk in the evoo slowly.

2. Add the cabbage and toss with 'impeccably clean' hands. :)

3. Serve and Crunch away!

light lunch - avocado

I often eat five small meals a day
(keeps the crankiness at bay)
& this was my plate at 11AM today. 

Today's post is a 'Thank you' to my favorite witty Brit, Justine. One of my first meals at her home began so elegantly: a small salad with an avocado half in the center, filled with a delightful fig and walnut dressing.  Eating it with a spoon made it feel like a dessert.  Delicious!  It is not an overstatement to say that I fell in 'food love'.

I must admit, until a year or so ago, I bought avocados for guacamole or taco salad and not much else. Now, you'll always find two or three resting comfortably with the apples, pears and oranges in my fruit bowl.  I use them to garnish salads and soups, thicken my Divine Dressing or for this light lunch. Try it with your favorite dressing or one of my two ... Stonewall Kitchen's Cilantro Lime Dressing or Artisan's Savory Fig and Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette.  I've found both at my local Whole Foods Store.

Enjoy!

divine dressing

divine dressing makes delicious dipping!

This dressing is ridiculously good.  Perfect for dipping crudites (like we did last night during our homage to Joe), for spreading on sandwiches, jazzing up wraps and makes a spectacular potato salad. It is one of my favorites and I hope that you will give it a try this holiday season.  The fresh herbs may seem extravagant - but they are worth it.  It will ensure that your 'make to take' crudites platter is the hit of the party!

Divine Dressing

adapted from "Crudites with Green Goddess Dressing" Bon Appetite, December 2010

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c mayonnaise

1/4 c chives, snipped

3 T tarragon, chopped

2 T basil, snipped

2 T champagne vinegar
  (my twist, called for white wine)

2 garlic cloves, peeled
  (originally called for 1 clove)

1 anchovy fillet

1 ripe avocado
  (ok without but so creamy with) 

Directions:

1. When I say 'snipped' above it is to refer to when I use my kitchen shears for ease but chopping with a knife will work well, also. 

2. Blend the mayo in your food processor with the next 6 ingredients.  Scrape down the sides to incorporate. Then gently pulse in the avocado. 

2. This makes enough for two generous crudites platters.  So I stash a cup in the fridge for later use on sandwiches, etc. It generally keeps in my fridge for a week.

3. Have fun designing your crudites platter.  This is a great project for the kids.  There are some great ideas on the internet ... and I'll post pictures of the ones we make from time to time.

Happy dipping!