Waldorf Salad

I make this salad all the time. I love the tartness of the apples with the creamy mayonnaise and crunch of the walnuts. The salad was invented in the late 1800's at the Waldorf Hotel in NYC. You can always add chicken if you want to have it for more of a main course.


1/2 C mayonnaise
1 T sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
3/4 C thinly sliced celery
1/2 C chopped walnuts (or pecans work fine)

Whisk the mayonnaise, sugar and salt together. Cut up the apples and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Add the celery and nuts and then combine with the mayonnaise mixture. Chill until you are ready to serve. Bon Appetit!

My Favorite Summertime Meal

While my sister and I were in Florida we ate an amazing Italian restaurant.

Our appetizer was a beautifully laid out plate of sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella

and arugula, topped with a balsamic reduction.

It was amazing.

Since returning I've been obsessed with that appetizer and make it a meal often.

I've got it perfected, with veggies from my garden and the grocery store.

Nothing beats fresh Mescalin, I happen to have it growing in my garden.

If you have a garden I recommend trying it.

You can use plain arugula or an herb mix of greens. I love fresh basil too.

Use whatever sounds good at the time. Generously drizzle it with a really good

balsamic glaze or reduction. You will find them by the vinegars in your store.

So...what will you put on your plate?

Avocado's? Nothing beats a perfectly ripe avocado.

Tomato? Fresh from the garden...yum.

Fresh mozzarella? If you haven't tried it, do. Find a "young" mozzarella that is soft and comes in water.

Fresh greens? Basil, mescalin mix, arugula, baby spinach. They will all be fantastic.

Bon Appetit!

Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

Anyone who knows me, knows I love Mexican food. The spicier the better.

This particular salad dressing can be heated up or down

depending on your particular taste.

It comes from a restaurant called "Cafe Rio" which is

wildly popular in my neck of the woods.

It is used as a salad dressing, but I think the list of it's uses is much longer.

Anything it touches is better for it!

Tonight this dressing will dress up the enchilada's that I made for dinner -

and later this week I'll squirt it on nachos, in place of sour cream.

The possibilities are endless!

Tomatillo Ranch Dressing:

1 Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Packet (make as per recipe) ***add milk after to thin to the desired consistency

2 tomatillos (tomato like veggie with a husk around them)

1 bunch of cilantro (the leafy part)

1 clove of garlic

Juice of 1 lime

1 jalapeno (use as much or as little as you like, include the seeds & membrane if you like it spicy!)

Remove the husk from the tomatillos, place in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Coarsely chop the cilantro leaves, add to tomatillos. Add remaining ingredients, including those to make the ranch dressing and blend until smooth.

Pour it on anything that suits you!

Bon Appetit!

Greek Couscous Salad

I love Middle Eastern food. My Dad loved it too, especially falafels. I don't actually make them since I can buy authentic ones that taste a whole lot better than I could ever come up with. I do, however, make couscous quite a bit. What is great about couscous, even though it is bland on it's own, there are so many combinations that can change the flavor and make it a new salad every time. Not to mention it is quick and easy.



To make the couscous:
Bring 1 1/4 C of water or broth to a boil. Add 1 C of couscous. Stir briefly and cover. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let it cool.

The dressing:
1/4 C olive oil
1 1/2 T balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
pinch of salt and pepper
Whisk and set aside

Chop and add into the cooled couscous:
1/2 C flat leaf parsley
1/2 C or so of feta cheese
1/2 C red/ and or yellow bell peppers
Kalamata olives, however many you like, optional

Toss with the dressing. I find it a little too much dressing for the amount of couscous, so toss with as much or little as you like. I use about 3/4 of it. Enjoy!