I have accomplished a few things which bring me pride.  I completed an MBA degree.  I gave birth three times.  I passed the security license exams.  I achieved a 3.5 USTA tennis ranking.  And, I created this goofy blog.  None of these were easy – some came close to killing me!  Despite these achievements, many of my friends and family think my best skill is making a great salad.  Really???

Please do not think I am snobby or ungrateful.  But being known for great salad making is like being known for great bunco or bingo playing.  NO SKILL REQUIRED.  Salad making is the same – no skill and all confidence and finesse.  When I bring a salad to a party and someone asks me for the recipe, it blows my mind!  Salad is not chocolate soufflé or apple strudel that takes a fine-tuned recipe and years of experience to perfect.  Salad is a “throw whatever you have in the fridge” kind of thing.

A memorable salad, like the one in the picture above, follows the general rules for making an interesting and tasty salad.  Remember these steps and you will never need a recipe, and you will be a great salad maker, too.

1. Start with a good base of greens.  I admit I am a lettuce snob and never buy bagged lettuce.  But that is because I am cheap.  Fresh lettuce lasts longer in the fridge and tastes better.  I love romaine, red and green leaf, boston, and bibb lettuce.  I tend to mix the lettuce with baby spinach or arugula.  Rinse salad greens in cold water, shake well to dry as much as you can, and cut with a knife.  So easy!
2. Pick one or two (or many) vegetables.  Peppers, cucumbers, avocado, celery, onion,  tomato, carrots, beets, mushrooms and olives are usually my top choices.
3. Pick a fruit.  Yes!  Half of my salads contain a fruit.  Berries, grapes, apples, pears, nectarines and peaches are great fresh choices when in season.  Cherries, cranberries, dates, and raisins are good dried choices.  I love the touch of sweetness in my salad.
4. Pick a nut.  Who does not like nuts?  Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pine, cashews, and pistachios regularly make an appearance in my salads.  Nuts add richness.
5. Pick a cheese.  All my salads are sprinkled with grated cheese.  Feta, blue, Swiss, cheddar, parmesan, goat…..  They are all great!
6. A little salt and ground pepper.

The salad in the photo above is one of my favorites.  Peaches, avocado, walnut, corn, and feta cheese.   As you make more salads, you will gain the confidence to just browse the fridge and throw it in.  Add chicken, steak, shrimp, tuna, egg, or salmon and you have a light meal.  Have you ever really had a terrible salad?  Probably not.  You just had a boring one.

Finally – the dressing.  Easy as the salad.  There are some awesome bottled salad dressings.  I buy them when they are on sale.  But I always can make a great dressing with these four ingredients.  1/2 cup olive oil.  1/4 cup red wine vinegar,  tablespoon of Dijon mustard, a tablespoon of honey.  Whisk.  Voila!

Here are my favorite salad topping combinations to help you get started.

• Classic American:  cucumber, pepper, tomato, bacon, cheddar cheese, walnuts.
• Winter:  apples, pears, dried cranberries, Swiss, and cashews
• Greek:  cucumber, peppers, red onion, tomato, black olives, feta cheese, and garlic
• Asian:  mandarin orange, red pepper, carrot, purple cabbage, green onion, almonds
• Tex Mex:  black beans, corn, avocado, red pepper, cilantro, tomatoes, feta
• My favorite: beets, red onion, dried cherries, blue cheese, walnuts

The combinations of great salad toppings are endless.  A recipe is not really needed.  You can browse the internet for ideas.  Do not ditch a salad just because you are missing one ingredient.  I promise, no one will notice.  In fact, my husband has been asking me for a “simple” salad lately.  What is that?  Lettuce, tomato, and feta.  Or lettuce, blueberries, blue cheese and pecans.  Two or three topping is sometimes all you need!

How do you elevate a salad?  Add a few of the following – seeds, chopped herbs, homemade croutons, tiny pasta, capers, or meats like salami and prosciutto.  Also, try flavored olive oils and vinaigrettes.  Fun!  Fun!  Fun!

I really do love salads. They are the pearl earrings to any meal, if not the meal itself!  I would love to hear your favorite salad combination!

Photo: Matthew Benson and Salad: Cara Mangini

Some pearls come into my life kicking and screaming.  This is one of them.  With a looming snowstorm, I am taking no chances of being without food.  I go grocery shopping.  Heck, if I am going to be stuck in the house, there will be some goodies!  I have time for one store.  I choose Mariano’s.  It is my favorite grocery store and it has the most treats!

I know they have chicken on sale, and I plan on making chili.  Other than that, it is a treasure hunt.  Boom!  Bakery first.  I browse.  I’m looking for healthy.  I try to muster extreme self-control.  I fail.

Staring me in the face is a beautiful Pecan Praline Peach Pie.  I am taken a little aback.  Peaches are out of season.  But damn, this pie looks good!  Not only is the pie thick with peaches, the top crust is a blanket for praline pecans.  My mind is spinning!

The price of the pie is $9.99 – not on sale.  But jeez, I cannot make that pie for ten bucks!  That is my rationale, at least.  In the cart it goes.  While I am walking around the store, my good angel is telling me to put the pie back.  Ah, what does she know?  I may be locked in the house for a week!  It’s a good deal!  My husband will help me eat it!  Yadda, yadda, yadda.  My mind is still spinning.  The pie comes home!

Please, Lord, let this pie be worth all this mental torture – and all the calories.

A large piece of pie comes out of the tin perfectly.  I add a swirl of whip cream.  Again, the pie is deep and filled high with sweet and ripe peaches.  The crust is perfection.  Flaky, buttery – the kind you eat the whole thing without leaving the end crust.  The pecans are like candied jewels.  Just enough to make the pie special, and make me moan while I am eating it.

No surprise – I recommend this pie!  It is worth it!  It is a fine pearl to find in February during a blustery snowstorm.  It took me back to August, at the beach, on a picnic – for at least five minutes!  Thank you, Mariano’s!  Sorry, good angel – better luck next time!

My kids call me “Big Mike.”  I will let you guess the origin of that term of endearment!   I do not mind.  I was born loving food and I am proud.  My mom was an amazing cook and dessert maker.  She grocery shopped and made food everyday.  Everyday.  I had no idea how blessed I was until I had a family to feed.  Now here I am – showing my love with food.  I do get a buzz when my boys swoon over something I make.  THIS DESSERT IS A SWOON MASTER!  It comes from Paula Deen.

This recipe is good for a potluck or a holiday.  It makes 20 servings.  It is very, very rich so most people take one square at a time.  Warning – this recipe is getting around.  Buy the Pepperidge Farm’s Chessman cookies a few days in advance of a holiday.  They run out fast and there is no good substitute.  The result is so pretty!  I use a 9 x 13 glass Pyrex dish.  Four cookies across and five cookies down – so you can map it out.  I tweaked a few things to fit my preferences, but you should  start with the original recipe first.

Hey, try this for Easter!  I bet this becomes one of your signature dishes – as it has become one of mine.  Good thing it is an easy pearl!

Here is the link with a video!

Not Yo’ Mama’s Banana Pudding

I bet you all knew this was coming!  It is no secret that I am a huge fan of Thayer Brothers Deli  on six corners, in Joliet, Illinois.  To bring you up to speed, the beautiful older woman, who will greet you when you arrive, is Mrs. Anne Thayer.  She is my aunt – my late mom’s sister.  I grew up calling her “Aunt Anna Mae.”  The owner is my cousin, Rick Thayer – more like a brother to me – and always “Ricky.”  So yes, I am biased.  But, hand to God, the food is so good and will take you back in time.

Eating at Thayer Brothers, with Aunt Anna Mae sitting next to me, has been a gift from heaven.  Since my mom passed away, my aunt has been my surrogate mother.  When I talk to Anna Mae, I see my mom in her eyes and experience my mom in her mannerisms.  When I ask her advice, I am confident it will be exactly what my mom would say.  Anna Mae encourages me to keep my strong faith in God, just like my mom.  Funny thing, she adores my husband, John, just like my mom did!  You see, going to Thayer Brothers is like sitting in my mom’s kitchen – including the homemade food!

Back to the food.  The daily soup and specials are made by my aunt each day.  Stuffed cabbage rolls, stuffed peppers, meatloaf, lasagna, pork chops, salmon, white fish, and more, make appearances on the specials menu often. Fridays are special because the menu includes cod fish dinners – perfect during Lent!  The soup is a must starter to your meal.  Soups are homemade, rich with ingredients and a complex broth.  I love soup in the winter and even love it in the summer!

The menu items are awesome, too.  The poorboy is a real steak tenderized in the kitchen.  The beef sandwich is stellar.  The hamburgers are hand-formed and made to order.  Nachos, onion rings, and fries are hand-cut.  The Reuben sandwich will be authentic with sauerkraut and Russian dressing on Milano marble rye bread.  Pasta salad and coleslaw garnish your plate – these are homemade too!

Follow Thayer Brothers Deli on Facebook.  You will be able to see the posted daily specials.  This is the link:  https://www.facebook.com/thayerbrothers.deli

When you do go, pull up a chair for Mrs. Thayer and tell her how you know me.  She will love it!  She will visit with you like she was your aunt.  That is the secret of Thayer Brothers.  The food is outstanding, and the warmth you will receive by the owners, and the warmth you will create yourself by supporting a local family, will make it a pearl experience!

Love you, mom.

How can something so rich be so easy to make?  Alright!  Quiet!  I know Alfredo is a million calories and  practically a heart stopper!  I only lovingly make Alfredo TWICE a year.  I also make it as a side dish and pair it with something light, like chicken breast, salmon, or a butterfly pork chop. A simple vinaigrette salad, and, as Dean Martin croons – “That’s Amore!”  When I make Alfredo, my boys think I am a Venus of the kitchen. Their love pours out and I drink it in like a fine chianti.

Decadent Alfredo Sauce

• One stick of butter
• 8 oz. brick of softened cream cheese
• One quart of Half and Half
• 8 oz. of good parmesan cheese
• garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

The trick to this recipe is a nice, large saucepan with a heavy bottom and a whisk.

On medium heat, melt butter with the garlic.  The garlic can be fresh, in the tube or jar, or even powder.  I would use a tablespoon of crushed garlic or a teaspoon of powder.  Add the cream cheese and keep whisking until the butter and cream cheese mix and start to gently bubble.  Add the half and half a quarter at a time while whisking the whole time.  This will become a nice sauce that should also start to gently bubble.  Add the parmesan cheese and whisk until it is melted and smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Fold in your cooked al dente pasta of choice right into the saucepan.  My favorite pasta is  Barilla Protein Pasta in farfalle or angel hair.  Garnish with a sprinkle of parmesan and/or fresh chopped parsley.

I hope you find the right opportunity to try this recipe.  Maybe Valentine’s Day!  When used as a side dish with a delicate meat or seafood and a simple salad, the richness is moderated.  But really, who cares!  It is a special-occasion dish and I know the love for you will flow if you make this!

Salute!

My best friend, Karen, lives in Burlingame, near San Francisco.  I am blessed to be able to visit her yearly.  Each trip to  San Francisco succeeds at introducing me to something new.  This was the year of Poke!  Karen tells me that Poke, pronounced “POH-keh,”   restaurants have been popping up everywhere. Each community by her seems to have at least two locations.  To me, Poke tastes like precious sushi in a bowl, customized to each person’s preference.  It is heaven in a dish – food of the gods.  Each day on my visit, I craved Poke.

What exactly is Poke

While Poke may seem like a new food trend, it has been a mainstay in Hawaii for centuries.  The bowl starts with a base – either jasmine rice or lettuce greens.  Next you choose a protein – usually tuna, salmon, or shrimp.  Next comes the toppings of your choosing.  In Burlingame, you picked toppings out like you were in line at a Subway restaurant.  To me, the more the better!  The final step is a choice of sauces.

The poke bowl in the picture?

That lovely Poke bowl above was my order at OTOBO Sushi Bar and Restaurant near me in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Yep, that’s right.  A beautiful Poke bowl in the south Chicago suburbs!  My Poke bowl consisted of sushi rice, ahi tuna,  avocado, mango, shiitake, seaweed salad, edamame, sweet potato crunchy and creamy ginger sauce.  Price is $12.

It is my prediction that Poke will continue to spread its Hawaiian loveliness everywhere.  Poke is healthy, and it is as addictive as crack cocaine.  Hope you try it soon!