In my early twenties I used to wait tables at the Old Spaghetti Factory across the street from Pier 70 in downtown Seattle. It’s the type of family friendly restaurant where the energy is always high, flipping tables is a must, and the smell of spaghetti never washes out of your clothes. Most of the entrees are served as a budget-friendly three course meal. Free bread with garlic or plain butter, milk (tea, or coffee), side salad with your choice of dressing, entree, and a scoop of spumoni or vanilla ice cream for dessert. Back when I used to work there, all of this could be yours for under $10.
The most popular salad dressing choice was their creamy pesto dressing. Served on a bed of chopped iceberg lettuce and seasoned croutons, this salad dressing developed a cult-like following. People would come into the restaurant just to buy pints of this stuff! I used to spread it on bread, so good! [click to continue…]
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2011 has been a roller coaster of a year for my family and I, one I wish I could have stepped off of before the year began. The year started as a blur, my mind in a complete fog. We buried dad New Year’s Eve and the following months would prove to challenge me in unexpected ways which I’m still dealing with and slowly processing. Mom moved into our “cozy” home, a home my husband and I bought eleven years ago. When we bought this place it was a complete fixer, pink bathroom tile included. It was a seller’s housing market back then and even the dumpiest of homes commanded premium dollars. But we were newly married with a determined vision. Together, we would roll up our sleeves and work on remodeling our house one room every year as our budget allowed. The sweat equity would eventually pay off as years went by. All my cake decorating experience would serve me well when it came to smoothing out drywall puddy. As a contractor friend once told me, if you can frost a cake smooth, smoothing drywall will be a cinch for you.
Slowly but surely our ugly, dumpy home started to transform into something beautiful and permanent. We gutted rooms, opened up walls, designed our kitchen, and added finishing touches like crown molding throughout the house. The process in which our home turned into a butterfly from a lowly caterpillar has been a remarkable journey of perseverance and celebration. This has been the only home my three children have ever known and our plans were to stay here until they were old enough to move out on their own. But sometimes life circumstances have a pesky way of changing plans. [click to continue…]
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When reading Ina Garten’s new cookbook, Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?: Fabulous Recipes & Easy Tips, I was saddened to read in the headnote of her Watermelon and Arugula salad recipe (page 65) that she did not like the combination of watermelon and feta. Oh, how sad because I love the combination of watermelon and feta, and I love Ina Garten. But I am going to have to respectfully disagree with her on this one. The first time I tried the sweet and savory combination of juicy red watermelon with the salty soft flavor of the feta, I was hooked. I would never have though to pair these ingredients with each other yet they work harmoniously and not as strange as the Barefoot Contessa would have you to believe.
She has this wonderful salad recipe using watermelon, arugula, lemon juice, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. But my heart is totally devoted to watermelon and feta. And since we’re going with feta, I think adding a few slivers of red onion, a few other types of greens would make this the perfect light lunch for me today, wouldn’t you agree? [click to continue…]
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Happy Fourth of July weekend to you! I have a great recipe for you today. I am a huge fan of broccoli salads and I came up with my own variation using LOTS of bacon! I also added other elements of different textures and flavors.. savory, sweet, crunchy, chewy, and best of all – delicious! If you’re still wondering what to bring to your holiday potluck party, this is very simple to prepare and has that nostalgic flare everyone loves. It’s old school made new. [click to continue…]
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Today’s post is brought to you by… the practical side of me – which is pretty much is all of me. When I used to work at my uncle’s deli, one of my responsibilities was making chicken salad. Because the deli also sold fried chicken, I would use the leftover fried chicken, remove as much of the crispy outer shell, and use all the meat I could pull off the bones. Looking back, I can see what a valuable skill this was for me to learn.
Earlier this week my husband brought home some Ezell’s fried chicken and we had several pieces left over. Being the resourceful good girl that I am, I decided to make chicken salad the old school deli way. Keep in mind, this recipe is pretty simple, basic, and forgiving. You can use any type of cooked chicken you have on hand and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. [click to continue…]
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