fat free opinions on a food centric life
I should call this the Monet salad. I’m teasing, of course, but whenever I see varying tones of green and purple with touches of blue, I think of French Impressionist Claude Monet’s most famous and recognizable series of paintings — Waterlilies.
I was hoping Mother Nature might take pity on us by wielding her mighty weather wand because October has arrived and with it, the promise of Fall. All things apples and pumpkins, steaming bowls of comforting soup to stave off a late afternoon chill …
We’ve enjoyed so many different great recipes this summer, I haven’t done a very good job of keeping it up when it comes to sharing them with you. What’s my excuse? Well. I’d say pull up a chair and allow me to share the photos of what we’ve been doing while enjoying the season to its fullest, but I’m out of wine and what fun is it to enjoy a slide show and chat without a beverage?
If you could have a sit with me out on the patio, you might convince me the late afternoon air is not nearly as hot as what most have to deal with — or remind me it’s most likely the humidity which is rarely as high as it’s been, especially at this time of year. And as we watch the color of the sunset turn the palms across the street a soft, glowing gold, we could plug in the party lights, light the votive candles in the jars on the table, and if you feel the slightest bit chilly, light the log I have in the chiminea, waiting for just this occasion.
We’d have to eat, of course, because good conversation flows more easily with food — as long as it’s good food. Our food is always good. Like this recipe for Fried Green Tomato Salad with Grilled Onions and Corn. I’ve never fried green tomatoes before, so when I saw them at the market thought it was about time. When I was growing up, my mother talked about eating fried green tomatoes — how her mother had made them. But we never had a vegetable garden, and I can imagine that if we did, picking tomatoes before they were ripe just might be some kind of a breach of garden etiquette.
If you’re still sweltering in the extended summer heat or humidity, then perhaps you’re like us — wanting to take in a lighter meal. One that won’t leave you wishing you hadn’t eaten all that food, but more a feeling of having had something tasty and satisfying.
Let’s say this salad has some bite, shall we? Oh, and because I made this more like I would for our family dinner — I wasn’t exact with many of the ingredients (just like my mother when she made dinner). Practice your estimation skills and you’ll be just fine.
Continue reading Fried Green Tomato Salad with Grilled Onions and Corn
I grew up loving my mother’s potato salad. It was a simple mixture of boiled and peeled russet potatoes she cut into cubes then added chopped onion, celery, hard boiled eggs, and pickles. The dressing wasn’t fancy — a generous dollop of mayonnaise mixed …
I have a page torn from the October 2010 issue of Cooking Light that has been in and around various rooms in our house. I see it most when I’m not interested in it, wedged between food magazines stacked at the end of the sofa, …