Spring Salad Dressing

Whether you're a fan of Martha Stewart or not, I think she deserves credit for making food from scratch with fresh ingredients. I know it's easy to purchase salad dressing, but I think it tastes so much better homemade. And it really is easy. 

One of my new favorite creations uses:

1/2 lemon (Meyers if you have one)

1/4 cup good olive oil (Cecchetti)

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon dried Tarragon

1 Tablespoon Sierra Nevada Stout & Stoneground Mustard

1 garlic clove

1/4-1/2 teaspoon Omnivore salt

Place in glass Kerr mason jar and using  a Cuisinart Smart Stick whip until smooth and garlic is minced fine or place in blender for same effect. Serves on washed greens with a handful of fresh berries or an orange. Bon appetite!

Hippity Hop...Easter is on its way....

Goodness! This bunny isn't ready for April and Easter. I don't consider myself very crafty, but I do love coloring eggs for Easter - and deviled eggs and egg salad.

Here's what you'll need to do these stenciled eggs inspired by Spring:

• Pantyhose and/or knee highs. Fishnets are awesome and make a beautiful pattern
• Rubber bands
• Leaves, flowers from the yard, onion skins
• Blueberries
• Turmeric
• cranberries, beets
• Tea bags and coffee grinds
• Assorted food color for egg dies - by adding you'll get better color intensity
• White vinegar
• 1-2 dozen white shelled eggs
• 3-4 cooking pots 

Wrap each uncooked egg with some leaves and/or flowers or onion skins directly on the shell with pantyhose and make sure hose are tight/firmly around egg and secured with rubber band. Use one or two bands depending on how you've cut up the pantyhose.

It is especially fun to send kids into the yard to find plant material to use - be specific in your directions. No non-edible or poisonous plant material. Geraniums, nasturtiums, roses, etc. all work well and are edible.

Each pot is for a separate color - put 1-2 tablespoons turmeric in one pot for yellow eggs, coffee and tea bags in another for brown, mashed blueberries in another pot for blue, cranberries and beets for red. Add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to each pot plus uncooked, pantyhose covered eggs and enough water to cover the eggs. Slowly bring to a boil, Simmer the eggs in the pot until they have reached the desired color. I error on overcooking since I will be eating the eggs later. 

Let the eggs cool in the pot to intensify the color plus I add a few drops of food coloring to help mother nature.

Gently unwrap eggs and continue to cool in egg container. And enjoy the beauty! Look what you've created! 

The beauties in these photos are thanks to my niece, Gabi, and nephew, Alex. It was a team endeavor.

Wine, words & crudite

My book club met on Sunday. It's wine and words thanks to our founder, April, and her brilliant idea to make this a ladies night/day out quarterly event. We also have food to go along with our discussion and everyone brings either wine or something to nosh to help the hostess. 

We read The Language of Flowers this time and started our discussion at Filoli Gardens nearby. We concluded at my house for afternoon tea and champagne. I made a Barefoot Contessa vegi dip that I've made some modifications to.

Here's what you'll need:

• Food Processor
• 1-2 cleaned cloves of garlic
• 8 ounces of cream cheese at room temp
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 3-5 washed green onion with ends trimmed
• 1/2 bunch cilantro or flat leaf parsley
• 1 Tablespoon fresh dill or 1-2 teaspoons dried dill
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or I use Omnivore salt with organic spices. It's worth it!)
• 1/4-1/2 ground pepper

Place garlic cloves in food processor and puree using steel blade. Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth. This can be refrigerated for up to 1-2 weeks. I've even added water to it to use as salad dressing.

Serve with:

• watermelon radishes
• carrots
• sugar snap peas
• red bell peppers
• jicama

Think lots of color when you choose your veggies for dipping

Bon Appetite!