As I write this the rain is coming down outside and the
forecast doesn’t show it stopping until late this evening. It looks like a long
day of bored kids and rambunctious cooped up dogs. I have to admit it doesn’t
have me feeling happy feelings for Fall but, I am proud of myself to say that I
have remained optimistic about Fall this year. The sunshine we’ve had has
helped and, of course, as it does for so many, the emergence of pumpkin spice coffee
creamer alleviated sadness of saying goodbye to summer.
We have been in a weekend morning pancake rut for a few
weeks now. The girls probably wouldn’t describe it as a rut. They love pancakes.
All kinds of pancakes. Chocolate chip, blueberry, with syrup, without syrup –
it really doesn’t matter to them. Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t dislike
pancakes. I just dislike making them every single weekend morning. It gets
boring. Even turning them into waffles isn’t a thrill anymore.
I have a special place in my heart for the strawberry summer
salad that my mom makes. It’s the dressing that really gets me. It’s sugary
sweet and full of vinegar. Just the way I like it. But, you can’t really call
it all that healthy. Well, an elf could but not a human. So, I began my quest
for new summer food looking for a salad dressing that I would love just as much
but would be on the more acceptable side of healthy.
After some thought, it hit me. What better flavor for summer than poppy seed? It took quite a few tries, but finally, it all came together. My excitement was probably disproportionate to the accomplishment, but, come on, a good poppy seed salad dressing is something to excited about!
It is also something that you can make ahead of time and bring for a work lunch, but, I should warn you, this dressing won’t last more than a couple of days. After that, the Greek yogurt and vinegar cease to get along. It’s very sad.
So, enjoy the happier times when all ingredients are getting along swimmingly (they truly do like each other). The dressing is the perfect summer salad dressing and goes well with any variation of chicken and spinach. The only thing it may not be is all that much healthier than my other favorite salad dressing. Maybe if you skipped the heavy cream, but why do that?
Add Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar and mix well. Note: Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar can be added to taste. Play around with these for slightly different flavors 🙂
For our NHN family dinner this June, I decided to try something daring. Something bold. Something replicated. It’s one thing to try a new recipe, but it’s another thing to devise a recipe that is supposed to taste like something you’ve already had. Chances are you’ll be let down.
Each Christmas morning we have fresh berries with homemade whipped cream. A little treat that makes a sweet morning even sweeter. Of course, there is always more heavy cream left over than the three of us could eat, which leaves me with the task of deciding what to make with it. Last year we used it to make the cream sauce for our lobster dish. This year, we decided to just make more whipped cream. Yum!
