Bring Back Cheddar

Cheddar and Smoked Chicken Salad with Creamy Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette

It wasn’t until Cabot Creamery delivered a box of cheddar, that I decided to toss cheddar back into my salads. The only reason why I stopped, was because feta, parmesan or goat cheese also became a few of my favorite salad additions. As a kid, Dad used to effortlessly toss large garden salads of tomato wedges, crisp iceberg lettuce, chunky carrot slices and thick, sliced cucumbers with cheddar chunks thrown into the bowl. Other people made similar salads with cubes of meat. Dad also introduced to us to salads made with greens grown from our backyard garden. When most people were eating sweet iceberg, we were munching on delicate, bitter greens: the type of pre-washed greens most people currently buy. Today’s salads are nuanced plates with artfully arranged vegetables.

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Mazao Fruit Salad with Cultured Whipped Cream

Mazao Fruit Salad with Cultured Whipped Cream

Happy Kwanzaa! Your table is set up with the a kinara. It’s surrounded by lush mazao, fruit symbolizing the reward of productive and collective labor from the harvest. The bananas, oranges, pineapples, mangoes, kiwi, grapes, papaya and other fruit ripens each day during the week of Kwanzaa. As pretty as the fruit looks, a fresh fruit salad needs to be made.  Read more

Parade.com: Broccoli and Pear Salad with Ginger Yogurt Vinaigrette

Broccoli and Pear Salad with Ginger Yogurt Vinaigrette

After a few years, it finally caught me. A type of cold that makes your muscles ache, gives knock-out headaches, and a non-stop running nose. There’s only so much chicken soup, orange juice and ginger tea I can take until my body starts feeling better. In between all the bland and mushy food, here’s a crunchy salad with sweet pears, lightly steamed cold-fighting broccoli and toasted almonds. Drizzle the spicy and immune building Ginger Yogurt Vinaigrette over the salad to finish this dish. With plenty of sleep and more good eating, I can’t wait to finally end this cold and (hopefully) escape it for a few more years.  Read more

A Super Bowl Menu with Roast Red Pepper Chili Buffalo Wings and Blue Cheese Yogurt Dip

Roast Red Pepper Chili Buffalo Wings marinated in Beer

The commercials, half-time shows and spending time with friends are a few reasons why I like Super Bowl weekends. With the sport’s masculine influence, most menus are quick, gooey, greasy and salty. Here are a few vintage recipes ideas to serve at your Super Bowl party, including a new recipe for Roast Red Pepper Chili Buffalo Wings. Read more