Happy Friday and welcome to the closest day to the weekend you can get!  Whooo Hooo.  So as of late I have been trying to eat more salads in the middle of the day instead of sandwiches and other things for lunch.  Whether it is working on the waist line or not – we shall see!  Let’s just say I really do love salads but sometimes I get tired of the same ole dressings you see inside the fridge door so most of the time I just whip up my own.

It is nothing extravagant by any stretch just a simple vinaigrette.  Lately I have been obsessed with Balsamic Vinegar! I love it.  The tartness and the flavor in such a small amount is incredible.  Here is a simple salad I whipped up.

During the excitement of building the salad, I forgot to add the walnuts before snapping the pic…. my apologies

Ingredients

• Few handfuls of Leaf lettuce
• Grape Tomatoes
• Carrots
• Feta cheese
• Red peppers
• Cucumbers
• Toasted walnuts
• 1/3 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
• 1 Tsp. Dijon Mustard
• 1 Tsp. Garlic ( crushed)
• 3/4 Cup Olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper

Method

1. Chop and toss all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Over a medium dry saute pan, slowly roast the walnuts until toasted.
3. In liquid measure or small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.  I also like to use a mason jar to add it all in and throw the lid on and shake it up.
4. Dress the salad
5. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Dress your salads just before serving to avoid wilting of the greens and causing the salad to be soggy.  Also if you are adding nuts to the salad it is a nice idea to toast them before adding them to the salad for enhanced flavor.

So that is my salad!  No of course if you are interested in salads then the world is endless.  The varieties and possible ingredients go beyond what the mind can imagine.  If you want to participate in a Salad Challenge – go check this out.  RhodeyGirlTests is hosting a “I LOVE SALAD” Challenge.  I think I should check it out.

Question of the day: Favorite Dressing

What is your favorite dressing?  Does it depend on the greens, vegetables, or do you have a staple that you go to every time?

I am off for now but back again on Monday.  Zesty will be performing super dad duties all weekend as Mrs. Zesty is off for a girls weekend of running and shopping.  Have a great weekend.

Take care

zesty

This week has flown by thus far!  In a way it is good as the weekend is approaching but on the other side of the coin another week is gone and the house is not completed.  We are still shooting for early December but some people are looking at me funny when I mention that.

Remember back on Tuesday I shared with you a simple cranberry preserve?  Today I wanted to talk about another one of my favorite yet classic preserve – MUSTARD PICKLES.  These pickles are drop dead amazing if you like mustard pickles at all.  The tartness of the vinegar combined with the crunch of the cucumbers and the silkiness of the sauce = YUM.

This can be a  little bit of chopping project, however the cooking process is very quick and simple.  For me, mustard pickles are such an awesome addition to a meal.  Whether it is on the side or a roast chicken dinner, or in the bread of a nice hearty beef sandwich – I chalk this up as a must have preserve.

Ingredients

• 20 Cups Cucumbers
• 3 lbs. Onions
• 1 Cauliflower
• 1 Red pepper
• 1 Green pepper
• 7 Cups white sugar
• 2 Tbsp. tumeric
• 4 Tbsp. coarse salt
• 1 1/2 Cups flour
• 2 Tbsp. dry mustard
• 2 Tbsp. mustard seed
• 4 Cups vinegar

Method

1. In a large pot peel and cut up fine, cucumbers, onions, peppers and cauliflower.











2. Mix all dry ingredients together; add vinegar slowly, mix well.
3. Pour over vegetables and bring to a full boil.
4. Boil two minutes.
5. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and seal immediately.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: The pickles will thicken slightly after the cooking process is completed so do not be concerned if you think the mixture is too thin when you go to bottle.

Well I hope you enjoyed another preserve recipe.  It really is a big party of fall cooking.  This is such a popular preserve down here especially when the pickling cucumbers are out in full force – late summer, early fall.

Question of the day

Do you have a favorite pickle?

Have an awesome Thursday, before you know it the weekend will be here.

Take care

zesty