My grandmother used to have a house dress, house hair, and house shoes.  She made no apologies for boiling her fresh vegetables half way to kingdom come.  She sat with her Bible at every spare moment.

I… well, I have a house sweater.  It’s big and grey with floppy sleeves and giant buttons.  It’s just a house sweater, unless of course I decide that it can handle a quick trip to the store or a quick meet with a friend.  It really should stay in the house, as beat up and unattractive as it is… but sometimes it’s just too warm and cozy to part with.  I don’t even want to talk about introducing the house sweater to someone that you’re dating.  That’s a whole other beast to tackle.

My grandmother would support my house sweater.  She’d nod in quiet understanding.  She’d also love that I have her Bible on my nightstand, and I read and reread all the bits she underlined in red pen.  This salad?  She would not understand.  It’s entirely too fresh and crisp and… unboiled.  I suppose that’s the difference between her Tennessee blood and my California living.

Blood oranges are here and I couldn’t be happier.  Every orange is different.  The red tinting can be subtle or totally bonkers.  Beauty fruit.  I’m so into it!

I combined sweet blood oranges with creamy avocado, salty feta cheese, and crunchy sunflower seeds.

Spinach too.  Fully of flavor and health.  On the real.

This is the sort of salad that you can eat and feel like you’re indulging in a good life.  Not like you’re on a diet.  Not like you’re depriving yourself of peanut butter cups.  This salad is a treat in itself… and totally justify peanut butter cups for dessert.

This salad was inspired by a really lovely book.  Tender by Nigel Slater.  It’s like an encyclopedia for vegetables with gorgeous, simple, indulgent recipes for each vegetable.  I love the photographs and recipe lay outs.  Very laid back and personal, but beautifully intentional.  The man knows has a gorgeous respect for food.

Thanks sister!  Major gift!

This recipe is in paragraph form… that means take it easy and enjoy the process.  Just go with it.  Don’t have feta cheese?  Try goat cheese crumbles.  No sunflower seeds?  Toasted walnuts would be lovely.  No blood oranges?  Grapefruit is the way to go!

Note:  It’s past midnight… and I’ve lost my mind raiding my chocolate drawer.

Second Note:  I have a chocolate drawer… it’s an occupational perk and hazard.

Third Note:  I used to have a chocolate drawer.  Just wrappers now.

Fourth Note:  Why does Kim Kardashian insist on making such a joke of her life?  It must be the money.  Right?  It’s gotta be the money.

… and now!  SALAD.

I know what you want.

It’s not Brussels Sprouts.

I know what you want… because what you want is what I want.

You want chocolate.  I know this because I’m eating chocolate, kinda right now.

Seriously though…  we have to play it cool.  We have to sit at the table until we finish our vegetables.

There’s salted caramel in our future.  There’s fried things.  There’s cocktails.  There’s all the buttery things you would expect from me.

Eyes on the prize.  Let’s just hush up and eat our pretty salad.

If we’re going to eat a salad, I insist that it be pretty and jeweled.

This is fennel.  It’s licorice crunch.

Sexy, jeweled, murder fruit.

Pomegranates are gorgeous… and they stain EVERYTHING.

Thinly sliced apples and slivered almonds.

YEA!  In a salad!

All of this goodness gets tossed with shaved, raw Brussels sprouts.  This salad was inspired by Cube restaurant in Los Angeles.  I think this preparation of Fall Brussels sprouts is divine, fresh, and super healthy.

I tossed this salad with fresh lemon juice, good olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Very simple.

Perhaps you want to try a Poppy Seed Vinaigrette, or a Green Goddess Dressing.

Eat up.  Prepare yourself for the caramel and cheesecake that’s about to happen here.

Apple Pomegranate Brussels Sprout Salad

makes 4 small or 2 large portions

inspired by Cube restaurant in Los Angeles

Print this Recipe!

about 1 pound of Brussels sprouts (I used about 20 sprouts)

1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

1 small fennel bulb, sliced very thin

1 Fuji apple, sliced thin

handful of toasted slivered almonds

salt and pepper

lemon and olive oil

Rinse brussels sprouts of any dirt or grime.  Place on a cutting board horizontally, and slice thinny, creating little brussels sprout rounds and ribbons.  Place in a large bowl and set aside.

Wearing an apron, deseed pomegranate and gather about 1/2 cup of seeds.  Add to the brussels sprout bowl.

Add thinly sliced fennel and apple, as well as the slivered almonds.  Toss together using hands.  Add the juice of 1 lemon, a good drizzle of olive oil, and a healthy pinch of salt and coarsely ground pepper.  Toss together, let rest for about 20 minutes in the fridge so the lemon can slightly soften the sprouts.

Serve in generous portions.  Top with more pomegranates if you’re feeling fancy.  I’m always feeling fancy.[/printab

New Podcast is ready for your ears!  The Grass is Always Greener.  Dudes… it’s a good one!

I meant to make cake.  I meant to make whipped cream.  I meant to buy fresh raspberries.  I mean to smash the three things together into a large bowl and eat it all… and then I made salad.

Don’t yell.  We can not survive on doughnuts alone.

Let me tell you a little something about me… I do this weird thing wherein I eat one thing, all day.  That’s not to say that I eat one carrot all day.  No.  I eat carrots, and only carrots all day.  I don’t know why I do this.  Welcome to crazybrain.

So!  A few days ago when I made doughnuts…. I ate doughnuts all day.  Doughnuts and lime popsicles… because I was thirsty.  Clearly something is wrong with me.

I tell you all of this because it’s important you understand that salad is a good thing around these parts.  A salad recipe means that I’m eating salad all day. My thighs like those days.

Know what makes salad tolerable?  Doughnuts.

No… stop that.  Caramelized onions.

I’m pretty sure that caramelizing onions with a touch of balsamic vinegar is just like turning onions into candy.

Do you know what farro is?  It’s one of my favorites.  Farro is a type of wheat.  It’s boiled in salted water like pasta, then drained.  When cooked it’s puffed and tender, with a hint of al dente crunch.  I love this grain.  Hearty, wholesome and delicious.

I found farro is the bulk section at Whole Foods, but you can also order it online here.

It’s one of my favorite grains.  It’s popular in Italy.  Let’s make it popular here.

Oh!  If you’re not into farro, why not try Israeli Couscous?

Secret:  roasting cherry tomatoes on the vine makes them instantly more fancy and cool.

It is our mission in life to be fancy and cool.  Duh.

Yummy candy onions, fancy roasted tomatoes, hearty farro and fresh parsley.

Yes,  I put parsley in every savory dish I make.  It’s my thing.  It makes me feel chef-y.  It’s like Rachel Ray calling extra virgin olive oil EVOO.  Just give me this parsley thing and we’ll call it even.

Oh.  Ps.  Put fresh grated Parmesan Cheese on this salad.  It is a wonderful suggestion from me to you.

I made a thing that tastes like another thing…

Salad that tastes like chips.

Wait… would anyone sign up for chips that taste like salad?

No.

Wait…. Cobb Salad chips?  Yes.  How can we make this happen?

Ok.  I’m totally distracted.  I need to tell you about potato salad before the summer slips away.

This salad is special.  There’s pickling and beans involved.

This salad is exactly 48 times more delicious than it is photogenic.  It is salty, bright, crunchy, and tangy.

There are two extremely important ingredients in this salad.  Pickled onions and Old Bay Seasoning.

Thinly sliced red onions are combined with salt and cider vinegar and left to pickle for about an hour.

This simple action really softens the flavor of the onions.  Like… tremendous.  It’s such an amazing trick.

I found myself sneaking bites of raw onion a they were pickling.   Raw onion.  And I’m totally not an onion person.

Trust me… this is delicious.

As far as the Old Bay Seasoning goes….  do not skip this important and wonderfully tangy ingredient.   It’s my new perfume, face scrub and shampoo.  Leave me alone.

I’m slightly confused by vacations.
So I’m supposed to get on a plane, go to a place, wear a bathing suit, and… not blog?
That’s strange. That’s confusing. That makes me uncomfortable.
I’m not good at vacation. I can’t be the only one.

I threw together this super easy lunch salad before I left.
It’s healthful! We’ve got fruit, bean protein, and great grains.
I was thinking about bikinis when I made this.
As soon as I get back, I’ll be thinking about butter again. Promise.


I used millet and quinoa to make this salad magic.
Quinoa is one of my favorite grains. Super hearty. Super healthy. Wonderfully filling.
Millet you might know as bird seed. Yea. True. Birds have the right idea because this stuff is the business! Healthy, filling, good!

Feel free to use any combination of grains you like. Maybe farro? Maybe brown rice? Maybe couscous? Think it up and make it happen!

You know those mornings when you:

wake up in a panic because you forgot to send an important email…

and wait!  you only slept five hours!  where did all of these zits come from!?  like… seriously.

and the coffee line is surprisingly short, but you spill coffee on your shoes because you’re an absolute bonehead.

and technology is confusing.

but cookies are totally not confusing so you eat like, thirty of them.

and it would be awesome if you could just stay home and hide from things… but the world keeps on spinning… and you keep spilling things… and emails keep coming… and seriously with the text messages!?

You know those days?

when work feels suffocating.  and it’s 4 o’clock in the afternoon, and you’re still trying to pull something out of your day.  well… something besides cookies.

I had that day yesterday.  I just couldn’t turn things right.  It was like slow motion falling, all day long.

It’s ok.  It really is.  Some days are just funktown.

What turns around these days?

Buying your best friend cupcakes for her birthday.  Yes.  Buying!!!  I already told you it was a rough day!  Geez!  Sometimes bakers buy cupcakes.  That’s real life!

Buy cupcakes.  Light candles.  Pet a fluffy sweet dog named Willy.  Sing Happy Birthday to Miss (dirty 30) Whitney.

Doing nice things for other people totally helps me out of a funky day funk.  It feels good.  Making other people happy is the best distraction there is!  Truly.

Buy cupcakes if you have to.  Eat cookies if things get weird.  Do good things for other people.  Also… try couscous for lunch.  It’ll totally counteract all of the cookies you ate for breakfast, and the cupcakes you’re about to eat after pizzadinner.  Pizzadinner is totally a word.

Israeli couscous is a toasted pasta shaped like little balls.  It’s different from traditional couscous, in that it’s much larger, really holds it’s shape, and doesn’t clump together.  Tiny pasta balls.  Like tapioca, but more pasta-y.

I love to turn this couscous into a salad.

I had a theme this go-round.  I wanted everything to be green.

Snap peas.  Raw.  Sliced.  Crisp.  Pretty.

Maybe you want to try asparagus?  Go for it!!

Green onions and green parsley.  I’m really into parsley.

Maybe you want to try basil and oregano?  Heck yes!

Big chunks of cucumber too!

What?  You want to use roasted zucchini!?  Why didn’t I think of that?

And lemon.  Lemon should go into everything.

I toss it all together with lemon juice and olive oil.  Salt and coarse pepper for days.

Feta cheese too… because come on!  Don’t be dumb.

I thought toasted pistachios were a nice touch too.  They’re green.  I love a theme.

Feel free to play around with the ingredients.

This is just a simple little ditty for a ditty of a day.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve had for dinner?

Tonight I had:

Mung beans tossed in butter, salt, and pepper.  Mung beans.  Yea… not ideal.

Frozen corn, made unfrozen in boiling water… tossed with butter, salt, and pepper.

A flour tortilla… while standing over my desk, looking glossy-eyed at my massive to-do list.

A sprig of parsley.  I dunno.  Because it was green and there on the counter.

Water from my water bottle… followed by a hearty slug of bourbon, poured over tiny ice cubes.

… I’m also really bad at re-filling the ice tray.  Future husband, I’m sorry.  I love you.  I hope you hate ice.

And, for dessert, a frozen chocolate cupcake.  I’m about 7 seconds away from going to grab another cupcake from the freezer.  Believe that.

This is what I eat when left to my own devices.  Clearly, I should not be left alone.  I’m not sure how much longer I can survive like this… I’m a complete weirdo.  Someone hold my hand and make me cook you dinner… that’s the only way I eat like a regular person.

These avocados?  See how nicely sliced they are?  This is the sign that I’m cooking for others, and not just standing in my kitchen eating tortillas.

I like fruit in my salad.  I especially like citrus.  I super especially like citrus if it’s sliced all fancylike.

Segmented.  Totally classy, right?

Oranges are easy to segment.  Once the peel is stripped, you just have to slice in between the natural orange segment markers/ skin bits/ pith marks… what the word I’m looking for?

I made dressing too!

The dressing is inspired by my favorite mason jar/ good olive oil/ fresh cracked pepper/ and Tracy’s mom.

Salad dressing.  Shaken.  It’s cathartic.   Cats pay no attention.

But wait!  Are my hands starting to look suspiciously 30 years old?  Don’t answer that.  (Yea… they kinda are) ((Don’t agree with that… thanks)).

This salad is simple, bright, and completely adaptable.  Try grapefruit instead of orange segments.  Peaches?  Yes.  Strawberries?  Ok!

Arugula instead of Romaine?  Do that?  Did you say spinach?  I like the way you think.

It’s salad.  No biggie.  Make it your own… then serve it to others.

I’d also like to distract you with the crazy delicious bread I made to go along with this salad.  It has strawberries on it, and I can’t wait to tell you about it on Wednesday.

Look at this spread!  Wine and bourbon and bread and such.

I made you a bowl of greens.

Eat this while I eat some french fries and cake balls.

A few weeks ago I made a SANDWICH inspired by Green Goddess Dressing.

What I didn’t tell you about that sandwich was that it was just an excuse to buy soft, white, sandwich bread so I could make myself late night cinnamon-sugar toast.

Uh-huh.

But!  It turns out that the sandwich inspired me to make the real-deal dressing.

And the dressing inspired me to make this real-deal mess in my kitchen.

(This) Green Goddess Dressing is:

Creamy, tangy, thick, packed with spinach, fresh tarragon, fresh basil, scallions, parsley, mint and mustard.  Lemon too.  It’s thick and delicious.  It’s good for you.  It’s a really great alternative to ranch dressing.  It’s lower in fat and has spinach in it.  I don’t feel nearly as bad about chugging this dressing.

Chugging.

I tossed this gorgeous dressing on home grown lettuce.  Fresh clipped lettuce.  Lettuce that came from the dirt behind my house.

I, however, did not grow this lettuce.  I have a black thumb.  Not a green thumb.  I have a thumb for making cookies, not for growing green things.

I exchange fresh lettuce for fresh biscuits and slices of cake.

David is a great neighbor and master gardener.  He also talks to my cat through the screen.  My cat talks back.  I like this.

If you don’t like salad, maybe you’re the kind of person that likes COOKIES.  You probably are.  You look like a cookie person.

No?  You want a FRUIT CRUMBLE!?  Fine then.  Geez.  Chill out.

No?  You want a KITTEN?  Come and take him.  We’ll have to arm wrestle for him though… and I totally cheat. So.  Yea.  Let’s do it.

I left my house.  Small miracle.

I wore a cute dress.  Purely accidental.

I left my house with salad in my car to have dinner with food blog friends.   There was gin.  Win.

Dinner with food blog friends includes laughs, several layers of flatware, boiling pots, large bowls to toss salads, lemon zest, wine… lots of wine, cameras… lots of cameras, and full bellies. So freaking full.

Andy, Nathan, Greg, Melba and Kim were the reason I shredded raw Brussels sprouts, put on a dress, and left my house.  The dinner theme:  Inspiration.

Twinkles.  Sparkles.  Smiles.  Doves flying over head… you get the idea.

My salad was the first of three glorious courses.  My inspiration:  Andy’s big, green blog.

If you don’t know Andy’s blog… it’s full of surprises.  He has a knack for seasonal food, with a twist.

I thought a raw Brussels Sprout Salad with tropical fruit, roasted nuts and a Pineapple Poppy Seed Vinaigrette, was just weirdo enough to live up to Andy’s work.

You should also know that I use fresh pineapple.  Canned pineapple would probably do, but there is something special about the bold brightness of fresh pineapple.  They sell fresh pineapple pre-sliced at my grocery store.  I totally splurged on that rather than fighting to slice a whole pineapple.  Sometimes I splurge.

Can I just pat myself on the back and tell you how crazy delicious this salad is?

So super yummy and unexpected.

Raw Brussels sprouts are sliced into delicate ribbons and tossed with first-of-the-season pineapple, olive oil roasted macadamia nuts, earthy French lentils, and creamy avocado.  Scallions and fresh parsley are just a bonus.

I tossed the entire salad with a bright, tangy pineapple vinaigrette made from fresh pineapple, rice wine vinegar, honey and poppy seeds.  The pineapple is all up in your face and suuuuper delicious.

Now!  This salad is super versatile.  Think of the directions and ingredients below as suggestions.

Make this salad with Romaine lettuce.  Substitute brown lentils or black beans.  Add lime juice and zest to the vinaigrette.  Really… if it sounds delicious in your brain, you can probably make it delicious in this salad.

For more fancy food blog dinner party shots and links soon.  Stay tuned.

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Truth be told… I’ve been a bit distracted lately.  I thought I could distract you with that Cinnamon Sugar Pull-Apart Bread and disappear for a few days.

I’m had a friend visiting from out of town.  My little orange cat is either trying to run away, or climb the screen door.  I’m obsessed with bright pink Spring blush and this amazing Gin that’s been aged in a Whiskey barrel.  I’ve spent a lot of time with my bike and the beach.

It’s been a nice break from the camera, and the kitchen, and the dishes, and the dishes, and the dishes.

A girl has got to eat…. and lately I’ve been eating Spicy Chickpea Salad.  I’ve also been drinking far too much coffee and far too much gin.  That’s a different story for a different time.

Hello and I love you.