Ah summer. When I was a kid summer was THE BEST. School was out, the weather was great, there were more things to do and everyone had plenty of time. I grew up in Michigan, and summer was definitely my favorite time of year. I remember swimming and bonfires and camping and FOOD. It was magical. We even ate differently in the summer. Fresh fruits and vegetables were plentiful, whereas they really weren't even available throughout the rest of the year.

As I grew older I somehow lost that summer magic. I moved to southern California with my husband and 3 kids, and summer became just another season, so much like the other seasons. I did my best to create the magic while my kids were young, but by the time they were grown it was gone.

Last year I caught myself dreading summer, and actually heard myself saying the words, "I hate summer." I realized it was time for an intervention. I made a "Summer To Do List" and forced myself to get out there and have fun. I went to the beach, enjoyed Shakespeare in the park, picnicked, swam, watched movies under the stars and ate homemade lavender ice cream AND recruited lots of friends and family to do it all with me. Summer was back! It was such a valuable lesson, as I learned that I have to continue to create my life, my fun.

So as June 21st approaches I've started my new Summer To Do List. I really don't need it anymore, but I'll keep it there as a reminder to create, to enjoy, to have fun.

This blog is part of that. Those of you who know me know that I love good food, and I love to share it with people I love. In an effort to try new things and eat healthily, I've challenged myself to make and share 60 Salads of Summer. My daughter Danica, who is a very creative cook, is helping me. And we're looking forward to sharing the fruits of our labor. I can't promise they'll all be healthy, but I can promise they'll all be delicious. Enjoy!

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

19. Caesar Salad



























Caesar Salad is a classic, and super simple to make.  There are two big factors that make or break this salad for me:  the dressing and the croutons.  

Common croutons will make a very mediocre salad.  Good ones push it to a great, restaurant quality salad.  If you live in the land of Trader Joe’s, you’re in luck.  TJ’s sells cheese and garlic croutons that are the BEST.  If you’re not near a Trader Joe’s, it’s worth making your own croutons.  It’s easy, and you can make them ahead of time.  I’m providing a link below that you can check out.  (I’m not including the recipe here, as I’m using Trader Joe’s croutons).


Ingredients

3 romaine hearts, trimmed and chopped
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 bag cheese and garlic croutons

Simple, see?  Toss the 3 ingredients into a bowl, and right before you’re ready to serve, lightly dress it.  Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.




Dressing Ingredients

1/4 cup mayo
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
Juice of one lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Read and follow these directions carefully.  I think I've done this every wrong way possible, and no matter what I tried to do to fix it afterwards, it flopped.  Lucky you, you get to learn from my mistakes!

Place the above dressing ingredients in a food processor (not a blender, not a nutribullet, not a ninja...) and process until smooth and well blended.  While the food processor is still on, slowly drizzle in through the feed tube:

1/2 cup olive oil.  Process until thick and creamy.  Then add:

1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded.  Pulse 5-6 times and Voila!  Perfect dressing.



You can add grilled chicken to this salad if you want to make it heartier.  I sometimes do that, and then serve it with a side of simple pasta with pesto sauce.

Serves 4-6


For easy, homemade croutons, check this out:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/homemade-croutons-recipe0.html

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