Strawberry-Spinach Pecan Salad

This is a simple salad combination that is very pretty on the plate and tastes good, too. It is colorful and healthy. Summer is arriving all too quickly so my mind is turning to cool side dishes for warm summer evenings.

Strawberry-Spinach Pecan Salad

Pecans:
2 cups pecan halves
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the pecans, preheat the ove to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and use vegetable oil spray to grease it.

Place all the ingredients except the pecans in a pot. Stirring constantly,  heat the mixxture until the brown sugar dissolves. Boil until the mixtures gets a bit thickened about 2-3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, add the pecans and stir to coat the nuts with the sugar mixture. Work quickly as the sugar will start to harden. Spread out the nuts on the prepared baking sheet as individually as possible. Bake for ten minutes in the oven or until the pecans begin to brown a bit. Remove from the oven and remove the nuts from the parchment before they stick. Cool before using in your salad.

Salad:
4-6 cups of washed and patted dry baby spinach leaves
1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries

Dressing:
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the dressing ingredients and mix thoroughly. Taste for salt and overall taste. You might prefer a bit more vinegar or mustard. Adjust the seasonings as needed.

When you are ready to serve, toss the spinach and strawberries with the dressing. Just before serving, toss in the pecans.

Ideas:
I like a sprinkling of Feta on the salad, too. Freshly grated Parmesan would work, too.
For some extra texture, a handful of dried cranberries mixed in goes well.

Something to think about . . .

This story has been circulating the Internet and e-mail for a year or two that I know of but no one seems to know the origin. It is a story but it makes a point that most people don't consider when they consider abortion.

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said:
“Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even one year old, and I’m pregnant again. I don’t want kids so close together.”

So the doctor said: “Okay, and what do you want me to do?”

She said: “I want you to end my pregnancy, and I’m counting on your help with this.”

The doctor thought for a little, and after some silence, he said to the lady: “I think I have a better solution for your problem. It’s less dangerous for you, too.”

She smiled, thinking that the doctor was going to accept her request.

Then he continued: “You see, in order for you not to have to take care of two babies at the same time, let’s kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we’re going to kill one of them, it doesn’t matter which one it is. There would be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms.”

The lady was horrified and said: “No, doctor! How terrible! It’s a crime to kill a child!”

“I agree,” the doctor replied. “But you seemed to be okay with it, so I thought maybe that was the best solution.”

The doctor smiled, realizing that he had made his point.

He convinced the mom that there is no difference between killing a child that’s already been born and killing one that’s still in the womb. The crime is the same!

Caramelizing onions . . .

Caramelized onions add great taste and depth to many casseroles and dishes. Onions slowed cooked like this are the basis of a good French Onion Soup. The problem is, however, that it takes a good 40 minutes to get the onions properly made and there are no short cuts. I just found a method I hadn't thought of before . . . use the crock pot! It takes the time at the stove and freqent stirring off your chore list and you won't take a chance on scorching them. Just slice up as many onions as you need. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup butter, salt, and a teaspoon of sugar. Set it for the 8-10 mark and go to bed. Granted, it will be interesting to awaken to the smell of onions but it will be nice to know they are done and ready for whatever your cooking day brings.

Now, I'm craving some French Onion Soup!

Thought I'd share that tip with you. caramelized onions are also good on hamburgers, in meatloaf, a few tablespoons or more in macaroni and cheese, in vegetable soup . . .

Lemony Cookies

I like lemon and get to enjoy it even more with our faithful lemon tree in our backyard. Whenever I find a recipe that calls for lemon, it is a must-try for me. This one is relatively easy.

Lemony  Cookies
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Either use vegetable oil spray or line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and beat to blend thoroughly. Don't over beat. Scoop dough into approximately walnut-sized balls. Place about an inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Press done just a bit with a glass dipped in sugar. You don't want them thin. Bake about ten minkutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely on baking sheet to avoid breaking them.

Lemon Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon lemon extract
2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
Enough fresh lemon juice to form spreadable icing

Combine the first three ingredients and gradually add in the lemon juice until you have the consistency you want. Mix in the extract and zest. Frost the cookies and sprinkle some colorful sugar or decorations if you have them on hand.

The Orange Cat . . .

Now this cat showed up one night and seem to think that we forgot that he belongs here. He haunts our doorstep and sleeps on the window sill. He is a pretty old cat with missing teeth and old man coughs and wheezing. He is, however, very loveable. He was sleeping on the window sill when we left for morning Mass and was in the same place napping when we returned home an hour later. Even my snapping his picture didn't wake him up.

Breakfast in the cat world . . .

We are still trying to befriend these two cats for pets. Although they enjoy the food we offer, only one will let us pet her. They seem to be a team and prefer to have their breakfast on top of the hose reel box. The eat and don't show up until either the evening or the next morning. I have a feeling we aren't the only ones interested i them as family pets and the two of them are just hedging their bets right now and eating extremely well . . . at more than one home.

Aptly named . . .

"The scientific name for an animal that doesn't either run from or fight its enemies is lunch."
-- Michael Friedman