a cheesy grin

You know what is really good? Cheese. Creamy or crumbly, mild or pungent. Cheese rocks. I mean fondue – who doesn’t love fondue? I can make my 17 month old giggle by showing her a container of shredded cheese. You know what is really hard not to do? Snack on cheese all day long when working from home. You know what is also hard to do? Figure out something yummy that will make me not miss a nice chunk of brie (how good is brie?).

Well, I have a new favorite salad at lunch. It really is only good because I make a fresh vinaigrette. By the way, you can make a vinaigrette at dinner one night and still use it the next day at lunch. Though you can use Dijon mustard to emulsify the vinaigrette, you don’t have to. The mustard sometimes gets in the way of the other flavors. So, if you leave out an emulsifier like egg yolk or mustard, shake the dressing really hard before dressing your salad.

I am loving my new orange salad. Greens, grapes or strawberries, walnuts or almonds, some chicken (chopped up, leftovers) and orange dressing. The dressing is simple. Half a shallot chopped finely or a pressed garlic clove (I know raw garlic is so harsh but, this is a bit sweet so I don’t mind it), juice from half an orange, good olive oil (sometimes you need to pull out the good extra virgin olive oil. For this I actually do half high end olive oil and half cheap extra virgin olive oil), salt, and pepper. If the orange juice is too sweet, I will add a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice. Whisk everything together. Pour it over the salad. Yeah, I know, it is yummy.

I have found when I am craving fat, I need something fat. I have been looking for ways to use my good ($22 a bottle) extra virgin olive oil. It has a great citrus flavor and is rich. Drizzled over some fresh fish it is amazing. And, getting that richness makes me forget that I really want a huge slice of cheese followed by a piece of chocolate. OK, so, I still might follow the salad with a piece of chocolate (but, a small piece of beautiful, rich dark chocolate).

That’s one more thing. I used to love milk chocolate. I could eat and eat and eat it. But, as I learned to love and appreciate wine, I learned to love dark chocolate. The good thing about dark chocolate is a little bit can satisfy.

It’s not a Hershey bar but, another favorite salad includes some cheese. The dressing is easy. Make some Italian dressing (yes, like the packets) using balsamic vinegar (use the cheap stuff not the thick stuff). The salad is romaine lettuce, big tomato wedges, thinly sliced red onion, and fresh mozzarella. The fresher the mozzarella the better. I like just a couple of small fresh mozzarella balls.

So, it’s not a huge plate of nachos – but, it’s a step in the right direction.