Category Archives: postaday

June 8, 2013

There, There Marianne

By ritalovestowrite

It’s Friday, and that means a short story based on a writing prompt by ViewFromTheSide’s Blog. This week’s theme is “Happiness.” To see more entries click HERE and visit ViewFromTheSide.

———————————————————————————————

There, There Marianne

By Rita Baker-Schmidt

English: A photo of a small green Budgerigar f...

English: A photo of a small green Budgerigar feather  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“There, There. Maaaaarianne….There, There. Maaaaarianne….There, There. Maaaaarianne….”

Today is the day I am going to get up out of this bed, go over to that bird-cage and kill that stupid parrot.

“There, There. Maaaaarianne….”

He can not help it, I suppose. He is a PARROT after all. He is only doing what parrots do. But it is hard enough enduring the genuine compassion of my sister’s hushed alto 200 times a day. I really can not stand this squawking avian imitation.

“There, There. Maa–.”

Ah,ha! a well-aimed slipper has temporarily silenced the screecher. I take a sigh of relief.

“Maaaaarianne….”

For the record I do not wish to be consoled (neither by human nor bird).

I have been wronged and I intend to wallow in the depths of misery as gloriously as I revelled in the delights of the love that caused it.

That is my role in this little drama, after all. I am “the E M O T I O N I A L one.”  I wear my heart on my sleeve. My mood floats like feeling filled flotsam in a sea of angst.

If you want stability, strength, restraint? Pray… look to my sister. She will not disappoint.

But I am none of those things. I am weak… a wreck… a ruin. Love has turned her starry eyes else where and she shall never look my way again.

And now I cry, of course. Sighing… moaning… tears are soaking the bed-clothes.

“There, There. Maaaaarianne….”

There is a gentle knock on the door. “Go AWAY!”

Why do I bother to say it? Why do they even bother to knock? They’ll just come in any way — tempting me with their strawberries or olives or advice.

But this is some one new. some one I have never met before. Yet…there is something familiar about this small woman.

“Good morning Marianne.” She moves to the window and sits down at the small writing desk. She pulls a stack of paper from her satchel. Sharpens a quill. She opens the inkwell.

“But-what-who?” I say with incoherent surprise.

“There, there, Marianne.” She tells me, “Everything will be alright. You are going through a rough patch right now, but things will turn out just right in the end.”

She puts the nib of the quill into the inkwell then holds it at the ready over the paper. She stares at the middle distance and thinks.

English: Quill pen

English: Quill pen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The parrot fills the silence with his familiar refrain.

“There, There. Maaaaarianne….”

“Well, we can lose the bird for one thing. ” She leafs through the stack of papers and pulls out a sheet.

“There, There. Maaa—….”

As she crosses out something on the paper the bird goes silent. With a few scribbles she  transforms it from a medium-sized, multi-colored parrot to three bright green song birds.  She continues to write as she says out loud ” Song birds singing Q U I E T L Y–” their volume goes down several notches ” in the corner.”

She looks at me. “Better?”

I nod.

“Alright, my dear, you have been moping about on the page for quite a long time now — and you’ve been doing the same in my head for a good deal longer. What am I going to do with you?”

Belatedly I realized that she has shifted from the rhetorical, and now actually expects an answer. “Oh,” I sniffle, “I , uh, I want what everybody wants.” I tell her, “I want to be happy.”

She smiles shyly under her bonnet. “You WILL be happy, dearest.” She gives me a little wink, like she’s got that part worked out. “In the end, I promise you.”

“It doesn’t feel like it.” I say gloomily.

She shrugs, “Well, I have a few hundred more pages to go, but we’ll get there.”

It occurs to me that this woman might be touched in the head. Or maybe I am — am I hallucinating?

“Marianne, know your own happiness. You want nothing but patience–“

Here I interrupt her, “If you want patience you’ll have to see my sister Elinor.”

“Very well, give it a more fascinating name, call it hope.”  She smiles, “You can hope, can’t you?”

Hope. That sounds like an appropriately romantic notion. I can wrap my arms around that and hug it to my heart. “And you can really do it — make me happy in the end?”

She raises an eyebrow. “You saw what I did with the bird didn’t you?”

Women in Empire Gowns

Women in Empire Gowns (Photo credit: Lea Ann Belter Bridal)

———————————————————————————————

To read my other entries from previous prompts click HERE to read Rabbit Hole Island or HERE to read The Handels a Saga or HERE to read Emergency Exit Strategy

2 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Happiness, Jane Austen, JASNA, postaday, Sense and Sensiblity, Thought of the Day, Writer's Prompt, Writing

June 6, 2013

Bonus Muffins — The Dunder Mufflin

By ritalovestowrite
Aren't these the cutest little muffins ever? The plates are from a set my grandmother used to have. I never knew what those tiny little plates were for. But now I know -- mini muffin plates!

Aren’t these the cutest little muffins ever? The plates are from a set my grandmother used to have. I never knew what those tiny little plates were for. But now I know — mini muffin plates!

I didn’t think it would happen, but it did. I miss The Office. I know that all things must come to an end (and, honestly, the really the good part of this Thursday night staple passed several years ago — though it has had a rebound of late). And now I find I miss my weekly dose of Jim and Pam, and Dwight and the gang.

So when my brilliant and creative husband suggested I create a muffin called the Dunder Mufflin I jumped at the chance.

The one ingredient I knew it had to have… Beets! And they had to be mini muffins to make them muffLINS.

Here goes…

IMG_5264

Dunder Mufflins

Ingredients:

Mufflins:

  • 1 1/2 c White Whole Wheat Flour
  • 3/4 c Almond Meal (or if you are frugal like Dwight, Almonds that you grind in a Blender)
  • 1 Tbsp of Baking Powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of Salt
  • 1/2 c of Brown Sugar
  • 1 c non fat Milk
  • 1 teaspoon Almond Extract
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/2 stick (4 oz) melted Butter
  • 1 cup Cherries
  • 1 Cup Beets

Topping:

  • 1/3 c Flour
  • 2 Tbsp White Sugar
  • 1/2 stick (4 oz) melted butter
  • 1/3 cup Almond Meal
  • 1/2 c Sliced Almonds

Directions:

1 Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prep 36 mini muffin cups with paper liners and spray.

2. Grate the Cherries in a food processor or blender.

3. Grate the Beets in a food processor or blender.

grated beets

4. Combine the Flour, Almond Meal, Baking Powder and Salt in a large bowl.

5. In a medium bowl beat the Eggs and Brown Sugar together, add the Milke and Almond Extract. Slowly add the Melted Butter.

6. Combine the liquid to the dry to create a smooth batter.

7. Fold in the Cherries and Beets.

IMG_5257

8. Divide the batter evenly into the mini baking cups.

9. In a medium bowl combine all the ingredients for the Topping.

IMG_5260

10. Top each Mufflin with some of the Topping. (I had left over topping).

11. Bake for 20 minutes. Mufflins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before enjoying.

IMG_5270

I would not put the Dunder Mufflins in the sweet muffin catagory, but they are very good. The beets were undetectable, and the cherries gave it just a little bit of a kiss of flavor (but didn’t make the muffins too tart). They were moist, but not gooey.  A nice mild muffin to get your work day off right. Kind of the Pam of the muffin world.

I think the guys at the Office would give these Mufflins their nod of approval.

IMG_2525

IMG_2525 (Photo credit: justiny8s)

Related articles

1 Comment | posted in Cooking, Food, Jim Halpert / Tim Cantebury, Muffins, postaday, Thought of the Day

June 5, 2013

Farm Fresh Challenge: Roasted Turnip & Beet Salad

By ritalovestowrite

finished plate

Welcome to week two of the Farm Fresh Challenge! Or as I like to call it…

[Not associated with the real Chopped, the Food Network or Tim Allen.]

[Yeah … I’m gonna use that graphic until Tim Allen asks me personally to cut it out.]

I picked up the box at the CSA and it was filled with similar bounty of wonderfulness.

A CSA, you’ll recall, stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and we get our share from Calvert’s Gift Farm in Sparks, MD. We’ve been a part of Calvert’s Gift for five years now, and there’s a lot to love about the farm…

  • the produce picked fresh and is organic
  • it taste terrific
  • the farm is super local, so I don’t fret about the carbon footprint of eating a veggie that’s been trucked from another state (or country!)
  • there is a share box at the barn to swap out a product that doesn’t fit my dietary needs / tastes
  • there are always extras in the bonus box.
  • Calvert’s Gift also has a stall at the Kenilworth Farmers Market on Tuesdays and the Bel Air Farmers Market on Saturdays. Sometimes — when I’m feeling particularly cook-y —  I hit the market too.
  • the CSA is intimate, so as share holders we aren’t just a number
  • Jack and Becky, the farmers are friendly and helpful

Last week’s Turnip and Ham Salad was a huge hit with my family, so when I saw turnips in the share this week I knew I wanted to do another kind of salad.  Blessed with a bit of cooler weather I decided to roast some veggies to make

Roasted Turnip Salad…

In the CSA box I had:

2 Bunches of Scallions, trimmed with the stems chopped and the bulbs set aside

green Onions

2 Bunches of Turnips, greens and roots trimmed off  and turnips cut into 1/2″ chunks.

Turnips

1/2 cup of Carrots, cut into 1/2″ chunks (technically my carrots were left from last week’s box)

Carrot

12 medium organic strawberries, diced

strawberries

I head of lettuceLettuce

From  the pantry:

1 cup of beats, cut into 1/2″ chunks

3 Tbsp virgin Olive Oil

1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Parsley

2 teaspoon Cilantro

1/4 cup grated Italian Cheese

1 COOKED Chicken Breast, diced (optional)

DRESSING:

4 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

(Chopped tops from the Scallions from above)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1 Pre Heat the oven to 350 degrees

2. Put the Scallions, Turnips, Carrots and Beets into a bowl and toss with the 3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil, Red Pepper, Salt, Parsley and Cilantro.

Turnip Salad tossed

3. Once the vegetables are coated transfer to a roasting pan.they should be in a single layer.  Put the pan into the heated oven for 20 minutes.

4. Carefully stir the vegetables and heat for an additional 10 minutes.

5. While the veggies are roasting prepare the dressing by whisking the Olive Oil, Apple Cider vinegar and Mustard together. Add the Scallions.

6. Once the vegetables are tender enough to pierce with a fork remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

veggies in roasting pan

7. Dress the veggies and add the chicken (optional), strawberries and cheese. Toss gently.

8. Serve on a bed of fresh lettuce greens. Enjoy warm or chilled.

Turnip beet cheese

Related articles

7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Chopped Parkton, Cooking, Farm Fresh Challenge, postaday, Thought of the Day

June 4, 2013

George III 6.4.13 Thought of the Day

By ritalovestowrite

“Born and educated in this country, I glory in the name of Britain.”–George III

King George III (in coronation robes)

King George III (in coronation robes) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

George William Frederick was born on this date in Norfolk House, St. James’s Square, London, England in 1738 . Today is the 275th anniversary of his birth.

The eldest of two sons born to Frederick, Prince of Wales and August of Saxe-Gotha, George was born two months early. The Royal family feared he wouldn’t survive infancy and he was quickly baptized. A month later he was presented publicly and formally baptized into the Anglican Church.

He was educated along with his brother, Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany, by tutors. The boys learned to read and write English and German as well as the Romance Languages, Science, Math, History, Geography, Economics, Law, Music,  Dancing, Fencing, Riding and Sports.

 On his father’s death in 1751, the 12-year-old George became Prince of Wales. He was cared for in relative isolation by his mother and tutored by the Scottish nobleman Lord Bute. [History.com]

Nine years later he followed his grandfather to the Throne. Crowned in 1761 he reigned for 59 until his death in 1820. George III had the third longest reign of a British monarch (surpassed only by his granddaughter Victoria — 63 years — and the current queen — 61 years).

English: George III of the United Kingdom whil...

English: George III of the United Kingdom while Prince of Wales (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Positive things that happened while he was king…

  •  Ended the Seven Year’s War
  •  Democracy increased during his reign
  •  Britain Defeated Napoleon
  •  Enhanced the Royal Academy of Arts
  •  Opened the King’s Library to researchers and academics.

Neutral things that happened while he was king…

  • Survived an assassination attempt by James Hadfield
  • Had a planet named after him (It was later renamed Uranus)

Negative things related to his reign…

  • Suffered from madness as early at 1788 and spent much of the last decade of his reign in a fog.

“certainly as early as 1788. By 1810 his madness—now thought perhaps to be the result of a congenital disease called porphyria—had completely taken over his mind, and he was judged unfit to rule during the final decade of his reign” [Home At Fist.com]

’’’Coat of arms of the Hanoverian Princes of W...

’’’Coat of arms of the Hanoverian Princes of Wales’’’ used by George II, Frederick and George III. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Related articles

Leave a comment | posted in England, Europe, History, postaday, Thought of the Day, Today's Birthday

June 3, 2013

Muffin Monday: Loaded Carrot Muffins

By ritalovestowrite

 Loaded Carrot Muffins

IMG_5179

Makes 24 muffins (because if your going to go to the trouble of grating carrots, might as well make a lot af muffins, right?)

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups Flour

IMG_5151

  • 2 teaspoons  Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1 teaspoon Salt

IMG_4910

  • 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
  • 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon Ground nutmeg

IMG_5152

  • 1 1/2 cups White Sugar

IMG_5087

  • 1/2 cup packed Brown Sugar

IMG_5154

  • 1 cup vegetable Oil
  • 1 cup Organic Vanilla Yogurt ( I think if you use Soy Yogurt these muffins will be Dairy Free?)

IMG_5156

  • 1/2 cup Orange Juice

IMG_5164

  • 2 teaspoons of VanillaIMG_4540
  • 3 cups Shredded Carrots

IMG_5141

  • 1 cup Golden Raisins

IMG_5150

  • 1 cup Sesame Seeds

IMG_5145

  • 1/2 cup Chopped Pistachios (or other nuts)

IMG_5148

  • 1 cup Small Flake Coconut

IMG_5142

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 24 muffin cups.

2. Combine the Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Ginger, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Salt, White Sugar and Brown Sugar in a large bowl.

3. In another bowl combine the Oil, Orange Juice, Yogurt and Vanilla.

4. Add the wet to the dry and mix until smooth.

IMG_5158

5. Add the remaining ingredients all at once folding gently into the batter. 

IMG_5161

6. Distribute the batter evenly into the 24 muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.

7. Let cool 5 minutes in pan, then cool another 5 minutes on a rack or plate before eating. Enjoy.

IMG_5172

I raided the cabinet to come up with this recipe. I didn’t have enough nuts so I added the sesame seeds. The source recipe called for pineapple — which I didn’t have, so I put in the raisins and the OJ to off set the texture and moisture of the pineapple. I also cut way back on the amount of sugar the source recipe called for. And I tossed in the coconut at the last-minute to give the  muffins  a little extra flavor and fiber. Then I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. I’m glad to say they came out really well (even if the final photos didn’t… sorry). The coconut flavor really married with the carrot and raisin nicely. And, happily, the texture of  the  coconut flakes, which I know bothers some people, wasn’t a problem at all.

Muffin taster Pianogirl rated these muffins as “absolutely delicious!” She’s a fan of both coconut and pistachios, so these were right up her alley. She plans on “having one of them for breakfast, with a side dish of fresh pineapple and avocado.” — Sounds like a good plan Pianogirl!

Related articles

7 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Baking, Muffins, postaday, Thought of the Day

June 2, 2013

Edward Elgar 6.2.13 Thought of the Day

By ritalovestowrite

“My idea is that there is music in the air, music all around us, the world is full of it and you simply take as much as you require.”–Edward Elgar

Elgar in 1919, by William Rothenstein

Elgar in 1919, by William Rothenstein (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Edward William Elgar was born on this day in Broadheath, near Worcester, England in 1857.  Today is 156th anniversary of his birth.

He was the fourth child born to William and Ann Elgar. William Elgar ran a music shop and tuned pianos in Broadheath. A trained violinist, he taught all his children — The Elgars had a total of seven children — piano, violin and the basics of music theory. By  eight young Edward was tagging along with his father as William went to the richer houses of the county to tune their pianos. The little boy would play for the gentry while his father fixed the piano. He also started to compose at an early age.

It is a remarkable fact that Elgar was very largely self-taught as a composer – evidence of the strong determination behind his original and unique genius.[www.elgar.org]

Although he wanted to go to Germany to study at the Leipzig Conservatory his family couldn’t afford it, so he  had no formal musical training. Instead, in 1872 he went to work as a clerk for a local solicitor.  He didn’t last long in the stifling office setting. He began to give lessons (piano and violin), sing in the town’s Glee Club, compose, conduct and play violin professionally. He became the conductor of the  County Lunatic Asylum (an unusual combination of instruments and talent levels) and worked with the Worcester College for the Blind Sons of Gentlemen.

Slowly, and through such early works as Froissart(1890), the Imperial March (1897) and the cantatas King Olaf (1896) and Caractacus (1898), his reputation began to spread beyond the area immediately around his native Worcestershire. His first big success came with the Variations on an Original Theme (Enigma) in 1899. [Ibid]

In 1900 he was awarded a Doctorate by Cambridge. Four years later he was Knighted.

Eventually Elgar was feted all over the world; he dined with royalty, was knighted and awarded the Order of Merit.  Yet he never forgot his roots, and when he became a Baronet in1931, he chose as his title First Baronet of Broadheath. [Elgar Foundation.org]

Edward Elgar died on February 23, 1934.

It is graduation season here in the US, and nary a matriculation takes place with out the school’s orchestra pulling out Elgar’s most famous piece Pomp and Circumstance. (The part every one recognizes comes at about the 2 minute mark.)

But might I suggest a listen to his Sea Pictures, OP. 37 with Contralto Linda Finnie and The London Philharmonic

Or the fabulously layered Symphony No. 1 in A-flat major, Op. 55, Sir John Barbiolli conducting the Halle Orchestra

or his delightful Serenade for String Orchestra in E minor, Op. 20,  performed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra with Giuseppe Sinopoli  at the podium,

http://youtu.be/6pkaEEqiFlk
Related articles

3 Comments   |  tags: , , | posted in Edward Elgar, England, Europe, Music, postaday, Thought of the Day, Today's Birthday

June 1, 2013

“Secondary” Character Saturday: Ivan, The One and Only

By ritalovestowrite

I’m breaking the rules today to bring bring you a PRIMARY character. A Primary PRIMATE in fact, The one and only IVAN!

[All Images from The One and Only Ivan]

[All Images from The One and Only Ivan]

WHO: Ivan

FROM: The One and Only Ivan

BY: Katherine Applegate, Illustrations by: Patricia Castelao

PUBLISHED:  2012

Cover of the audio book for the One and Only Ivan

Cover of the audio book for the One and Only Ivan. Click HERE to find the book on Amazon.com

PROS: Ivan is kind, caring, compassionate, understanding, a great artist, patient, thoughtful, brave and creative.

CONS: He gets frustrated at himself and his situation. He doubts himself.

QUOTE: “I am Ivan. I am a Gorilla. It’s not as easy as it looks.”

[All images from The One and Only Ivan]

[All images from The One and Only Ivan]

MOST SHINING MOMENT:  Ivan takes a chance. He risks his comfortable, boring life to help some one he loves, Ruby, the baby elephant, fulfill her dream.

LEAST SHINING MOMENT: Ivan is a pretty special guy. It is tough to think of “least” shining moment for him, but I guess, if pressed, I’d say it would be his moments of self doubt.

WHY I CHOSE THIS CHARACTER: This book is absolutely amazing. Ivan isn’t just a good character, he’s a good role model. I WANT to be more like Ivan!

I can’t remember who recommended it to me, but I put it on my Kindle and when it came up in rotation I was completely entranced. Officially this Newbery Award winner is for 9 to 12 year olds, but ever since I had the good fortune to moderate a book club for teens and tweens (several years ago) I have not been bashful about reading good literature for any age. And this is one of the best “Kids” books I’ve read in a long time. It had me sighing and laughing out loud. And it had me crying more than once.

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Fiction, postaday, Secondary Character, The One and Only Ivan, Thought of the Day

May 30, 2013

Idina Menzel 5.30.13 Thought of the Day

By ritalovestowrite

“I’ve been singing since I was born. It’s something I do everywhere I go. In the shower, walking down the street. I don’t need any impetus to do it. I just sing” — Idina Menzel

English: Singer/actress Idina Menzel outside t...
English: Singer/actress Idina Menzel outside the Today Show studios following an appearance and performance promoting the release of her debut Warner Bros album “I Stand.” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Idina Kim Menzel  was born in Queens, New York City, New York, in  1971. She is 42 years old.

She is one of two girls born to Helene and Stuart Mentzel. She grew up in New Jersey and Syosset, New York. She attended the Tisch School of the Arts and earned her Bachelors of fine Arts from New York University.  A singer since childhood Menzel began to perform professionally at weddings and bar mitzvahs as a teenager.

She had her first Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes of fame as Maureen Johnson in RENT in 1996. She originated the role in New York Theatre Workshop and moved with the show to Broadway. Menzel later played Maureen in the 2005 movie version of the play. She earned a Tony nomination the role.

Here’s Take Me or Leave Me...

Menzel had a string of smaller, but successful gigs both on and off Broadway  (including: Tha Vagina Monologues, Aida, The Wild party, Summer of ‘42, and a Hair encore concert) but she really defied gravity with her second big role as Elphaba in Wicked.

The show, based on the Gregory Maguire novel, hit the Great White Way in 2003. She won the 2004 Tony for her role as the green witch.

Her post Wicked stage resume includes See What I Wana See, Chess and Nero. Next year she will return to Broadway to open in Tom Kit and Brian Yorkey’s musuical If/Then.

In 2008 Menzel released I Stand on Warner Bros. Records. The album is a …

powerful collection of exquisite new songs written by the Tony Award winning actress/singer/songwriter…filled with pop tunes and heartfelt ballads—intimate yet universal stories of life, its challenges, relationships and of course – the subject of love. [Idena Menzel.com ]

Here’s Brave from I Stand:

She tours domestically and internationally to promote both her original work from the album and her Broadway work.

Most recently Menzel has appeared on television’s Glee’s.

Related articles

2 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Broadway, Idena Menzel, postaday, RENT, Theatre, Thought of the Day, Today's Birthday

May 29, 2013

Farm Fresh Challenge: Turnip and Ham Salad

By ritalovestowrite
Turnip and Ham Salad

Turnip and Ham Salad

Do you know CHOPPED? It’s a TV series on the Food Network where professional chefs are presented with a basket of mystery ingredients and given a brief amount of time to come up with amazing dishes. The dishes are judged by a distinguished panel of chefs and the winner, after three grueling rounds, gets $10,000. I’ve always liked that show because it reminds me of dinner time at my house. Only… my basket is the refrigerator,  my judges are my family, and my reward is their gratitude.

It is summer here in Maryland and that means our family enjoys a weekly box from a local farm. We are part of a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and every week we pick up our very own mystery box from the farmer. We get a share of eggs and a variety of vegetables from the farm. And, although we get a reminder email every week that lists what will be in the box — they even give us some serving suggestions –I always open the box with a bit of Chopped inspired glee. For me it is Chopped, Parkton Style.

[Not associated with the real Chopped, the Food Network or Tim Allen.]

[ritaLOVEStoWRITE and Chopped Parkton Styles is NOT associated with the real Chopped, the Food Network. My apologies to Tim Allen.]

With that in mind I’ve decided to dedicate one blog a week to a recipe based on something I cooked from the box. Today is the first installment. — Turnip and Ham Salad.

I was doubly inspired this week because fellow blogger 124 Park posted a beautiful recipe for Blue Cheese & Bacon Potato Salad. [Click Here to see 124 Park’s yummy recipe.]

In the CSA box I had:

  • romaine lettuce

IMG_5117

  • bunch turnips

IMG_5109

  • bunch carrots

IMG_5113

  • eggs

IMG_5118

  • radishes

IMG_5115

Other Ingredients:

  • shallots
    IMG_5111
  • chives (fresh from the garden)
    IMG_5122
  • olive oil
  • apple cider vinegar
    IMG_5120
  • dijon mustard
  • honey
    IMG_5128
  • lemon peel
    IMG_5094
  • ham
    IMG_5131
  • cheese (I used grated Italian Blend)

Directions:

1. Chop the romane and set aside.

2. Remove the greens from the turnips and radishes and cut into 1/2″ pieces. Scrape the carrots, cut off the tops and ends and cut into 1/4″ chunks. Put the turnips, radish and carrots into a large pot with salted water and boil until tender. About 10 minutes. Drain and run veggies under cold water to stop them from cooking further.

IMG_5125

3. Hard boil the eggs.

4. While the veggies and eggs are cooking …  whisk together the oil, vinegar, shallots, chives, chive flowers, dijon mustard, honey and lemon peel in a large bowl.

5. Cut the ham into 1/2″ cubes. Toss them into the pot you used for the veggies and cook until done. (The ham I used was pre-cooked, so it just needed to be heated through).

6. Toss the veggies, ham and eggs with the oil, vinegar mustard dressing.

7. Plate over romaine and top with a tablespoon of grated cheese.

Turnip and Ham Salad

Enjoy!

This was a big hit with my family, and I will definitely be hitting this recipe again.

Special thanks to 124 Park, Chopped and the Food Network.

Related articles

4 Comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Farm Fresh Challenge, Food, postaday, Thought of the Day, Turnip and Ham Salad