Saturday, April 25, 2009

California Junk Salad and Baby Showers

In March, I flew down to California to throw my friend A's baby shower. I spent a day making food to freeze for her first week home from the hospital -- a gesture that she appreciated but one that her husband was pretty unsure about. As for the shower itself, I decided to have that catered -- both because I was tired of cooking but because I also lack the ability to make tea sandwiches.

See, the last baby shower I went to prior to this one was also in California. I was recruited to help set up and I did so gladly. But sometimes being in other people's homes with other people's tools and other people's rules turns out badly. I actually got fired from making tea sandwiches because they weren't uniform enough. The kicker is, I know how to cook...but I am sure I left a lasting impression otherwise.

The Brownstone Cafe in Fullerton catered A's baby shower and it was very nice. My co-host must have been eating tea sandwiches for a week afterwards, though.


Anyhow, while I was working away in A's kitchen creating frozen lasagna, meatballs and sauce, and enchiladas, I sat down for lunch with a cold Starbucks iced mocha and had a junk salad. For me, junk salads are simply those that contain what I want to eat and nothing else. This one contained heirloom tomatoes, avocado, and cucumber -- in March! Gotta love California.

2 comments:

Mrs. Mikey said...

I love a good junk salad! Lately I make mine by slicing some red onion into really skinny strands and sauteing it with some balsamic and olive oil. After it is really browned and mushy I take it off and add baked sweet potato cubes, grape tomatoes, avocado and anything else that strikes my fancy to the top of a bed of baby spinach. I let all the pan drippings be the dressing. Divine and easy.

Camille said...

MMMM. That sounds really good. I think Balsamic vinegar is one of the world's most perfect foods.