hi friends, lovers + people probably related to me —
102 — last sunday i accidentally went for a 2hr run — came back v. sunburned but elated. i hadn’t run that long/far in awhile and it felt good to know i still can.
sometimes sweetgreen tastes good & sometimes it tastes like depression
my relationship with salad(s) is somewhat complicated. i love them as part of meal, as a course, a side, a work lunch, a dinner when it’s 90million degrees out. but sometimes they suck — the lettuce is wilty, the tomatoes are sad, they are flavorless, the dressing too light or too heavy, they are not tacos. they feel insecure, anxious, punishing. the way you feel when your outfit isn’t working or the way you used to feel all the time (before you realized no amount of miles would make you skinny), the way you still feel now sometimes which is annoying because you’re 28 & couldn’t you just not care — salads can be terrible. this one isn’t — it’s one of those salads that are herby, bright, chockful of vegetables, flavor & texture, & other things that are good for you. the kind that nourish and fill you. it’s a great salad & perfect for eating throughout the week for lunch, for early dinners before volleyball — when you just don’t want to think about it. it’s a good salad & it’s there for when you need it. it tastes hopeful & like spring.
ingredients
arugula
red onion
tiny tomatoes
lemon
aspargus
radishes
avocado
chicken (anyway you want, rotisserie or leftover chicken is great for this)
cucumbers
crispy crunchies
buttermilk
mayo
sour cream
assorted herbs/alliums (dill, cilantro, parsley, RAMPS, scallions)
garlic
lemon
salt & pepper
hot sauce (v. into red clay right now but pick whatever you like!)
steps
1st you’ve decided that you can’t keep spending $15-20 dollars on lunch when you’re in the office, so you decide to make a salad with that first farmers mkt bounty. if you don’t have a rotisserie chicken or some other type of chicken left over you’re going to want to marinate a chicken breast or two. my simple but always good is a mix of lemon, dijon, garlic, olive oil, honey, salt & pepper & then cook or shred it, etc. if you have chicken but not crispy crunchies then you need to make those (toast panko breadcrumbs in a skillet with olive oil, garlic, salt + pepper — when almost toasted add parmesan and stir to make little clusters — take off the heat and sprinkle with flaky salt).
2nd alright all the random extra’s are done — it’s time to make your salad dressing. basically make the v. herby basically green goddess ranch dressing in one of those liquid measuring cups pour in a cup of cream or whole milk + a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (that’s how you make buttermilk!) let it hangout for a bit, then chop up all your herbs, then in a blender pour in your buttermilk, add about 1/4 of a cup of sour cream + a 1/4 of the cup of mayo, the juice of one lemon, all the herbs + a couple cloves of grated garlic. blend to combine - it should be v. green, add salt + pepper to taste and blend again - taste it + then put in the fridge to chill— but also you’ll add RAMPS to this (yes unfortunately i’m one of those girls) or scallions — all the green bits & a lil of the rest. taste it — adjust as needed.
3rd this is just the rest of prep time, roasting the asparagus (i love when their tops get crispy & burned) madolin(ing) the radishes, thinly slicing, chopping or dicing everything else. i like to keep them all in their own lil containers like i’m my own personal restaurant.
3rd assemble the salad. mix it all together with the herby green goddess(y) ranch and your favorite hot sauce. feel content. feel accomplished. feel adult in the fact that you now have stuff to bring for lunches for the week. feel good.
particularly good things i consumed recently
terroir tuesday w/ kiera @ table donkey stick — where the latkes are life changing
three ridiculously expensive sundress that i desperately want, just trying to be a cool girl this summer, ya know?: here, here & here
pearl room w/ allison — heartbroken that it’s no longer emmit’s but it was v. nice to catch up over strong cocktails & crispy french fries
1st progressive dinner party with the west side maybe babies — it was so much fun (from backyard bevs, to an assortment of dips, to post taco malort shots & warm cookies) i keep telling everyone about it
lao peng you w/ kaitlyn — go for a geriatric(ly) early dinner & eat all the dumplings
the sweet potato fries on the dove’s after dark menu right now — don’t blow up my monday spot, but you should go before they change it.
a lil park hang — w/ janel, audrey, ashton & becca — the best way to spend a nice evening is chatting & having a variety of chips, wine & salad for dinner
romantic comedy & i have some questions for you — two faves from my recent reading spree. plz read them so we can talk about them.
currently consuming
a nice weekend in the burbs catching up with megan & neil over coffees and a farmers mkt stroll. then hanging with the famdamnily making homemade ice cream to go with crispy oatmeal toffee cookies for chipwiches
as always,
mk
p.s. if you know where a girl can find a pair of black & white gingham/plaid pants that would be great, i’m on the market for those & also a pair of khakis & also a pair of fun pants — ideally patterned & slightly shimmery. so i can have more chessy core outfits but make them hot(ter).
p.p.s. happy mother’s day ma — so happy i inherited my love of cooking, trademark snark & sense of style from you
I love salads. Can’t wait for tomatoes that taste like tomatoes!