Pretty Food: The Best Salad You May EVER Eat!

Caution: This salad may become highly addictive.

I’m pretty sure it’s the best salad I’ve ever eaten. I had a variation of it recently at McKinley’s, a local eatery that I rather love. I was really craving it and didn't have time for a trip across town, so I made a trip to the grocery store instead, and, I may be biased, but I'm pretty sure the version I came up is even more addicting than the original.

The original had almonds instead of cashews (in a fit of crazy, I bought about a pound of raw cashews from the bulk section at my local Sprouts. So yeah...), used plain goat cheese (but I like honey and feel like it should be used in everything) abd doesn't include strawberries, but I was at Aldi recently and they had the most beautiful Strawberries for $0.99 a box. I couldn't resist! I bought 3-- and sadly, my strawberry addiction has rendered them all gone. 

But look how lovely they were:

What you need (makes one salad):

2 cups Baby Mixed Greens

1 thick slice of red onion, cut in half

1 tablespoon of dried cranberries

¼ cup Mandarin Oranges, drained

½ cup sliced Strawberries

2 tablespoons crushed raw cashews (I put some in a sandwich baggie and wailed on them with the flat side of a meat tenderizer for a few minutes).

1oz Honey Goat Cheese

This is a salad. It’s pretty straight forward.

I toss the greens with the onion slices, then add the fresh fruit. I sprinkle the nuts and cranberries over the top and don’t toss (they’ll settle on their own. If you toss it, they’ll all settle to the bottom) and finally crumble/drop the cheese over the top of the salad.

Enjoy!

It is so juicy/ creamy that I don’t feel like it needs dressing, but if you can’t do with out, might I recommend this vinaigrette:

I hope you make this salad and eat it all the days! It's just that delicious!

Until next time,

Megan

P.S. By making this salad you are signing a nonverbal agreement that you will indeed post a comment about how awesome it is when you're done. I can't legally make you do this, but by not doing it, just know-- it would be so much cooler if you did :)

Wednesday in the Gardens

I had an unexpectedly wonderful afternoon on Wednesday. After a stressful trip to Municipal Court (that's a whole nother blog post...), my mother, my grandparents and I ambled over to the Botanic Gardens to decompress. 

It was quite possibly the most peaceful afternoon I've had in years. The roses were in bloom, and it was confirmed once again that afternoon that while Texas may be hot and dry, I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

This blossom was so fragrant! Like lemons and a hint of vanilla.

The air smelled so sweet here, like a heady floral perfume. It was thick and hot, and if you tried, you could taste it.

My Grandparents, who will have been married for 60 years this September.

Light streaming through the cutout in the seat of the Butterfly Bench.

And I quote, "Sit on it."

A perfect tree for climbing or napping.

These little guys were all over the place!

Overheard on Easter Sunday at my parents' hours:
Younger brother: "You've been married to Grandma for 60 years? How do you put up with her?"
Granddad: "She's the best thing that ever happened to me. I wouldn't have lived this long if I didn't have her."

I want that.

Nostalgia: Midnight in Paris and the Jazz Age

So, I still sadly haven't seen that one movie set in the 1920's that won a bunch of Oscars this year, (which is killing me! Jean Dujardin is so stinking charming!) but I did happen to see another Oscar winning film set (partially) in the 1920's: Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.


 If that cast alone wasn't enough, the story is superb, the dialogue witty, and the aesthetics mimic a Monet painting. I was sucked in from the first scene because this movie was written for me and those like minded who love the past. Owen Wilson's character longs for a the period in history that he deems perfect-- Paris in the 1920's, a Golden Age for literature, music and art, where the creative greats danced and drank together in one big, never-ending party. He expresses a fondness for Nostalgia shops, citing that their contents serve as reminders of the good old days-- the way it used to be. Most of his dialogue sounded like things I say or think on a regular basis.

Now, I'm not a rabid Woody Allen fan. I don't hate him either-- I'm not here to make comments on his personal life. I just don't drool over Annie Hall or Hannah and Her Sisters. Maybe that makes me a bad film lover. Nonetheless, I fell in love with this film completely. Even when the moral of the film is revealed and it wasn't neccissarily something I liked to hear: The problem with those of us who are so in love with the past is that we are blind to the flaws of that era. We hunger for simplicity, for the thought of a different time, but we forget that not everything is perfect, and it is certain that the people we desire to rub elbows with and pick brains desired to live in an a decade that came long before their time. The film has a great sense of humor, is quite touching, and is full of fabulous historical cameos portrayed by a star-studded cast. Allison Pill as Zelda Fitzgerald had sold on the film instantly-- I knew who she was before she was introduced. Also, SO MUCH HAIR ENVY! Redbox it now!

 Also, the soundtrack is divine-- the perfect mix of period standards and Parisienne classics. Just listening to it made me feel like I should be drinking coffee and eating a croissant while wearing a beret, a striped shirt and cigarette pants.

Midnight in Paris came to me in a bit of a Perfect Storm of Jazz Age mania; lately I've been a little obsessed with the 1920's-- the music, the fashion, the beauty. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has been a favorite book of mine since I read it in highschool, and I think that's probably when the obsession started. My love affair with vintage dancing that I began entertaining in college fueled a passion for vintage fashion and music-- I've spent many a night dancing the Charleston in period-correct garb, and felt right at home.

Cole Porter is a standard in my home, but I'm a fan of modern bands with Jazz Age tendencies: White Ghost Shivers (sounds like a speakeasy!), The Ditty Bops (Sister Kate is my favorite), Max Raabe und Palast Orchester (checkout their covers of Sex Bomb and Let's Talk About Sex are hilarious, and Cheek to Cheek really does the original justice) and Patrick & Eugene (fantastic cover of "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor" and you may know their song "Don't Stop" from the Laughin Cow cheese commercials) are some of my favorites.  

If drop waist dresses were flattering on me, trust me, I'd be wearing them daily. Give me a good cloche and some pearls, and I'm one content kitten.

I'm enamored of smokey eyes, rouged cheeks, and a heart shaped pout like Clara Bow's. I've been torn constantly for the past few months between cutting my hair into a bob like Marion Cotillard's in Midnight in Paris (seen below), and keeping my long tresses with blunt bangs.

With the upcoming release of Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gastby (in 3D. I'm still so confused. Why do we need 3D to experience the 1920s? Wouldn't it make more sense to be black and white and silent than in 3D?) I expect that we'll see a surge in 1920s inspired fashions for men and women, makeup, and art deco homewares as the release of the film approaches. Which is terribly exciting for me. Maybe I'll get to wear this ensemble somewhere and not stick out like a sore thumb? A girl can dream...

I guess until I find a vintage Peugeot full of revelers to pick me up at midnight on a street corner and take me to a party with Hemmingway, Dali, the Porters and the Fitzgeralds, I'll have content myself with recreating the past in the present.

I'll leave you today with a few of my favorite Jazz Age inspired products from Etsy:

Victoria Handmade Earrings from BraytonCottage:

George Lassos the Moon (Inspired by It's A Wonderful Life) from teaessare:

Gold Pearl and Lace Headband from bethanylorelle:

Anything from Flapperdoodle ("Eloise Ramona and Clarissa Have a Party" is featured below)!

The Great Gatsby Book Charm from EvelynMaeCreations:

Until next time,

Megan