All my life I’ve dreamed of hosting big Sunday lunches after church with all the children and grandchildren crowded around.
Alas, it wasn’t to be, or at least, not yet. But I refuse to let the dream die, so I’m doing the next best thing. Each Sunday for the past month I’ve been having my son, Braddock, over for lunch after church. William lives too far away to join us on a regular basis.
We’ve been enjoying recipes from my mother’s cookbook “Woman’s Home Companion”. It was a wedding gift to Mother way back in 1942 and I treasure it as I would the crown jewels.
The first Sunday we had baked ham, green bean casserole and deviled eggs, circa 60s. Can you believe I’d never before cooked a ham? It was great and provided the inspiration for a week’s worth of ham recipes (from the “Companion” of course).
The next week we had meatloaf and smashed potatoes. I’d never even made a meatloaf! This week we’re having salmon croquettes, Swiss cheese cabbage casserole, strawberry salad and Shirley’s famous hot dog bun sticks.
I added some kiwi and avocado to the salad because I had them on hand. I also substituted organic blue agave nectar for the honey and skipped the liqueur because I didn’t have any. Instead I added a splash of balsamic vinegar which was a nice touch. I guess you call the tweaking my nod to the new millennium and haute cuisine gone country.
Luscious Kiwi-Strawberry Salad
Serves 4
- 1 pint large strawberries
- 4 kiwis
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp orange liqueur or orange juice
- pinch of cinnamon
- 2 tbsp sliced almonds
- Rinse the strawberries and pat dry with paper towel. Cut or pull out of the leaves as well as the hulls of the strawberries with a paring knife. Peel kiwis with the knife.
- Cut the strawberries and kiwis into 1/4 inch thick slices. Arrange the fruit in overlapping layers on a serving dish.
- In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice, honey, liqueur, and cinnamon until blended to make the orange dressing. Drizzle the fruit with the dressing. Cover the salad and refrigerate for 1 hour to let the flavors develop.
Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Set aside. Before serving, sprinkle nuts over salad.
Now, sit back and rake in the compliments. Incidentally, I chose the salmon croquettes because it was one of my favorites growing up and Dr. Oz said canned salmon is just as healthy as the fresh or frozen kind, for a fraction of the price.