A Summer Salad Sayonara

ON THE MENU: two scrumptious salads -- the Oregon Salad from The Original (restaurant where Ashley works), and a Nicoise salad (Ashley's favorite). For dessert: Carrot Cake Cupcakes from the Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics.

LOGISTICS: Ashley's first encounter with Nicoise was earlier this summer at St. Honore when Ali and Ashley meet up with a long time friend Morayor. We finally decided that this summer dunch, linner, or lupper (if you Canadian like Kayla) to explore this classic french salad. The Oregon salad is easily found on many northwest restaurants menus. The carrot cake muffins came to us because our original idea was to make cheese cake which would have taken too long to cool and Ashley had made the muffins early this month for her Fathers Office dinner.

Nicoise Salad:

-the most important thing to know about this salad it that it takes a lot of prep time. Almost every item in the salad demands lots of love.

The potatoes and eggs need to be boiled, the green beans need to be steamed and the tomatoes need to be purchased. While making the salad after two grocery runs we still forgot the tomatoes. Luckily Maddie came to the rescue with eggs and Powdered Sugar for the cup cake foisting.

We used a recipe from Simply Recipies. here is the link. Nicosia Salad

-this recpie is very early to follow and each step is so detailed its hard to veer off track.

-After much debate we found the meaning of the word NICOISE, here is a link to a good explication to the word.

http://www.drgourmet.com/askdrgourmet/nicoise.shtml

Oregon Salad: This is very popular is many local restaurants, they all have slight variations but The Original does it best!

Start by baking the beets at 425 deg for 30-45 min. Once you take them out of the oven the skin will fall right off. Wear an apron because beat DO Stain!!!

Next up: Toast your hazelnuts in either a toaster oven or oven. Keep an eye on them because ours almost burned!!!

Once you have your pears chopped your ready to mix up your salad! Don't forget to wait and dress your salad right before you sit to eat or else you will get a soggy salad! gross.....

Carrot Cake Muffins: We snagged this recipe from Bare Foot Contessa! A Barg and Grewe family favorite! Ashley had made this recipe earlier in the month for Noelle's 30th Birthday! They were so good she was dyeing to have an excuse to make them again!

The recipe is simple to follow, just keep in mind that the frosting is a huge portion so either make a third of the recipe of save the leftovers for another occasion because the muffins cant handle Ina's frosting portions!

You can find the recipe in Her book Barefoot Contessa Parties Cookbook page 204

or

Here is a link Carrot Cake Muffins

Table Talk:

-Everyone heading off to school was bittersweet

-the Bambi! in Ashley's Back yard???

-Jaz picking out the; beets,lettuces,hazelnuts, and Chev out of the Oregon Salad.. what's left?? pears!!! luv you hehe

-everyone got to meet BEN!

-Maddy H. Grandma Rose's Birthday!!