By Judyrae Kruse Herald Columnist
On my husband’s 40th milestone birthday, midway through the feast and festivities with our world-class family and close friends, he made an unexpected proclamation.
Apropos of absolutely nothing, he annouced, “And now that I’m 40, I no longer have to eat green salad!”
“Wrong,” I told him, when the supportive cheers from most of the men in attendance died down. “We still have young sons and THEY still have to eat salad, so. …”
Gotta hand it to him. Without losing a beat, raising his glass and with no hesitation at all, he said, “YES! Here’s to green salad!”
To this day, he not only eats his salad, he’s even come to like it. With certain dressings only, you understand.
Ah, but I digress. If your family’s special Dad or Dads like salad, too, or you think you might be able to bring them around to the salad way of thinking, go right ahead this Sunday and fix any sort of “green” salad for this that hopefully will please them this Father’s Day.
This time around, though, you can offer a trio of different dressings on the side so the guys can add them by choice or whim. Let’s thank the folks at Spice Islands for sharing with us:
Buttermilk dill ranch dressing
2cups mayonnaise
1cup plain yogurt
1/2cup buttermilk
1cup minced celery
4teaspoons dried parsley
1tablespoon dill weed
2teaspoons dried minced garlic
2teaspoons beau monde seasoning
1teaspoon onion powder
2tablespoons lemon juice
In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing lightly but thoroughly. Turn into suitable serving container, cover and chill a minimum of 1 hour.
Classic balsamic vinaigrette
1/4cup white balsamic vinegar
1teaspoon Italian herb seasoning
Dash powdered mustard
Dash smoked paprika
Freshly ground sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper melange to taste
3/4cup extra-virgin olive oil
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients except the olive oil, mixing well. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Serve over crisp salad greens.
Sweet basil dressing
2/3cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3cup red wine vinegar
1/2teaspoon dried minced garlic
3/4teaspoon salt
1/2teaspoon dried sweet basil
1/8teaspoon medium-grind black pepper
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk until blended. Cover and refrigerate a minimum of 30 minutes to blend flavors. Store in refrigerator.
Note: If desired, dressing can be mixed by shaking all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s comics section.
