Chicken Salad Pita Sandwiches with Lemon, Dill, & Pancetta

The last few weeks have been full of: cold but sunny blue skies, blooming cherry blossom trees, pouring rain, hail, and snow. The glimpse of clear-skied weather on the horizon, paired with an even more soggy dreary grey, has me longing for spring and summer so hard. I miss sitting on a patio, sipping a cool crisp white or rose as the sun sets. I miss using the grill and watching things grow in my garden bed. I miss jogging outside with bare arms. I miss sun ripened berries and stone fruits. Deargod I miss nectarines.

A Dinner with DRY + Lemony Roasted Chicken Legs with Garlic and Rosemary

I did something fun and rad and I've been keeping it a secret! Picture this: a bunch of your favorite people, a sunny warm spring evening, twinkly candles, and vases full of colorful flowers. A record playing lightly in the background, a well-rounded cocktail in one hand, a crostini in the other, and an enormous cheese plate in front of you. This is basically the PERFECT evening for me. You guys, I am SO almost 30. And I love it.

Avocado & Orange Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing

I love to walk. My mom is a walker too. As long as I can remember, Mel has walked 2-4 miles every day, up and down the wooded country road I grew up on. When we were kids, Amanda and I went with her. I would inevitably fall and scrape my knees, which often led to me fainting right there on the side of the road. In addition to being a walker, I’m a fainter.

My family also went on evening strolls after dinner—up the street a mile, then back down a mile. Sometimes I stopped a few yards before the turn-around spot, and waited. Then, when they got to me, I pretended I was an orphan, and that they found me on the road and were adopting me. I watched a lot of All Dogs Go to Heaven and Annie.

Seattle is a small city, and you can easily go from one end of downtown to the other on foot. I’ve done it plenty of times. I walk from my office to the gym, from my doorstep to the farmer’s market. I have a car and a bus pass, but I just prefer to get around on foot.

Lately, with the cherry blossoms blooming like crazy, the temperatures rising, and the sun staying out later and later each evening, I have a strong desire to just get out there and walk. Not to go anywhere in particular, but just to walk. To take in the fresh air and give my computer-strained eyes a break.

I can usually bribe Evan with snack-stops, but he prefers walks that have a destination in mind (I mean, what he actually prefers is driving). The other day, I tricked him into walking across town to my favorite grocery store and back. The sunny walk and the store’s bountiful produce inspired me to make this springy salad with buttery bibb lettuce, red onions, creamy avocados, juicy oranges, umami filled dressing, feta for tang, and almonds for crunch.

Evan, the non-salad lover, even asked for seconds. Maybe it was all that fresh air. I’ll give partial credit to the walk, but you can taste this salad and decide for yourself!

Avocado & Orange Salad with Sesame Soy Dressing

Serves 2

Dressing

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon mustard (I use spicy brown)

juice from 1/2 lemon

1 teaspoon olive oil 

salt & pepper

Mix ingredients together (either shake in a jar, or whisk in a bowl). 

Salad

1/2 head bibb lettuce, torn into largish bite size pieces

1 orange, peeled and cut into bit size chunks

1 tablespoon diced red onion
Dressing (recipe above)

1 avocado, sliced

1/4 cup almonds, roughly chopped

1/4 cup feta

Fresh ground pepper

Put lettuce, orange, and onion in a bowl, and toss with about half the dressing. Arrange on plates or a platter, and top with avocado slices, almonds, feta, fresh ground pepper, and if desired, more dressing. Note: wait til just before serving to toss dressing with lettuce, to avoid soggy salad. 

Fresh & Green: Spring Pappardelle

Spring Pappardelle

8 oz pappardelle pasta (I like Trader Joe's dried pappardelle)

Butter, olive oil

Half a sweet onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

Handful of the sugar snap peas, asparagus, and broccolini

1 lemon (zest & juice)

1 cup trim cottage cheese

Parmesan cheese

Fresh parsley

Pinenuts, toasted

Salt & pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When water boils, add peas, and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove, set aside. Add pasta to water, and cook until done. Save pasta water.

Meanwhile, while water starts to boil, melt butter and olive oil (about a tablespoon of each) in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions to skillet, and cook until translucent. Add garlic, and cook for a minute or two, until fragrant (but be careful not to burn). Add broccolini, cook for a minute, then asparagus, cook for a minute. Add zest from lemon. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Add pasta & peas to skillet. Add half of cottage cheese, and about a half cup of the pasta water. Stir until combined, and add remaining cottage cheese and grated parmesan. Stir until sauce is creamy and cheese is melty, adding more pasta water or cottage cheese, as necessary. Toss in pine nuts, and parsley before serving. 

A Good Ol' Springtime Luncheon

Can I just tell you what an amazing, fantastic, sunny, warm, beautiful weekend we had in Seattle!? Cherry blossoms are blooming like mad, birdies are chirping. It's insane. I love it SO much. On Saturday, Amanda and I invited friends over for our annual Easter feast. While we made an absolutely delicious yet totally unspringy entree (Guinness beef pie & potatoes, since we missed St. Paddy's), the rest of the menu was super fresh and springy. Perfect for a little spring luncheon! 

So, take off that winter sweater and put on a sun dress or a little floral romper (note: if a coworker asks you what a romper is, don't try to google image search it at work to show him a picture. Not. safe. for. work.). Go barefoot! Put a fresh vase of flowers on the table. Pour some champagne or mix up some white wine spritzers. Turn on some sweet, sunny-time music, and open up the doors and windows. It's spring time!

Spring Luncheon Menu

To sip:

Champagne

White Wine

Porch swing via The Walrus & the Carpenter (pimm’s, gin, lemon, soda, and a slice of apple)

To nibble: 

Crudite: fresh veggies (carrots, asparagus, endive, cucumber) with zippy dill dip

Homemade ricotta via Ina Garten

Asparagus crostini via Epicurious: Swap the goat cheese with homemade ricotta, brush the asparagus with the vinaigrette, and give it a quick grill, instead of blanching

Deviled eggs

To dine:

Fresh Pea Salad (recipe below)

To finish: 

Lemon curd tart via Epicurious

Enjoy!

Fresh Pea Salad

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Drizzle of honey

Pinch of fresh thyme

salt, pepper

2 cups fresh sugar snap peas, cut in half lengthwise (but not down the seam)

1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced

2 big handfuls of arugula

2 green onions, sliced

1 handful of carrot tops, roughly chopped

2 endive spears, thinly sliced

Grated Parmesan 

In a large bowl, whisk olive oil through honey. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add remaining ingredients (excluding parmesan). Toss until salad is combined and coated with dressing. Top with parmesan before serving.