Whether you’re hosting a dinner party, or planning a special at home dinner, a delicious salad can leave a lasting impression. To truly wow your dinner companions, think beyond the traditional “house salad” of lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes and carrots and seek inspiration from vibrant fruit, crunchy vegetables, flavorful cheese and tangy dressing. Here are three colorful and delicious salad ideas to get you started!
Browsing Tag
FOOD
Interior of Peter’s Yard
Those who know me well understand that part of my traveling experience is snapping food and drink photos. I didn’t travel to Edinburgh expecting a big foodie city, but left impressed with its charming cafe culture. From artful lattes, to marvelous tea, nutty whole wheat scones and warm, spiced breakfast quinoa, I was a happy girl!
Though I’m often out of town for major holidays, Easter is the one special time of year when my family descends upon Boston for a fun-filled weekend. My parents are probably savvier than some locals, given the amount of time they’ve spent in the city over the past 11 years. This is both a pro and a con, as it’s great that they know the city so well, but challenging in the sense that I’m tasked with planning the perfect mix of fun activities, both new and cherished favorites, for them to enjoy. If you were to ask them, they’d probably tell you that I think about these things too much, but I can’t help myself. I have a reputation to live up to (in my mind at least hehe)!
Inspired by our fun weekend, here are a few highlights from our favorite meals and activities. Feel free to take these ideas for when your family is visiting Boston, or when you’re trying to cater to a larger group of five to seven friends!
Mmmmm….marshmallows! Typically perfect for soaking up hot cocoa or spilling over the side of a gooey s’more, it’s rare that marshmallows are the star of the show…until now. During a jaunt to the SoWa Winter Market, I discovered just how satisfying this confection could be on its own by sampling the toasted coconut mashmallows from Sweet Lydia’s.
Perfectly described as extra fluffy, eight good-sized marshmallows come in a pack for $4.50. While this Savvy Bostonian has only tried toasted coconut, the marshmallows also come in thirteen other tempting flavors like Mocha, Pumpkin Spice and Caramel. In addition to delectable marshmallows, Sweet Lydia’s has other crave-worthy offerings like personalized s’mores (omg!!!) and a cool blog that make her site worth a visit: http://sweetlydias.com/.
Excuse me while I take a bite...
I like it when my food can multitask. I’m so busy these days, that I make one vat of a salad-y item on the weekends and combine it with different ingredients throughout the week. Especially if you’re cooking for one, it’s a great way to avoid that inevitable food boredom.
For this dish, I’m starting with three of my pantry staples, carrots, chickpeas and toasted almonds, and I’m jazzing them up with a flavorful dressing. Made with a tangy, yet delicious blend of lemon juice, fresh cilantro, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne and ground black pepper, the end result makes pantry staples suddenly seem more gourmet.