The Lemon Vinaigrette Makes This Salad Outstanding!

When I gave a bridal shower for my daughter Randi in May of 2006, of course I went all out. Randi is the sweetest, most wonderful daughter to me, and as far as I’m concerned, nothing I can ever do for her is enough. I held the shower at my friend Jim’s house in Bricktown, New Jersey. We had about 40 people as guests. Anyway, it was a wonderful day. The weather was beautiful, and the guests were able to sit out by the pool. I had worked hard for weeks before doing as much as possible in advance. Most of my preparations, though took place during the week of the shower, which was a little difficult since I didn’t take one day off from work. The food spread was incredible! Here is the menu: macaroni and cheese casserole, french toast bread pudding, noodle kugel, mushroom, spinach, and Gruyere egg casserole, a strata (which I really didn’t like), lime jello mold, tossed salad with vinaigrette, tuna salad and egg salad, sliced cheeses, bagels and assorted cream cheeses, and finally, incredible smoked fish platters from the amazing Jerry and Harvey’s Delicatessen in Marlboro, NJ (their appetizing stuff is the best!). Luckily, I did get a little help. My Aunt Sally Hindes made the egg salad, and my mother, Shirley Fried, made her lime jello mold. But you have to understand, that I’m not complaining. I loved making everything for the shower. I live for these family milestones, and I love every second of the preparations involved. Of course, we had dessert, and everything was homemade (by me). I baked cheesecake, carrot cake, my vanilla cake with chocolate frosting, chocolate chip cookies, jam diagonals, oatmeal cookies, and rugeluch. The food was wonderful, but the real reason the shower was so outstanding was because of how sweet and incredible Randi is. How lucky I am to be blessed with Randi as a daughter.

for the vinaigrette:

• juice from 1 large lemon (about ¼ cup)
• ½ cup olive oil (I use a combination of light and extra virgin)
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

For this particular party, I made a huge salad so I doubled the recipe for the vinaigrette as follows:

• ½ cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
• 1 cup olive oil (combination of light and extra virgin)
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

In a mixing bowl, whisk the lemon juice, the oregano, the salt, the pepper, and the garlic. Then add the oil slowly as you continue to whisk. You can make this earlier in the day, and put it in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Then when you are ready to use it, give it a few good shakes, and pour it over the salad right before you serve the salad.

for a really big salad:

a combination of romaine and green leaf lettuce

2 English cucumbers, sliced lengthwise and then cut in half

2 pints of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 red onion, sliced thinly

2 large red bell peppers, cut into ½ inch pieces

1 large green bell pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces

Note: Possible additions to the salad include black or green olives, radishes, 4-8 ounces of feta cheese crumbled, good croutons

Christmas is that time a year when food is definitely at the top of the list.  Each year that favored family Christmas recipe is made and eagerly sought after by everyone.  You can hear the voices in the corner sometimes, asking if aunt so and so brought her favorite recipe this year. 

Judy there is a lot of recipes to go through here and I was wondering if you could compile a short list of Christmas recipes in your next post .

David

When I was a little girl, my father, my brother, and I  would visit his mother, my Grandma Fried, on the weekend.  My grandmother was a wonderful, wonderful person who had come over from Hungary sometime around 1910.  She was a good European cook, and I loved eating her foods.  Sometimes, she would make one of her specialties, her cucumber salad, and give my father a jar to bring home.  My mother and father loved these.  When I got married, I started making this recipe, because I knew how much my parents, but especially my father appreciated it.  I like to make this recipe instead of salad especially for a big holiday dinner .  People have so many different things to put on their plate, and it’s easy to squeeze some of these cucumbers on their plates.  This dish is refreshing and it’s nice for a change instead of salad. 

• 5-6 large cucumbers (the greenhouse cucumbers are best)
• Water
• Kosher salt
• 3/4 cup white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Peel and slice cucumbers very thinly and place in colander.  Sprinkle them with the Kosher salt and put a heavy plate directly over the cucumbers; press down.  Let sit for about an hour.  Rinse salt off with water, drain well.  Put in serving bowl.  Pour the vinegar and sugar over the cucumbers.  Refrigerate a few hours or overnight.  

Note:  You can make these a few days in advance.  The cucumbers shrink in size, so you will need more than you think.  Besides, they are great to go with holiday leftovers.