This salad is goooood.

Yesterday, I made an arugula, apple and manchego cheese salad with cider vinaigrette for a dear friend's birthday lunch.  The recipe is from www.onceuponachef.com.   It.was.so.good.  And the presentation was beautiful.  I gave the lunch a European touch by adding a bottle of wine paired perfectly with the salad.  Thanks Bin 201 (for locals and beyond ~ right across from Whole Foods in the Parole Center).  

So, what can you say about a salad?  Well, here goes.  The salad felt fancy.  Like maybe Fancy Nancy will serve it to her mom in her next book or something.  And it's minimal ingredients ~ baby arugula, sliced almonds, thinly sliced apples and I added grilled chicken for some protein.  The dressing is homemade and so deliciously easy to make.  Even a poorly stocked pantry (I hope I'm not talking to you right now...I mean, poorly stocked...get it together and move up to a 'well stocked' pantry...doesn't have to be perfect, but poorly kinda sucks.  I'm just sayin').  So, back to business.  Even a 'poorly stocked pantry' should have what it takes to make the cider vinaigrette.  Except maybe shallots.  Which shouldn't be in your pantry anyways.  So take them out of there if for some reason that's where they are.  Go ahead, I'll wait.

Okay.  Glad that's cleared up.  I made the dressing in a 'borrowed' mason jar (maybe I'll return it someday Terri, but probably not.  I have so many dressings to make).  Again, think presentation is part of a good meal and loved 'dressing' the salad out of an old-fashioned mason jar (and yes, I have a clear conscience even if the jar should be returned to its original owner).   We ate off paper plates for easy clean-up and drank wine out of plastic cups (the nice kind...sturdy, clear plastic left over from another event, so stop judging, okay).  We sipped on a Spanish wine ~ Finca La Emperatriz, Viura (Rioja, Spain) 2009 (http://www.bin201.com/).  It really did go well with the salad, so if you make it and like wine, get this one.  It was about $12.  Great value!

We ended the meal with another recipe off www.onceuponachef.com.  Her doughnut muffins made by another dear friend.  Um, wow.   They really did taste like doughnuts.  Such a nice treat.  And I was able to find a blue crayola crayon candle so we could sing a proper 'Happy Birthday' complete with making a wish at the end.  It was so much fun. 

I give this meal and the entire experience a 10/10.  The only improvement would've been to have everyone with us.   But I'm confident we will do this again soon.  So here's to birthdays and friends, good meals and wine. 

Happy Cooking!  Happy Eating!

Yoyo