Kay Wheeler Moore

Welcome to my blog

Hello. . .

The Newfangled Country Gardener is for anyone who has a garden, would like to have a garden, or who simply enjoys eating the garden-fresh way. I don't claim to be an expert; in this blog I'm simply sharing some of the experiences my husband and I have in preparing food that is home-grown.

About the author

Kay Wheeler Moore is the author of a new cookbook, Way Back in the Country Garden, that features six generations of recipes that call for ingredients that are fresh from the garden. With home gardening surging in popularity as frugal people become more resourceful, this recipe collection and the stories that accompany it ideally will inspire others to cook the garden-fresh way and to preserve their own family food stories as well. The stories in this book center around the Three Red-Haired Miller Girls (Kay's mother and aunts) who grew up in Delta County, TX, with their own backyard garden so lavish that they felt as though they were royalty after their Mama wielded her kitchen magic on all that was homegrown. Introduced in Kay's previous book, Way Back in the Country, the lively Miller Girls again draw readers into their growing-up world, in which a stringent economic era--not unlike today's tight times--saw people turn to the earth to put food on the table for their loved ones. The rollicking yarns (all with recipes attached) have love, family, and faith as common denominators and show how food evocatively bonds us to our life experiences.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Lovely Spring Greens with Strawberries salad—a looker and a luncheon pleaser

What a beautiful salad this was on the Easter dining table! And I didn’t let the fact that Hubby has to avoid strawberries stop me from serving this as a new holiday favorite. Sub a few raspberries where strawberries are called for; I was in business.

Spring Greens with Strawberries was recommended as a recipe in a lovely brunch collection. The minute I spotted it, I remarked to myself, “Easter!” I was right.

Greens, avocado, fresh dill, and sliced fresh strawberries are tossed in a light dressing of olive oil, red-wine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper, and chopped shallot. (I also sprinkled in a few roasted sunflower seeds.)

I held out a portion of the salad mixture and put in fresh raspberries instead of strawberries; this was Hubby’s serving. He was pleased.

How beautiful this looked on the plate! Leftovers were great, as well. Yesterday Hubby and I were bopping out and about; we packed our lunch in a cooler. Instead of hitting the drive-throughs when lunchtime arrived, we stopped, pulled down the tailgate, and opened our plastic-sealed salad containers. We had a great lunch with leftover Spring Greens with Strawberries (or raspberries) salad!

Spring Greens with Strawberries

1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red-wine vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 (5-ounce) package arugula
1 (4-ounce) package watercress
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 avocado, cut into 1-inch pieces

Whisk together first 7 ingredients in a small bowl until mixture is blended. Cover and chill until ready to serve. In a large bowl toss together arugula and next 3 ingredients. Top with avocado; just before you serve drizzle with half of vinaigrette. Serve with remaining vinaigrette. Makes 8 servings. (Source: Southern Living February 2012).


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