An easy go-to side dish is salad. Now days one can get just about everything pre-cut, washed and packaged — from the lettuce, to chopped vegetables, and of course bottled dressing. There just seems to be something daunting about making a salad on a weekday after you just worked a 10-hour day. I imagine it’s the chopping. Or, maybe it’s the washing of the vegetables, the peeling, and then the chopping. Whatever the reason, the pre-packaged salad companies are making a mint off consumers.
However, there are those times when even I want a salad that’s just a bit different. I’d like something that isn’t premade and doesn’t come with the salad dressing in a little packet. My go-to salad is one I learned from my dad many years ago, and is found in most southern homes – tomato, cucumber, and onion salad.
This salad is so popular with my family we make it with just about anything. It’s fabulous with spaghetti and goes perfectly with a steak. Best of all, it’s easy to make. Yes, it does require a bit of chopping, but if you’re willing to spend a few minutes in the kitchen, you’ll be happy with the results.
Recently I was in Nebraska visiting my daughter Alex and her husband Randy. They both had to work while I was there, so I offered to make dinner most nights. I enjoyed making these meals because the kids were so thankful to have a hot meal to come home to. I got the feeling they really wanted me to stay forever, mainly to cook. Very flattering indeed. The last meal I made for them was a family favorite: fried pork chops, rice and gravy, and the salad. Alex refers to it as the salad, because one of her school friends loved eating at our house whenever I made it.
I have to say Randy isn’t a terribly verbose fella and rarely starts a conversation. Whenever I inquired as to how he like a particular dish or meal, he would quietly respond, “It’s good.” Sometimes it was hard to tell if he really liked the food or was just too polite. I can imagine the scenario playing out in his head of telling his mother-in-law, who writes a food column and owns a food tour, that he didn’t like a dish she made. In his mind, I bet he thinks I’d dump the plate on his head and burst into tears. Of course, that wouldn’t actually happen. I would never dream of dumping a plate of food that I spent hours making on someone’s head. That would just be rude. Right?
In any case, he clearly stated he liked the chops, rice and gravy, and then I noticed it. He was covertly moving the onions out of salad to the side of his plate. He looked up, our eyes met, and Alex hurriedly explained Randy didn’t like raw onions. I laughed and said that neither did Grant, so enjoy the cucumbers and tomatoes. Randy continued to give me sideways glances for a bit; until he realized I wasn’t going to go wonky on him and throw things. Seriously, what does Alex tell this boy about me?
I offered to clean the kitchen when dinner was done and Randy jumped up and took over. Alex said we should not disturb him and we quietly sneaked into the living room. It’s been our experience that when the hubby wants to clean the kitchen, you should let him. It may not happen again for a while. Take advantage of the moment.
My visit with the kids was fantastic and Nebraska is quite lovely in the fall. We all had a wonderful time together. I look forward to a return visit next year. I think I’ll work on some weird facial expressions to taunt the boy. After all, it’s a mother-in-law’s responsibility to keep the young man on his toes.
This week I present a dish that is delicious, easy to make, and full of flavor: Tomato, Cucumber and Onion Salad. If you don’t eat directly from the bowl (avoid cross contamination) you can reuse the dressing for future salads and even sandwiches.
Until next time…
Eat and enjoy,
Midgi
