Salad

My friend Peter thinks I make the best salads. And frankly, I have to agree.

Here's my no fail recipe:

romain lettuce, torn into pieces
kalamata olives
big chunks of feta cheese
capers (that is the secret ingredient... around these parts, I buy my capers in big jars at our local Job Lot. For those of you elsewhere, try Cosco.)
And Newman's Own olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing.

That is my every day salad. If I want to get fancy, I might add jarred artichoke hearts, red onion or some raddiccio. If I am making my own dressing, it is a lemon juice, olive oil, salt and garlic combination that I learned from my french former step-uncle.

I like wooden salad bowls. The best one I have is from a church yard sale. It is a single piece of maple that is beautifully carved. By now it is completely impregnated with oil, so it is sticky on the outside. But it is a dark, warm color, and it miraculously holds just the right amount of salad, no matter how many people are eating it. (It is like my loaves and fishes salad bowl)

I'll post a picture later.