Salad bar -- Fried food detox

Despite my promises I won't be making sushi today. This is because we got back from Spring Break vacation only yesterday afternoon so we didn't have time to prepare and teach ourselves the intricacies of making sushi and because while on vacation one is prone to eat out a lot more. When we were eating out over the past week we had eaten everything from fried chicken to fried pickles and fried alligator (not very heart healthy). Thanks to these factors Mom managed to convince me to make a sort of salad bar, a homemade salad bar. As I sit here I am dreaming up all the things to put out so everyone can make their own salad. Of course we need a lettuce base, and pickles-maybe fried? (special thanks to The Praline Connection in New Orleans) and garbanzo beans and olives and apple and carrot of course. And pickled beets. I'm really digging through the back of our refrigerator now, orange minneolas, celery, smoked salmon, piquillo peppers (left over from Oscar weekend), Now I'm going through the freezer, frozen blueberries, raspberries, a package labeled "mixed berries" (this particular one doesn't appear to have seen the light of day since we moved from Sedro-Woolley, Washington). Now I'm digging through the cupboard, almonds, dried cranberries, raisins, doesn't look like there's anything else. Wait! Chocolate chips? Nah.

What about dressings? I think I'll make a ranch style, mayo based dressing. Now there's nothing left to do but cook (or would it be prepare?).

Real life is a lot different than in your imagination isn't it? Instead of the grand salad bar I had planned we're only going to have apple, carrot, smoked salmon (from our wonderful neighbors Dennis and Liz) and garbanzo beans. At least we have a wonderful loaf of bread and phizzinis.

Phizzini's are a non-alcoholic cocktail Cyrus dreamed up about three years ago. It consists of 50% club soda, any kind, and 50% fruit juice. Which is an amazing combination. Some of our favorite juice flavors are pomegranate, apple or orange. Tonight's juice is tangerine.

Wow. We managed to make a wonderful meal and yet somehow I'm not typing with my arms fully outstretched due to a fully distended stomach (dramatic exaggeration)! I definitely recommend something like this if you want a (ful)filling meal with plenty of fruits and veggies.