Killer summer salad

dreadnut

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Just made this, it's chillin' in the 'fridge. Asparagus, grape tomatoes, and goat cheese salad. Will add the goat cheese just prior to serving. Making pan-fried pork chops for the main dish.

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dreadnut

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1/4 C Balsamic vinegar, 1 t Dijon mustard, 1 t minced garlic, 1 T olive oil, 1 t honey, coarse ground black pepper to taste. Blanch the asparagus for 3 minutes then run under cold water in a colander to stop the cooking process. Toss everything together and chill, except add the goat cheese just prior to serving. Serve, and get out of the way!
 

gjmalcyon

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I'm the weekend cook and I'm making this for the coming weekend. Should be the last weekend for Jersey farm stand asparagus, so I'll end the season with this. I like to grill asparagus, so I'll try that along with lightly roasted tomatoes and garlic.
 

dreadnut

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Well that turned out great! Me and Mrs. Dread and our 26 yr. old son demolished it! Along with pan-fried pork chops and mini-redskin potatoes with butter and fresh rosemary.

I'm thinking of adding some big juicy scallops to the salad next time...
 

Opsimath

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You are quite the chef indeed.

Did you grow any of the veggies yourself? Milk the goat? Make the cheese?

I am given to understand that an asparagus bed takes 5 years to establish. I also understand that cherry tomatoes are easy to grow and are big producers, but I've never grown them. Don't know much about milking goats, but we have a Jersey milk cow named Madeline.

Sounds like you put together a really nice meal. I think I've used up the last of the pork chops that were in the freezer so will have to restock. By the way, really enjoyed your pork chop recipe with the sauerkraut and applesauce. I think a few of the packages of pork chops went to that recipe.

I may try your dressing on some of the veggies we have growing. I've been eating cucumbers and balsamic vinaigrette dressing almost every day for the past couple of weeks, and still can't make a dent in the pile of cucumbers. 200 feet of cucumber plants makes a whole lot of cucumbers.

You like hot stuff, right? I planted a ghost pepper plant last year so this is its second year, and it has gotten about 5 feet tall. Yesterday I picked 2 dozen red ghost peppers. There are still orange ones and green ones on the bush, and it's still making blooms. I don't know what to do with the peppers. I'm not really a fan of hot stuff and my son who likes a little heat says these are too hot for him. What use would you come up with for them?

My husband asked what I was going to do with them. I said I was going to bake them into cookies. Of course I was just kidding!
 

dreadnut

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As my guitar students would tell you, I'm all about economy of effort. I grew up on a small farm, but farming is a lot of work as you are well aware. So I buy produce when it is in season. I'll be canning salsa when I can buy tomatoes and peppers ridiculously cheap. Same with other stuff. The only things I'm growing this year are several different basils, thyme, rosemary on my deck right off the kitchen door.

Those hot cookies actually sound really good! My friend's Mom makes basil-lime cookies, they are to die for.

Did you try my Mexican cucumber salad? I learned this one when I was cooking in the Yucatan Peninsula on a mission trip. Make your regular cucumber salad (mine has sliced cucumbers, sliced onions, vinegar, brown sugar, black pepper, you know the drill.) But then just before serving, add cubed watermelon...
 

Opsimath

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Hot cookies? Ghost pepper hot? Are you sure?

Get me a recipe and I'll send you some cookies. In fact, all of them 'cause I ain't touchin' 'em!!

I recall a commercial from years ago, don't remember the product, but they were talking about chili and one guy says something along the lines of, "Hot? That ain't hot. It won't eat but halfway through a 2x4".

I can't even imagine. Nor do I wish to know.

The cucumber salad sounds really good. Unfortunately my husband planted his cucumbers way before I got my watermelons (and cantaloupes) in the ground so they're not quite lining up for a home grown salad. However, the way the cucumbers are producing there could be a chance that we'll still have cucumbers when the melons are ready. Maybe.
 

dreadnut

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All this talk of watermelons and chainsaws - reminds me of Charles Bronson in "Mr. Majestyk."
 
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