7.12.2010

Could you pass me that bottle of rosé? Thanks.

Ah, summer. While some look at it as a time for vacations and activity and excitement, I think of it as a time to become a complete slacker. Maybe it's because I grew up in Texas, where the summers are so hot that people actually die, or maybe it's because i was such a nerd at school that sumer was the only time i didn't feel like I needed to achieve... I don't know. But even as an adult, while people around me are planning vacations and projects and all that kind of stuff, I just want to lie back with a cool beverage and enjoy the air conditioning.

Now. I will still hoist myself off the couch to make a delicious meal. The difference, though, is the amount of actual WORK i'm willing to go through. Chopping, peeling, slicing, yes; roasting, simmering... not so much. And recently that I have become COMPLETELY addicted to the roasted chickens at Whole Foods*. I have tried every flavor, and they all taste exactly the same, whether it's "classic" or "vanilla pepper" or "buffalo." So I don't even bother picking a flavor, I just grab one and head to the produce department to get the ingredients for the delicious salad I'm going to make to go with it.

(I used to live across the street from these two lovely Scottish girls who would have me and my roommates over for dinner quite a lot, which was awesome, and they always added fruit to green salads. Now, I'd had salads with fruit dressings, and citrus was nothing unusual for me
in a salad, and there was a time when everyone put raspberries in everything, but I'd never had a spinach salad with strawberries in it. STRAWBERRIES! Blew my mind. Now I love to add fruit to my green salads: blackberries, melon, peaches... and that is why I've gathered you here today.)

Peaches partner ridiculously well with tomatoes, which isn't surprising, really, if you think about it in regard to when they're in season ... and tomatoes are classic on salads, so... why the heck not mix 'em? You could also throw in a little fresh corn if you had it. I didn't, so I didn't bother.


Green Salad with Peaches, Tomatoes, and Feta
(Enough for 2, goes perfectly with store-bought roast chicken)

2 generous handfuls spring mix
1 garlic clove, cut in half
2 tablespoons (give or take) balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup (give or take) olive oil
1 large tomato, cored and cut into wedges
1 peach, stone removed and cut into wedges (peeled, if you like)
1/4 cup (give or take) crumbled feta
Salt and pepper

Wash the lettuce, spin dry or drain really well in a colander (use paper towels on top). Rub the inside of a mixing bowl with the cut side of the garlic; discard the garlic (or use it to make garlic bread, like I did).

Add the vinegar to the bowl, then gradually whisk in the oil until the oil is blended in. Add the tomatoes, peaches, feta, and greens, and toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper. Be excited that you have an awesome meal that took like 5 minutes to make.