Monday, November 8, 2010

A Salad to do MaMa Proud

Mexican inspired salad

Hi!

I know, I know. It's been a while. A really, really long while. And that's not exactly fair to you, but I do ask for your forgiveness, and beg you to return.

I'm going to try to update this blog on a regular basis, so we'll see how that goes.

Now, on to the title of this post. This salad.

This is what I call a MaMa Salad.

A little history:

My MaMa (pronounced Maw Maw for those not familiar with countrified pronunciations), is a feisty 83 year old who is known by all her family for producing some of the craziest salad combinations you can possibly imagine. I think my dad and I are the only ones who would actually eat some of the concoctions. Sometimes we called them "kitchen sink" salads, because she would throw everything but the kitchen sink in the bowl. I think the weirdest one I can remember is the "roast beef salad" of my youth. She'd take left over roast beef, heat it up, and throw it on a pile of lettuce. I know, right? Then there were a few fruit salads that had some veggies mixed in. Nothing like taking a bite of fruit salad to crunch down on a carrot or celery stick.

Yeah, I know. I love my MaMa dearly, but she's not known at the best cook around. She's just creative. And for that, I thank her. She's taught me to be fearless with my cooking, fingernail polish color, brightly colored wardrobe, and crazy sequined tennis shoes.

While some of her creations were, well, less than palatable. Some were wonderful. Because of MaMa Salads, I learned that apples were a real treat tucked in a salad of savory items. And that oranges were just as wonderful.

This little salad I've thrown together is nothing special. In fact, that's what makes it so great. I can go to the store on Monday, buy all the ingredients, and have it all sitting at work ready for me throughout the week. It's easy, and it's good. In fact, because of the non-exact nature of making salads, I'm not including any real measurments. Just eyeball it. It's OK. This is where being creative and adventurous comes in!

Enjoy!

A Salad to do MaMa Proud

  • Diced Ham

  • Cherry Tomatoes (or sliced/diced regular tomatoes)

  • Avocado - diced

  • Bagged Lettuce (or fresh, whatevs)

  • Shredded Cheese

  • Sour Cream (I prefer light)

  • Salsa


Instructions:
Come on, really? You throw it all in a bowl. You can layer it all pretty like I did in the picture, or just make a mess of it. The salsa and sour cream combine into a wonderful dressing. The ham adds a little protien. The rest just makes for a wonderful Mexican inspired salad mix.