I’ll call it a “Layer Salad Cup” until I find the proper name for this, but this is what it looks like. I especially liked this image because of how the plastic fork was incorporated into the meal.
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I could see a Mexican themed cup with the following or combinations of the following items:
Cilantro
Green Chilis
Jalapeno
Avocado
Corn
Tomato
Onion
Sweet Bell Pepper
Romaine Lettuce
Sour Cream
Black Bean Hummus
Guacamole
Cornbread (crumbled)
Or how about an entirely different route:
Hummus
Black Bean Hummus
Smoked Oysters
Onion
Tomato
Carrots
Olives
Sweet Bell Pepper
I came across this recipe while looking for things to serve with salmon.
I had a simple Cucumber & Sweet Onion Salad tonight. I’m not sure I think of it as a “salad,” but I’ve grown up with it since I was a child. My Aunt Sis made it, and it is so simple: sweet onion, cucumber (with or without the skins), vinegar & sugar (or in my case now, sweetener). Maybe a little salt would cause the flavors to “pop.”
*I’m not sure of what kind of onion my aunt used, because we didn’t grow up with Vidalia onions, and “sweet” onions only came along after the Vidalia became popular. My guess is that the “sweet onions” don’t take the name Vidalia because they aren’t grown in the “Vidalia” region of Georgia much like certain wines or chesses can’t take on a specific name because they don’t come from a specific region of France, or Italy, or elsewhere. *Now that I think of it, we didn’t grow up with English Cucumbers either, but I don’t recall regular cucumbers as being as bitter as they now are.
But then I came upon an Asian Cucumber Salad online that piqued my interest. So much so that, I got up and made a test sample to see if it would have a distinct flavor… and boy, IT DID!
First, you’ve got to know that I’ve fallen in love with the flavor of “Spicy Chili Crisp.” I found this while looking for something to add to my Stir-Fries, as a “change-up” flavor. It is about the cheapest chili oil that you can find, and it only costs about $5 at Walmart. And I like it just from the jar. It has an earthy flavor.
My version:
INGREDIENTS
English Cucumber
Spicy Chili Crisp
Toasted Sesame Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Garlic Powder
Splenda Sweetener
Salt
Sesame Seeds
Romaine Lettuce (if you have it)
I’m thinking that this sauce would spiff up more than just cucumbers. Maybe Cannellini beans, or even green beans, or the two combined. Maybe this direction is based upon me thinking about a 3 Bean Salad, where beans are combined with vinegar & sweetener. Kidney beans & Garbanzos?
I have some pork chops that I think would go well with this Asian Cucumber Salad. Another thought, is using this sauce either on raw or roasted cauliflower. I’ve had something like this on roasted cauliflower, but I didn’t have the sweet vinegar. I think that is exactly what it would need. Oh wait, the roasted cauliflower had turmeric & garlic. I usually prefer sweet to savory flavors.
Spicy Asian Cabbage
I had steamed cabbage tonight and added Spicy Chili Crisp, sweetener, toasted sesame oil, and white sesame seeds. I may have liked these flavors together better than the Spicy Asian Cucumbers. I ate this with a pork chop that had agave nectar and some lime juice. I did not add soy sauce or vinegar, although that should be at least one taste test later on.
Yes, I do like the Asian seasonings with the steamed cabbage. I have made this about three times and I like it each time. I’ve also tried “smashing” the cucumbers to provide more surface area for the sauce to stick to. After I smash them, I sprinkle on some salt and set it in the fridge. After a while I pour off the liquid that has leached from the cucumbers and then add the Asian seasonings.
Broiled pork chop, charred onion, pickled beets and Asian Steamed Cabbage.
Note the one fried peanut (the red bean) that comes from the Spicy Chili Crisp.
The Publix I usually go to, just down from Harris Teeter in the Tallywood Shopping Center, discontinued their Deli salads a few years ago. I enjoyed this Quinoa Salad, but also they had a Wakame Seaweed Salad that I liked. I found a jar of Seaweed Salad at Hex in Cary but it has to be “doctored” to take on the flavors that I liked from the Publix salad. Add: soy sauce, red wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes. This reminds me of of the Dolce K Sweet Olive Mix at Whole Foods. Not because of the flavors but because of the complexity that makes up the mix.
I was just on the Publix web site and here are the listed ingredients for their Quinoa Salad.
Ingredients
Quinoa Salad {Quinoa, Lime juice, Canola Oil And Extra Virgin Olive oil Blend, Water, Lemon Juice, Sugar, Contains 2% Or Less Of The Following: Orange puree (Orange Pulp Cells, Concentrated orange Juice, Water, Orange Peel, Orange oil) Sea Salt, Sesame Oil, Spices}, Dried fruit And Nut Mix (Cranberries{Cranberries, sugar, Glycerin, Sunflower Oil}, Peanuts (Peanuts, Canola Oil), Roasted Pumpkin Seed {Pumpkin Seeds, Canola Oil}) Spinach, Edamame {Soy Beans}.
Edamame and soybeans are from the same plant but edamame is picked from the immature soy plant in July and August before it is fully mature. “It’s like picking a tomato that’s still green.” Green edamame is harvested from a still-ripening soy plant.
*I have made this Quinoa Salad at home successfully, but not it quite a while,
As I read the first paragraph I think on how diverse my palate is. Seaweed salad, Quinoa salad, Dolce K Sweet Olive Mix, smoked oysters with homemade hummus, turmeric & vinegar added to tomatoes, sweet bell pepper and sweet onion. Chicken livers & gizzards. Beef/calf liver. Souse and liver pudding. Goat & cow cheeses.
I’m also reminded of the changes that have occurred to the Tallywood Shopping Center since I first came to Fayetteville about 30 years ago.
On the corner was a small garage that I went to for basic maintenance. I don’t recall the name of the place, but the building, after several years of being vacant, was torn down and a drive-thru coffee shop built. Next to the coffee shop location is Biscuitville, which recently (is that one or two years now) replaced the Hardees. And a MiCasita which had been next to a carpet store. But in the back where the new Publix was built were several smaller shops and a (was that?) Belks. One of the smaller shops was School Tools Of Fayetteville NC, which moved for a few years over on Robeson Street, but now is just down from the Harris Teeter and the Post Office.
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The first Publix I recall visiting was in Georgia some years ago when I was visiting either my dad, or my half-sister Donna. Don’t recall what I bought, but after visiting another Publix, elsewhere, I noted that they were a “cut above” and with greater choices. I like this Publix and have a good rapport with the bakery. They will half a loaf with no grumbling. I like the Round Bone Lamb Chops that they have imported from New Zealand.
I also like the frozen shrimp that I use for my Zucchini/Kielbasa/Shrimp dish, but more than once have found that they either don’t have a clue that they sell this product, or can’t manage to put it on the shelf (in a timely manner). And “on the shelf” is rhetorical because the shrimp are in a freezer with a see-thru door. After asking about these, I found myself in a Cary Publix where I had no problem getting the frozen shrimp. *The shrimp come in a resealable bag, but sometimes I divide these into about 15 shrimp in smaller bags and then put them all back in the big reseal bag. Then I just have to put the smaller bag into the microwave under the “2.0” defrost setting. It takes less than 15 minutes to thaw the shrimp, and that allows for the time to cook the pasta (the small shells) . And both of those happen as the kielbasa, onions, and zucchini (with a little tomato to color the sauce) are cooking. *This process reminds me of the precise process I use to make my Pastrami Reubens (Rachels) which turn out perfectly almost every time.
Butter the outsides of the two slices of seeded rye bread and toast’em. Flip them over after the butter and bread are browned and put on a slice of Swiss on each and melt the cheese. Squeeze out the moisture in the sauerkraut to be put on the sandwich, but also put some more sauerkraut on a plate to be mixed with the homemade Thousand Island dressing. *It came to me that if the sauerkraut and dressing were good on the sandwich, they would be good together as a side dish, and they were/are.
The Thousand Island dressing consists of: Dukes Mayo, Heinz Ketchup, Relish, finely diced sweet onion (Vidalia), some hot sauce (Texas Pete not Frank’s), S&P.
I don’t heat the Pastrami but place a slice or two on each toasted slice of the rye bread. The idea being that the melted Swiss and the Pastrami will both keep any extra moisture from leeching out from the sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing and making the bread soggy. And, this works!
The sandwich has a lot of flavor and it isn’t messy, although it could be. Add some chips and a Ranch Dill pickle and maybe a side of the sauerkraut & dressing, and you have a good lunch.
And the Ranch Dill (spear) is easily made. Buy a cheap jar of the Dill Spears at WalMart. Buy a cheap package of the Ranch Dressing powder (about 50 cents at Food Lion) or the Hidden Valley packet for about $1.50. You can drain the juice to mix with the powder and then pour it all back into the pickle jar. Seal it, and put it in the fridge for a day and then enjoy, as needed.
IGA currently has a small, but not single serving size, bag of Wavy potato chips that only costs about $1.48.
The rye bread and the chips are a “splurge” for a Type 2 diabetic, and the salt and fat in the Pastrami…
Did I mention that the plastic container that the Hillshire Farms Pastrami comes in is reusable? If you can buy the Pastrami at WalMart for less than $5, then that makes the reusable container “a deal.” And the company has intentionally made this container easily reusable. Their advertising is printed on a cardboard sheet which is attached to the red “see thru” lid with some of that stretchy gluey stuff. Peels off easily. I have quite a few of the Rubbermaid Easy Find storage containers, but the Hillshire Farms tubs work well for many other things. I recently put some homemade hummus and black bean hummus in a single container. The differences in color of the two hummi (I’ve never used the plural of hummus before, and am not sure if there is a plural… but I know that it ain’t “shrimps,” but “shrimp” looked good in the container. But these smaller containers also work for leftovers, and now that I think of it, I put my bacon (uncooked) in one of the Hillshire Farms tubs. I slice the bacon in half and both halves then fit easily in the small tub.
If I should live so long, I will be 70 years old in 17 days, January 18, 2024. I think I am supposed to live to be 82 years old, but that might not be correct.
For about a month and a half, I have been paying a lot of attention to what I have been eating. The MyFitnessPal web site has made it easy for me to keep track of & to plan my food intake. I think FitDay provided more precise creation of food items, but MyFitnessPal has many items already, if you just search for them. But, it was nice to be able to enter the nutritional values for each food item.
I had Seafood Chowder for lunch today and some of the left over Grilled Salmon Salad (minus the salmon). The salad wasn’t as delectable as I had thought yesterday. I picked over the seedless cucumber slices. I fixed some blackeyed peas with seasoning meat, and white potatoes. I also doctored up some canned collards. Still, Mary Ann’s collards, from scratch, are much, much, much better. I made a meal off of her collards and slices of tomato the last time she fixed them.
This morning was a bump in the wrong direction for both my weight and my blood glucose level. My weight jumped from 251.8 up to 255.2. Not sure if it was the salmon, and/or the cilantro-lime dressing on the accompanying salad, and/or the “tasting” that I made while cooking for today’s meals early this morning. My Bgl jumped from 125 resting yesterday to 145 resting this morning. Now some of that might have been the “little tastings” that I made while cooking the blackeyed peas and the collards. Also, if I drink my “Bill’s Drink” after midnight, that has some real fruit juices (orange and cranberry) in addition to the artificial flavorings which affect my Bgl. *A note on my Bill’s Drink, is that it is also delicious when hot (microwave it). I have drank a bunch of this drink for several months and have not become tired of it yet.
I’ve lost about 10 lbs. although that jumped back up by about 3.5 lbs. this morning. I expect that to be an aberration, that I can correct. But I have also noted that my resting Bgl each morning has been averaging at lower levels. It is a little less than 140 Bgl.
The above graphics look very positive to me, even with today’s blip in the wrong direction. I wanted to add fish (salmon) to the meats I cook at home, but for whatever reason, either the salmon, or the salad dressing cause the negative reaction. I have been eating “right” and the above graphs are showing the positive numbers.
For years, I have said that if I had a choice for my last meal, I would have a “mess of” blackeyed peas, seasoned with ham hock and diced Vidalia (sweet) onion, at this was true until now. I had some good blackeyed peas for dinner today, but that’s not what I would want for my last meal. I’ve been enjoying a Greek Salad, with homemade dressing (simple: red wine vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, sweetener). This dressing is deliciously tart. The salad ingredients include: Hearts of Romaine Lettuce, Kalamata olives, sweet onion, grape tomatoes, Feta cheese and Pepperoncini peppers. *I almost have a need to eat this salad at least every other day. Love the flavors.
I like the Greek Salad at Pharoah’s Legacy along with the Lamb Gyro, but I am thinking that I may make my own Greek Salad with the homemade dressing and take it with me and order just the Lamb Gyro there, and eat it all together out in my car. I can’t do the shaved lamb, but the salad & dressing, hmmm. I’m especially loving the tartness of the Pepperoncini Peppers with this salad.
I found Hearts of Romaine lettuce at Walmart for less than $3. The package is small, but I haven’t been able to use it all before some of it turns brown… until this last time, when I wrapped the lettuce in a paper towel and rolled it up tight in a plastic bag & twist tie. I also found a deal on Pepperoncini Peppers at Food Lion and bought one, maybe two jars of those. Oh, and I’ve finally found a cracker (made of rice) at Harris Teeter that has good flavor, isn’t wheat based, and stays really crisp even when the surface becomes wet. I like these crackers with my salads. They provide a crunch.
[NOTE 02/16/24]: I was eating a Greek Salad at least every other day, and was using Romaine lettuce in it. But as I said above, the Romaine lettuce, even in the small packages, turned brown before I had finished using it. So, I happened to see a whole head of Romaine in Food Lion and decided to buy it. And, that has proven to be the answer. I pull off a leaf or two and chop it up for each salad, and the rest doesn’t turn brown, except for maybe the last little stalk end, and I get rid of the small amount of brown lettuce each time I chop a leaf or two. [end NOTE]
Library Book Sales
Wilmington, NC 1241 Military Cutoff Rd 01/19-20/24 Fri-Sat 10 AM – 5 PM
Washington, NC 110 Gladden Street 01/19-20/24 Fri-Sat 9 AM – 5 PM
[NOTE 01/21/24]: I ended up getting to both library book sales, first to the Wilmington location and then to the Washington location. I found more Connelly novels in Washington than Wilmington. I bought 10 hardbacks in Washington. I also ate lunch at “Down on Main Street” in Little Washington and it was extremely delicious. Shrimp burger with coleslaw on the sandwich, and fried okra, with a Diet Pepsi.
[NOTE 08/05/24]: Actually, I ate at Pharaoh’s Legacy for lunch today and had the Lamb Gyro Pita with their House Greek Salad. But as I have at least once before, I took a sandwich baggie with some sweet onion, a few Kalamata olives, a Pepperoncini pepper and a few yellow grape tomatoes.
I only have about 30 pages left to read of the Sully Sullenberger bio. And ironically, there was an Air Disaster episode on TV this afternoon featuring the “Miracle on the Hudson.” I understood a great deal more about this event by having freshly read the details in the bio. [end NOTE]
[01/01/25]: Another year has passed. If I should live so long, I will be 71 years old in 17 days, January 18, 2025. I was just down at Mary Ann’s over the Christmas holiday, but am already thinking that I will go back on our birthday, if she is feeling okay.
I doubled some of the original ingredients the first time I made this, and it came out wonderfully! The smoked paprika gave the dressing a beautiful glossy ruby color. As I recall, I thought this was excellent, and then when I actually put it on a salad, I just thought, “ah, so so.” Still, this is one dressing, along with ranch that I like to put on my salads when I visit Ruby Tuesday’s.
I think my confusion was because some restaurants have called this dressing either French or Russian, but after perusing the Internet, I think Catalina is the correct label.
Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice, more to taste
1/2 cup mayo/Greek Yogurt
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves
1/2 a jalapeno, sliced (more for more heat)
1/2 teaspoon honey/Agave Nectar, more to taste
1/2 cup cilantro, packed (tender stems OK)
I made this without modifications except for using Agave Nectar instead of honey. I like the flavor, and it heads a little more toward savory, and not sweet, like I usually like. Made a little less than a pint. This came as part of a Grilled Salmon Salad with this dressing, which I am planning to make tomorrow for the first time.
[NOTE 03/02/25]: I made this again, and I only used half of the amounts shown above, used Plain Greek Yogurt instead of mayo, Agave Nectar instead of honey, and processed it all in my chopper. It is a very pleasant alternative to my regular dressings. The Greek Yogurt makes this even more tart along with the lime juice, and there isn’t enough jalapeno to make this hot. I think it would go well with the stir fried green beans, or a simple salad along with stir fried chicken livers. [end NOTE]
[NOTE 05/02/25]:
cilantro
jalapeno
Ajicitos Dulces pepper
sour cream
lime juice
garlic powder
cumin powder
Ranch Dressing Powder (cheap 50 cents packet from Food Lion)
I did not add any sweetener or use Plain Greek Yogurt, although the yogurt would probably do just as well as the Sour Cream I used, and would certainly have less calories. I have made this twice and the Ranch Dressing powder does not take anything away from this sauce. I could also use Fenugreek powder, and I think this would be a positive addition. I added one Ajicitos Dulces pepper because they still had them a Compare foods in Fayetteville. I am also thinking that adding a tomatillo would not negate any of the existing flavors, although it might make the sauce thinner.
[end NOTE]
RANCH
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk or regular milk
¾ – 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon finely cracked pepper
freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste approximately 1-3 teaspoons, adjust to taste*
I have not tried to make this, and when I do, if it is not good, I will either modify it or try to find a better recipe. Also, I will probably use lime juice instead of lemon, or maybe vinegar.
NOTE [ 11/02/23 ]: Okay, I just made this but only half measures and it did turn out good. Half filled a pint Ball/Mason jar, so I guess going exactly by the recipe would make a pint of homemade Ranch dressing.
I did use lime juice instead of lemon juice. I bought a quart of buttermilk, which I will probably use for nothing else. For the salad, I used mixed Spring greens, sweet onion, Campari & cherry tomatoes, and sweet red bell pepper. And, I had a slice of Tuscan Boule Loaf bread with it. Bought a new loaf this afternoon at Publix.
The only real problem with me making this instead of buying a commercial version is acquiring the buttermilk each time. *I’ve read something about making a buttermilk substitute, and may explore that.
NOTE[ 11/19/23 ]: Made it again and this time went by the recipe above, but substituting lime juice for lemon juice (again), and it makes a pint of Buttermilk Ranch Dressing. *The buttermilk still tasted good, and this has been 3 weeks in the refrigerator since the first time I made this dressing. **Also thought that maybe this dressing would be good on steamed cabbage (since I didn’t like the mustard sauce).
THOUSAND ISLAND
mayonnaise
catchup
hot sauce
finely diced sweet onion
sweet relish.
I use this on my Pastrami Rachel (Reuben) Sandwiches. I put the Thousand Island Dressing on the sauerkraut, on the sandwich. I found that I can use sauerkraut as a “side,” and just add some Thousand Island Dressing to “turn it.” This is simple to make and is delicious.
ZESTY ITALIAN
dijon mustard
red wine vinegar
olive oil
sweetener
italian spices (oregano)
Not sure that this will be Zesty Italian Dressing, but this is what I use on my Greek Salad. Simple and yet the vinegar for the salad “cuts” the heaviness of a spaghetti sauce, or a round bone lamb chop. I get a lamb gyro at Pharaoh’s Legacy Restaurant and a Greek Salad, on which they dress with a Zesty Italian dressing.
[ NOTE 12/30/23 ]: I add a little sweetener to this, and I have made this a bunch in the last month.
My basic ingredients for the Greek Salad: romaine lettuce/spring mix, sweet onion, quartered small tomatoes, feta cheese crumbles and perhaps cubed cucumber.
NOTE [ 11/02/23 ]: Jeff and I had lunch together today at “Chicken Salad Chick” in Fayetteville. I had never been, but recall when it first opened that the Hendricks had gone and liked it. There were quite a number of customers, in groups, mostly older women. But we did have fun with a young woman who had trouble parking her little red car in one of the side spaces. She took an incredibly long time parking and it became funny. I mentioned her to Jeff who turned around for a brief look. And later as Jeff and I were leaving, a woman at another booth mentioned the girl’s parking. I said that I was going out to “harrass” the girl, and I took out a $5 bill, walked outside to the girl who was “finally” coming inside, gave her the money and told her we appreciated her parking effort. She seemed like a nice person, and it was an incredible act on her part, a tenacious effort to “get it right.”
NOTE [ 11/26/23 ]: I just fixed another Greek Salad. But I had a few extra items that made this one especially delicious. I did not have cucumber, and really did not want it. I had three types of olives: Kalamata (Mezzetta), Nicoise (Fresh Market) and Picholine (Fresh Market). Only the Kalamata olives were pitted. I also had some Pepperoncini Peppers (Mezzetta) and had bought a bag of “Hearts of Romaine” lettuce at Walmart yesterday. *Walmart has a bag of “Hearts of Romaine” lettuce by Marketside for about $3. If the quality and price stay the same, and this lettuce looked great, then I will buy this again as the basis for my house and Greek salads.
I chopped up a little jalapeno, some sweet onion, added some Feta crumbles and made a simple Italian salad dressing:
Olive Oil 1/2 C
Red Wine Vinegar 1/3 C
Dijon mustard 1T
Italian Seasoning
Garlic Powder
Agave Nectar/Splenda
S&P
I don’t want to use iceberg lettuce for my salads. I normally get a bag of Spring Mix salad, which has assorted greens, but these normally go bad before I am about half way through using them. And, a few years ago I had a really bad experience when I was trying to save a little money. I had some salad greens in my fridge and wanted to use some to make a salad. I noticed that a few of the greens had started to go bad, but I separated those from the greens that I used… which ended up being a bad mistake. I later became very ill and was sick, with diarrhea, for several days. And, this came just before I was scheduled for a brief vacation to Asheville. This may have been the time where, on the way to Asheville, I stopped briefly in Statesville, NC and bought a bag of adult diapers (gray in color), from Walgreens, so that I wouldn’t accidentally mess up the motel bed. *I must have been over the worst of this brief illness, and did not need the diaper, although I did wear it the first night. I stopped at a bank, a First Citizens, to get some money. It was later in the afternoon when I entered the bank and as I walked into the main room, there was no one to be seen. As I began to feel “wary” a female clerk poked her head from around an outside teller cubicle, and then came to assist me. Statesville was also where I thought about mailing some letter. It may have been given to me by someone else to mail. So, being unfamiliar with Statesville, I drove around the downtown section and saw what appeared to be an old Post Office. I think the building still had fancy gold lettering labelling the building as a Post Office. I walked up the few steps, and as I approached the front door, I noticed a warning sign regarding not bringing weapons into the building. I opened the door and as I turned to my left toward another door, I was greeted by an officer, in plain clothes. It seems that the old Post Office building was now being used as a District Court (family/divorce cases) and there must have been a problem with irate family members coming to court with guns. I explained that I thought the building was a Post Office and the gentleman politely guided me back outside. I found an outdoor mailbox around the corner and mailed the letter, and then on to Asheville.
First Citizens Bank Statesville, NCWalgreens Statesville, NCPost Office & District Court Building Statesville, NCQuality Inn Asheville, NCQuality Inn & Suites Asheville, NCQuality Inn Asheville, NC
Looks like this trip was in April of 2015, about the 15th thru the 18th. Google Timeline recorded some days back then, but not all.
I find using Google Timeline & Streetview, combined with any photos I may have taken during my trips to be especially rewarding as I am trying to tell a tale and illustrate it, or verify when or if I was at a certain location, at a certain time. And, I begin to feel more like Garrison Keillor when he would start to tell a story, segway into something entirely different, and finally bring you back to the original tale, leaving you wondering how he got to the segway without you becoming aware of the change. The segway came with the bad lettuce that made me terribly sick.
Bill Gibson, II 