Happy Weekend.  Thought I’d toss a few things your way: 1. Recipe  2.  Randomness  3.  Reading Ideas

1.  What’s for dinner?  Baked Potato with Chili Beans and Cheddar Cheese and my new favorite salad – thought you might like to try the salad:

Teresa’s fresh greens, fruit, and nutty goodness salad with homemade dressing:       (I know – need a better name)

Salad Ingredients:  Green Leaf Lettuce, Boston Bibb Lettuce, Spinach, Strawberries, crushed pineapple, green pepper, cucumber and walnuts.

Dressing Ingredients: olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, maple syrup (the real stuff), pepper.

Directions for Salad: Chop, dice etc all the salad ingredients into whatever sizes you prefer.  Load your favorite salad bowl with the lettuce blend (you can use whatever lettuce you have if you don’t have the one’s I listed, although I would use something or a combo of something more green than iceberg).  Next, add remaining ingredients in amounts that look balanced to you.  I was making a salad for two more or less, so I tossed in a small to medium handful of the other items more or less and enough lettuce for two to three side salads.  Adjust according to the crowd you are feeding.

Directions for Dressing:  Again, I just eyeballed the amounts.  If you need to measure, I would do three to four parts vinegar to two parts olive oil and one part maple syrup (use the real if you have it, if not you could use honey.  Or, if you don’t need the sweet just leave it out – the pineapple adds a little sweet anyway) Pepper to taste.  Adjust levels until you get the flavor that seems right to you. Pour on dressing and toss. Note: The dressing will blend with the other ingredients once applied to the salad, and that will add to the flavor. Also, you could substitute apple cider vinegar if you don’t have balsamic.

I was out of some of my usual salad toppings and had eaten the strawberry, walnut and feta cheese with spinach salad before, so I just used what I had on hand, and did my own version.  I probably would have added some shredded cheddar if I hadn’t used it all on the baked potatoes. I think cheddar cheese pairs well with fruit.  Feta would also be enjoyable.

This is a fairly healthy salad and also addresses your sweet tooth, so you don’t crave dessert after the meal.  In fact the little bit that was left over  became my snack later instead of the chocolate candy bar calling my name from the pantry shelf.  Although I’ve heard chocolate can be good for you too!  Antioxidants and all.

I don’t have a picture to take of how beautiful it looked in the bowl because it was devoured gone before I thought to take one.  It met with Mr. Piano’s approval too, although I’m sure he enjoyed the loaded potato more, because as he says salad is a necessary evil need for us nutritionally.

2.  I do have a Random picture from the Little House taken before we officially moved in and crowded it all up with furniture from two residences (which is a story for another time). This room looks different now; I loved it when it was just a simple table and chair.  You will notice my drop cloth drapes to the right side of the picture.

3.  And finally, the reading.  Today I was reading in Philippians chapter two in preparation for tomorrows Sunday School class.  We will be discussing humility and how Christ is our example of a humble servant.

Friday and hopefully Sunday, I am reading Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. I started this book some time ago and was interrupted. I picked it back up this week to finish.  It is good, thought provoking reading.

I also recently enjoyed the January issue of Better Homes and Gardens.  It has a lovely spread of Edie Wadsworth’s new (rebuilt) lake home from over at life{in}grace.  Her story is truly remarkable; I believe, in addition to the BH&G article, you would love browsing around her blog.  Her about me page has links to several of her posts that will help you get to know her a little better. I found her a couple years ago via Nesting Place.  I may or may not have spent a lot of few hours stalking catching up on her blog posts recently.  She also lives in my beloved Tennessee which makes me a little jealous, until I remember that I am blessed, beyond measure, to live in My beloved Kentucky Home during this part of our journey.

So, there you have it, some ideas for your weekend in case you’re tired of that social media site where you normally hang out!  I do realize that your weekend is half over before I post, but it is daylight somewhere, maybe.

Weekending in Grace,

Sadie