Last Sunday was my birthday, and in view of the current economy I decided that from now on, gifts have to be made, not bought. After all, we have so much already; a nice house, two working cars, lots of love, good health and happiness. What did I need more? Part of the deal was that we wouldn’t go out and buy a cake from a local patisserie.
It was a lovely evening. My eldest daughter gave me vouchers for house cleaning, car washing, and gardening. My youngest gave me an oil painting that she had done at school. And I made a wonderful Key Lime Pie with graham cracker crust.
I’ve seem other good signs of the recession, friends returning to making their own preserves, others into canning or jarring fruits and life seems to have slowed down a bit. What with the push on “green”, slow cooking, shopping locally, and buying directly from the source such as Farmers Markets, and community supported agriculture (CSA), people seem to be more aware of what they are putting in their mouths and those of their families. Plus everything tastes better.
When my family and I went to France, my husband was stunned about the quality and variety of produce being sold. He knew that the bakeries were famous for their breads, and the patisseries for the fine desserts, but the same care was giving toward the farming of fruits and vegetables. Each farmer and his wife stood behind their display of incredible produce explain why their product was superior. Every time we would run into an open market, we would fill the back of our car with their bountiful harvest. For breakfast and lunch we would savor our purchases, for dinner we would test the French cuisine. Adding flavor and cutting costs was what it was all about.
That’s why I started SaladSuccess TM, a method to make perfect home-made vinaigrette and salad dressing. Like in Europe, where money and resources have always tight, we are stretch financially but also with our available time. But with a few tools, a little more time in the garden and at local markets, we can ease through this period and come out with a new understanding of family, friends and community.
Remember, a lunch salad with vinaigrette made fresh out of SaladSuccess shaker will help you eat better and feel great. SaladSuccess is just $9.95 and gives you perfect vinaigrette and salad dressings every day with no fuss.
Ever look down into your salad and wonder what are those little black things floating in your salad dressing? Usually it is dry herbs, which don’t taste anything like the real thing, fresh herbs. For the most part, I dislike dry herbs and today, if you have a garden or even just a window sill, you can have fresh herbs all year long.
Remember, a lunch salad with vinaigrette made fresh out of 
I absolutely adore cooking with garlic. What I don’t love about garlic is eating it raw. For me, it is much too strong of a taste and what it does to one’s breathe should be illegal. So for my salads, I use a garlic infusion which takes minutes to prep, and has a wonderful soft garlic flavor. Just peel all the cloves in a bud of garlic (skip those teensy cloves), give the cloves a rough chop, fill a container or a 
Remember, a lunch salad with vinaigrette made fresh out of