Semi-classic Cobb Salad

I was perusing some of my favorite blogs, and this salad at Smitten Kitchen made me want to race out and make it.  Meaty and cheesy salads are, of course, the best kind.   I was forced to deviate a bit from the SK recipe due to personal taste and v. fuzzy bleu cheese (note: this fuzziness made the bleu cheese have a Magic Eye quality - I couldn't look directly at it and focus).  

First, I made the dressing (of which I took no photos) - about 1/3 c canola oil, about 1/4 c apple cider vinegar, the juice of one lemon, one minced garlic clove, 3/4 tsp dry mustard, 1/2 tsp Worcestershire, 1 1/2 tsp honey, and salt/pepper.  Vigorously mix - the dry mustard doesn't serve the emulsifying role that a prepared mustard would.  

Then we make our nice bed of lettuce - I used only romaine because I do not like watercress and because that is what I had:

I then added the sliced hard boiled egg, tomato, and some seedless cucumber

And now, the heavy hitters - grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, avocado, and BACON!

I wanted to make a beautiful salad display but didn't think through serving it - it ends up a big mess on the plate, but it was lovely and I want to eat it all the time.

Mrs. L's nightmare dinner

Well, most of it wouldn't be a nightmare. With temps hovering around 90 and the humidity high as well, I decided to forgo the leftover spaghetti/meatballs and make a cool, refreshing pasta salad. Into the mixing bowl went chopped garden cucumber, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, and green onions. I then added a pound of tri-colored farfalle (which had surprisingly noticeable spinach and/or tomato flavor in the red and green bow ties respectively). Splash on some reduced cal balsamic vinaigrette and you're good to go. Then, to the horror of Mrs. Elle, I threw in a bit of canned tuna to add some protein to the mix. Mr. R opted against tuna, and the tuna tasted really weird, so I might forgo it in the future too. But regardless, it is an easy and tasty summer dinner option.

Summer eatings

Sorry for the lack of posts of late - things were bananas at work and then we had the amazing wedding in D.C.

Nonetheless, there has been a small amount of cooking going on. For example, I sliced a lovely watermelon and devoured the bulk of it in a 2-day time frame.Additionally, I made a macaroni salad (served with grilled sausages and baked beans).
For said mac salad, I made a dressing of 1 c mayo, 1/4 (ish) c cider vinegar, 1/2 c sugar, 2 1/2 tbsp prepared mustard, salt, and pepper. I diced up about 1 c of ham, 1 bell pepper, 4 green onions, and 4 stalks of celery. I also threw in 3 grated carrots and a large handful of frozen peas. I prepared 1 1/2 pounds of elbow macaroni in salted water, tossed that with the dressing and then added the veggies. I gave it about 3 hours to chill before eating. It was quite tasty - and a good way to get some needed veggies into a husband who refuses to eat green things. If/when I make it again, I'll probably drop the pasta amount by about a 1/4 lb. to maximize the veggie impact. You could also probably add some diced hard-boiled egg to up the protein ante.