I must admit I had no idea what to write about today. I have been trying to establish a Thursday writing routine, but this morning, upon coming back home after a dentist appointment, I just had nothing. Only the fatigue from a restless night, and a nagging to-do list of delayed administrative tasks. Some dirty dishes, too. We had family over for dinner last night, and the apartment looked like it. I am not complaining, mind you. We have barely had any guests since we moved back to New York. Aside from two visits from Paris friends, and a few sleepovers for my daughter, there have been no dinners at home with outside company. Which is a good indicator of how lost I must have been for a while, and how much better I must be feeling now.
I am surprised at how easy hosting was, in fact, after these months spent in virtual hibernation. I didn’t even have to think about it twice. My husband’s sister was in town, his aunt and cousin had us over for Christmas, but we didn’t get a chance to reciprocate. These three ladies wanted to meet up and meet us. Boom. They all came over and all I had to do was add a salad to the pasta dish I was already planning on making for us. A quick trip to Trader Joe’s in the morning after school drop-off and that was it. Dinner was done, and I was NOT going to stress about it. I was NOT going to come up with a brand-new fancy menu. I was NOT going to put away the last moving box that is taking up half of our bedroom. I was NOT going to touch the one corner of the kitchen that is a mess of cookbooks, breakfast items and wine bottles piled up on top of each other. There was nothing I could have done about that anyway. It was too late to finally order the shelves that have been on my list of things to buy for the house for months. And that was fine. I was not going to fret over small details, wondering if the food would be good enough, if I would be good enough. Friendly enough, gracious enough, smooth enough in the transitions between stovetop obligations and conversation with guests.
I think I’ve mentioned before how self-conscious a hostess I can be. I do enjoy feeding big groups on special occasions. But it also fills me with stress, and I rarely do it spontaneously. I didn’t grow up in a social, outgoing, happy-go-lucky family. My parents stopped entertaining friends when they moved to the suburbs and my mother did not like to cook. I do remember making apple tarts with her on a few occasions. Kneading pie dough and rolling it into a ball, in a cloud of flour on our tiny kitchen table. This is the extent of my cooking memories at home, and maybe one of the reasons I enjoyed teaching myself to cook later in life. Maybe why, also, hosting and cooking for people outside of my immediate family has always been a source of both joy and genuine anxiety. But this time, I decided that I just wanted to enjoy the company of those three women, their conversation and laughter. The stories about their children, siblings, friends. The togetherness after five months when I have missed home dearly and felt quite lonely and disconnected more than once. Sure, we did spend some time with family around the holidays. But that was already a month ago if you can believe it, and I realized I was truly craving company and good cheer. So hungry for it, in fact, that for once, I genuinely was not stressed or bothered by any aspect of the evening.
Sure, I did get mildly annoyed with my kids as the time came closer and they kept asking when our guests would be here. Sure, I might have snapped at my husband a bit, after he broke one of the champagne flutes I got in Paris last year for Thanksgiving. I’m not saying there was no stress at all. I suspect there always will be. But it was so much easier than it usually is, and I take that as a sign of recovery. And a good, simple salad might well have been one of the main reasons it all felt so painless. Granted, I was already in an easeful mindset. Like I said, I was NOT going to deviate from the meal I had already planned for us, fancy or not fancy. But I needed a little extra, and as I started searching for a winter salad involving all the season classics like endives, and radicchio, and citrus, I came across something even simpler upon opening my Google page. A Winter Salad with Walnuts, Cranberries, and Blue Cheese. On my end, it was all made with an unfancy mixed greens bag from Trader Joe’s (this is not an advertisement for Trader Joe’s, just where I happened to shop that day). None of the fresh lettuces I would have bought last year on a Paris market. And you know what? It was fine. Good, even, and I could see that everybody devoured that thing, including my two boys who, unsurprisingly, can be picky with their greens. As for me, I had leftovers for lunch today, when everybody was gone and the kitchen too quiet. And it was delicious. No fanciness, no fuss. No stress. A cheap salad with Trader Joe’s ingredients ready in five minutes, and for me the pleasure of just enjoying my guests.
I have no idea where we are going as a country, as a world, as a planet right now. And also no idea whether or not I will be able to return home in the not-too-distant future, as I am still hoping I will. But I know a bright winter salad and cheerful dinner guests will do the trick for the time being.
INGREDIENTS
· 10 ounces Mixed greens. I used pre-packaged Trader Joe’s greens that included chicory, frisée and raddichio. For some reason it worked out really well.
· 3 Pears, sliced thinely or chopped. Mine were not ripe but it also worked out, giving the whole thing a little tangy crunch.
· 2 cups Pecan or Walnut halves. I only had walnuts at home and it was perfect.
· 1 cup Dried Cranberries
· 1/2 cup Blue Cheese, crumbled. The cheap pre-crumbled Trader Joe’s cheese also worked out perfectly. Again, no need for fancy.
VINAIGRETTE
· 6 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar, or Champagne vinegar if you have it handy. I didn’t.
· 2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard
· 1/2 cup Olive Oil
· 1/4 teaspoon Salt
· 1/4 teaspoon Sugar . This is optional. I did not use any.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large bowl add greens, pears, dried cranberries, and pecans.
2. In a small bowl whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients.
3. Pour vinaigrette over salad and toss
4. Top with crumbled blue cheese.
Created by: KAT JETER & MELINDA MACHADO @ https://www.homemadeinterest.com
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