Where Quick and Easy Is Heading

Summer is upon us and I think we can never have enough cool menus to serve unexpected company or even our family. We will sneak in some grill items to accent our cold items.

When shopping for ingredients don’t forget to grab a bunch of sunflowers to add to your summer fun. Hope everyone had a great Memorial weekend and stayed safe.

What You Need	Directions
1-1/2 lb. cooked thinly sliced deli roast beef, cut into strips or leftover roast beef 5 cups baby spinach leaves 1-1/2 cups sliced on the bias celery  thinly sliced red onions 1/2 tsp. salt 1/8 tsp. pepper German salad dressing	Slice celery and onions. Make German salad dressing (can be made ahead of time.)  Add celery, onions and beef to greens. Pour dressing around the bowl and work ingredients into dressing to coat.
Dressing 1 tablespoon powdered sugar 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 2 teaspoons ketchup 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon prepared dijon mustard salt and pepper to taste Put ingredients in a jar and shake to combine, pour over greens and beef just before serving..	Tip: If you pour your dressing around the bowl, and move the greens into the dressing, you will not over dress your salad.

Garden Salad with Dressings

Start with an empty bowl and the skies are the limit. Don’t
have a certain ingredient, leave it out or substitute another ingredient for it. Plan on about two cups per serving.

Tossed Greens Salad
What You Need	Directions
Try to use several varieties  of Assorted Greens in your salads Look for interesting textures and colors in your greens. Onion (red or yellow) optional Tomatoes Cucumbers Shredded carrots Celery Radishes	If you bought pre-washed  mix, you don’t have to worry about cleaning the greens, otherwise they should be  washed. Make sure they are dry before starting to make the salad, otherwise you will have a soggy salad. If you don’t have a salad spinner you can wrap your greens in a clean dish towel  and pat dry.

A few non veggies items that can a salad the star are crumbled bacon, crumbled cheese, croutons, chopped hard boiled egg and brine cured olives

Dressings
A basic vinaigrette
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup red vinegar
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Whisk ingredients together or  may be  prepared in a food processor or blender.
Small amounts of fresh herbs can add a whole new flavor dimension to salads and salad dressings.