My Favorite Summer Salad

Mmmmm. Crunch, crunch, crunch. You'll have to excuse me, I'm crunching away on this salad as I am typing. I have been making an effort to include more vegetable dishes in my meal plans. At the risk of making the baked eggs in swiss chard for the third time in a week, I decided to switch things up and make my cauliflower and broccoli salad. It's a salad that eats like a meal, and I can eat bowlfuls of this salad. The addition of the cauliflower gives it a wonderful crunch.

Cauliflower and Broccoli Summer Salad

1 head of broccoli
1 head cauliflower
1 c coleslaw dressing
1/4 red onion, diced
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 T apple cider vinegar or herb vinegar
1 T lemon or lime juice (or sprinkle in about 1 t of True Lemon)
1/2 c bacon bits
1/2 c Craisins
1/2 c toasted pumpkin seeds

Trim and cut the broccoli and cauliflower into bite sized pieces. Wash and drain the broccoli and cauliflower and place in a large bowl. Mix in the coleslaw dressing, making sure to coat the vegetables well. Cover and chill for at least two hours so that the flavors mix.

Stir the broccoli and cauliflower mixture. Add in the diced red onion, vinegar, lemon juice, shredded cheese, chopped eggs, bacon bits, Craisins, and pumpkin seeds. Mix well and enjoy!

Come Play In May - Write A Letter To Your Past Self

May 20, 1995

Dear Kyra,

I'm writing this letter to you on this very special day. I know you're rushing around, trying to get ready, so I'll be quick.

Have fun today. You look beautiful and happy. Don't be nervous. You two have many, many years together ahead of you. It won't always be easy, and yes, you'll do some stupid things, but you'll get through everything together. Always remember to kiss each other goodbye in the morning. Hug often, and say "I love you" frequently. You know it, but it's always nice to hear it said. Laugh together often. You are about to embark on a grand adventure with your best friend.

Love,

Kyra

P.S. He was right, chocolate cake was an excellent choice for the wedding cake. 

 

Come Play In May - (Ir)rational Hatred of Something

Nothing irrational about what I hate:

people who abuse animals

eggplant (except in Mechie's crab casserole)

redback, funnel web and brown recluse spiders


GU gels

missing the turn arrow because the first driver off the rank took 5 seconds to start moving


stepping on prickers or sweet gum seed pods

people who park their vehicle so that it takes up two spaces

that line of dirt that you can never get in to the dust pan when you're sweeping the floor

people who don't put their shopping carts back when they're literally steps from the cart return

Come Play In May - Fashion I Wish Was Still In Style

Ooh, this was a fun one. I remember some of the fun dresses that my mom wore when she and my father went to dinner dances in the late 60s and early 70s. So cool. She actually sent me a couple of them last year when she was going through her closets. Not a chance in hell that I can fit in them, but they're still very cool. When you get right down to it, I wish I was a combination of Twiggy, Jean Shrimpton, Mary Quant and Audrey Hepburn. Cool and mod looking. With great legs and great hair.

 

Come Play In May - Raw

Hi, my name is Kirsten. I'm a painfully shy introvert. Once I get to know you, and feel comfortable around you, I'm not shy at all. I can actually be quite entertaining to be around. But getting to know you, that's a whole 'nother story. Even transitioning from knowing someone online to meeting them in person is panic attack inducing. Yeah... I've stepped out of my comfort zone a few times, in an attempt to meet up with new people, do something new, only to be reminded why I stay in my comfort zone.  A couple of years ago, I posted the following:

A recent FB post

Feeling very out of sorts, I posted the following on FB on Saturday morning:

You probably don't know how painfully shy the person who showed up at your club's group run is. Or how far out of her comfort zone she was. Last year, when she showed up for a run, people were welcoming, so she thought she'd be okay. A couple of you said good morning as you walked past her, but after 10 minutes of standing there, nervously clutching her water bottle, feeling anxious and out of place, with no one talking to her, she left. But you probably didn't notice that.

The supportive comments this post received meant a lot to me. You see, not everyone knows how shy I am. It took a lot for me to even drive to this group run. When I got there, it took a lot for me to get out of the car. I seriously considered turning around in the parking lot and just driving home. But I didn't. I metaphorically put on my big girl panties and got out of the car. I slowly walked to the club house, and nervously said good morning to the people who were already there. A couple of people acknowledged me, but most didn't. The few women that were there just continued on in their conversation as if I was invisible. And that's what I felt like. Invisible. I toughed it out for several more minutes, feeling more and more like a loser the longer I stood there. Funny how the big girl panties can quickly disappear in situations like this. Finally, feeling a panic attack coming on, I walked away from the club house, back to the car. I managed to drive away (past the club house, mind you) and get down the road a bit before I started crying. 

When I got home, it was not even 7:30, so The Aussie was still in bed. I climbed in beside him, doggies hopping on the bed to snuggle with us. He asked what time it was and I said 7:30. Puzzled, his asked "aren't you going?" I told him I was back. He asked what happened. While he's a very outgoing person, he knows how difficult things like this are for me. He just held me as I cried while telling him what had happened. He told me that I at least made the effort and that was what was important.

It was important. I made the effort. But I won't be again. Oh, I'll show up for races that this group puts on a couple of times a year, but I won't be showing up for group events. Want to hear something funny? When I was half asleep not long ago I thought about why I sign up for races. This is going to sound pathetic, but part of it is the pictures of groups of friends all running together, wearing goofy costumes, having fun. It's like I'm still the nerdy little kid, always picked last for the team, looking at a group of friends from the other side of the chain link fence. I want to be a part of their popular group. But I'm not. A dear friend left this comment to my post ... When you are out there in a race it is just you and the pavement. You have everything you need inside you right now... She's right. I do have everything I need inside me. I'll be fine. Just me and the pavement.

Even reading this makes me cry. I'd rather keep to myself than to risk getting hurt more. I'm not invisible. I do have feelings, and they are very tender. I'm not a loser. Maybe you can't understand how a person can be this way, maybe you can. You may never know how fucking difficult it is for me to walk up to someone and introduce myself. If I do manage to get up the courage and introduce myself to you, please forgive me my awkwardness.

Come Play In May - The Double Entendre

I love me some Mike Rowe.

Come Play In May - How I Effed Up (A day late)

I really didn't know what to write for yesterday's prompt. I've effed up a lot of things in my life, apologized where I could, but these aren't things I want to write about. Hell, I don't even like thinking about them. I realize that some day I'll have to make an accounting for them, I just hope karma's bite in my ass won't be too painful. While I was out walking the dogs during lunch, I tried thinking about today's prompt. Nothin. Then I thought of one that I could write about for How I Effed Up.

Jeep Cherokees from the 1970s and 1980s were very sturdily built, with metal bumpers. Remember when cars actually had front and rear bumpers?  Cars these days don't have metal bumpers, they have vanity panels stuffed with air and Styrofoam. But those older cars, they could do some damage with their bumpers. Like catch the track of the garage door and pull it away from the siding. They were really good at ripping off trim, too. Heads up if you're a DIY kind of person: toothpaste is not effective at covering up nail holes.