Warm Corn Chowder Salad with Bacon and Apple Cider Vinegar

It's that time of year.  That one where it might still be really cold where you are, or maybe it's looking like spring is around the corner... but chances are, we're in that weird in-between time.  Not winter, not quite spring.  We all know that time.  The one where you're not really doing one thing or another, but just kind of floating in between.  I've been there.  You probably have, too.  Between undergrad and graduate school.  Between job and other job.  Between Masters and PhD programs.  It's a thing.  It can be stressful.  And sometimes it can be freeing, to just be in transition and not need a plan for every moment.

So before winter goes away completely (although some would argue it never really arrived here in Indiana), here's a warm salad to keep you toasty.  It's got corn - reminiscent of summer and warm weather - and also hearty bacon, potatoes, and cooked vegetables to warm the cockles.  Let's get this last one in before we're no longer in between.

Summer Basil Potato Salad

In honor of a 70˚ day in February, here's a summer salad for you to enjoy.

You know, each semester brings its own feel, always reminiscent of the last, but with its own special twist.  It feels stressful every time, with weeks that never seem to end, and days where all you want to do is take a nap right there on your desk (I definitely had at least three such days this past week).  But this semester is special, in many ways.

It's special because it's the last time I will probably ever take a full load of courses, in my entire life (weird!).  It's special because it's the second semester I'm working at the Global Village Living-Learning Center, and now I've really gotten in the groove and been accepted into the fold, and I have a million cool events planned for my residents and it's crazy and wonderful and fun.  It's special because next fall may be completely different and I don't yet know how.  It's special because for the first time, I'm starting to really come into my own as a researcher, and I'm starting to submit papers to conferences, and to kind of be a real professional in the field.  And it's feels pretty good.

Now enough with this being inside on the computer - Kyle and I are going to go outside and enjoy this beautiful day with a little tasting over at the local winery.  How classy of us!

Baked Croque-Monsieurs

After a summer in France, I have to admit I'm a little disenchanted with the array of food we have to choose from here in the United States.  It seems like everything is so heavy and... fried... here.  And we eat so many chemicals I can't pronounce that it feels like I can taste the sodium benzoate and monosodium glutamate.  People aren't obese in the U.S. because of fat, or even sugar - I would argue that the big problem is the additives in the food.  Why do you think obesity only became an issue in France after American fast food chains moved in?  They had plenty of butter, sugar, and carbs before we came along!

Anyway, enough of the soapbox.  The positive side to this is that French food is awesome, and I appreciate it... a lot.  There are very few additives in the food you buy there, so everything is a little more natural, and lot more delicious.  Just a simple sandwich is a work of art.

So now I find myself back in the United States, and missing French food... Le sigh... But that's why I'm here with a recipe for croque-monsieurs that will knock the chaussettes right off ya feet! This gooey, cheesy, crispy baked ham and cheese sandwich will make you think you done died and went to paradis.  It's just what the médecin ordered.

Parisian Summer Salad with Baked Goat Cheese Rounds

In 10 days, I'm leaving on a marvelous adventure in France!  I will be one of four instructors for a six-and-a-half-week French immersion program for high school students.  It's going to be a lot of work, but it's going to be amazing.  I'll be in Brest, which is in Brittany, and from what I hear, they have incredible food.  Ever heard, for example, of a kouign-amann?  Basically, buttery, sugary, caramelized goodness.  And there's more where that came from.  So excited!

In preparation to go to France, I will share with you my own creation, inspired by the wonderfully fresh and light salads I had in Paris last summer with my family.  They often served their salads with toast topped with baked goat cheese, which pretty much has the texture of soft, creamy sex.  So, within days of coming home to the States, I whipped up my own approximation of such a salad, complete with sexy goat cheese toast rounds (ignore the burnt edges in the photo above - it was still phenomenal).

Hopefully this salad will transport you to the outdoor patio of a Parisian café in the summertime, where I often like to live in my dreams. Enjoy!

Tuna Salad Sliders

This tuna salad is an old friend to me.  It was made entirely with things I already had in my kitchen, at hand, and I have definitely made it before.  Except before I put it on bread instead of dinner rolls.  But you know, I think the tininess gives them character.  As it does with so many people we know and love: the Munchkins of The Wizard of Oz, Peter Dinklage, Snooki...   OK maybe not Snooki so much.  Now I'm mad that I even know how to spell Snooki, gah!

I recently read a post written by a blogger named Helen Jane (whose link I found through Joy the Baker, my food blogging girl crush).  This post was about blogging, which is something I started doing nearly ten years ago on Xanga (wow), but it's also something that I feel like I'm only just getting into, since all my previous blogs were only for me and my friends (and e-friends) to see.  This type of blogging, I thought after reading food blogs like Joy the Baker, 30 Pounds of Apples, The Pioneer Woman, and others that have become hugely popular, isn't nearly as much about your own musings and inner thoughts and emotions as it is about marketing to an audience, fitting into a niche, or having this upbeat, witty, slightly self-deprecating style that many of these women seem to echo.

But I read Helen Jane's post, her lament that the internet and, more specifically, the blogging world, is being increasingly monopolized by people who are doing it for money, for fame, for recognition, for something other than themselves.  And I thought maybe I had only been seeing that side of it so far, and maybe I didn't have to make my blog fit a template that I've seen repeated a dozen times or more at this point.  Don't get me wrong, I love the blogs I've mentioned above, and more like them.

But though I might be entertained by them, their style may not be one that I want to copy exactly.  I have my own voice.

So, in my own voice, I will tell you that this tuna salad is something I've made quite a few times, and is enjoyed by me and my boyfriend Kyle and whoever else happens to be there at the time.  The addition of the relish was an interesting idea that I got from my friend Dawn, who apparently got the idea from her mom, who got it from her mom, etc.  This tuna salad is nothing fancy, it's not gourmet, but it's what I like.  And that's what this is all about, yes?  I want to share what I like with you, in the hopes that you'll like it too, and share it with someone else in your kitchen, someday, maybe.  That'd be really cool.

Sun-Dried Tomato and Artichoke Pasta Salad

I brought this in to my work to contribute to our monthly pot-luck-cookout-feast-extravaganza (which is definitely competing for the spot as my most favorite thing about my job)... and. it. was. so. good.  It mayyy be because I'm partial to sun-dried tomatoes.  And fresh mozzarella.  And basil.  Or any combination thereof.  But I have to say, I did get rave reviews from all the ladies at work, many of whom are phenomenal cooks, so it was high praise indeed.  And the combination of flavors and textures was lovely, especially after it sat overnight in the fridge and the sun-dried tomato oil got to coat all the pasta and other ingredients.  I will definitely definitely absolutely make this again, for anyone who will try it.