Sigh of relief

My parents' visit went well. They gave my apt. the "Good Housekeeping seal of approval," so I guess all the frantic last-minute cleaning was worth it. We went to the Lincoln Park Conservatory and Zoo, which they loved. I also took them on their first trip to Trader Joe's. It was packed since it was a Sat. afternoon, but they still enjoyed it.

I discovered a great new TJ's product: candied walnuts. Delicious for munching and snacking, they're also a great addition to my favorite salad. Here' s the recipe:

Blue and Green Salad

Mixture of baby lettuces, baby romaine lettuces, or spring greens

Chopped apples – crisp and tart apples are best. I prefer Granny Smith and Haralson, a variety developed at the University of Minnesota.

Chopped walnuts – Trader Joe’s new candied walnuts are fabulous, but plain/toasted work well, too.

Crumbled blue cheese – I often use Trader Joe’s crumbled Amish blue cheese (very affordable)

Dressing:

Use roughly equal parts of the following:

- rice wine vinegar

- olive or walnut oil

- raspberry preserves or jam. I use Malkin’s raspberry jam, which comes in a can and is hard to find outside of Minnesota and Canada, but I’m sure that just about any good quality raspberry preserves would do.

I add a little bit of pepper to the mixture, and I shake it up well.
Combine salad ingredients and dressing and toss.

Addendum to SP9 Questionnaire

Here's proof that some of my knitting needles actually do have a good home!