Blossom Fruit Salad

I absolutely love stuff from the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.  The dress, music, decor, TV shows, movies, and architecture are all so interesting to me.  So, I was especially excited when my Mom lent me some of her vintage cookbooks and pamphlets.

It's amazing to see how our tastes have changed over the years.  Many recipes seem somewhat bland, and others are downright weird.  The kidney bean salad wrapped up in slices of bologna comes to mind.  And it always seems odd to me to see a recipe that calls for 1 teaspoon MSG. (Can you even buy that anymore?) Then there are the classic dishes like tuna casserole, chicken a la king, and Swiss steak that most of us grew up eating that are the ultimate comfort food.

Isn't that artwork fun?

Vintage cookbooks always seem to have tons of recipes for side dishes and fancy fruit salads.  I notice that, in my cooking, the main dish is always the star and the side dish is usually an afterthought.  Steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, rice, baked potatoes, or squash are my go to ho-hum sides.  So, one evening while I was making an ordinary meat and potatoes dinner I decided to try a simple, but pretty fruit and cheese side salad. I was surprised at how quickly it came together, despite having to shape the orange peels into petals.  Plus, the mixture of cottage cheese and pineapple is just so 1950s!

Expect to see more retro recipes in the future as I continue going through these old books.

•4 oranges, skin scrubbed very well
•1 9 oz. can pineapple tidbits, drained- reserve 2 Tablespoons of the pineapple juice
•1 banana, sliced in quarters lengthwise and then into 1/2 inch slices
•1 cup cottage cheese
•4 maraschino cherries, patted dry

Beginning at the top, make six equally spaced cuts through the oranges; slit to within 1 inch of the base.  Cut off a small slice from the bottom of each orange so that they sit flat on the serving plate.  Pull each piece of peel away from the pulp forming 6 petals attached to the base.  A short, curved fruit knife works well for this step.  Carefully remove the fruit.  Chop into small pieces.  Set aside.  Repeat with the remaining oranges

Mix the pineapple, chopped oranges, and banana pieces together in a small bowl.  Fill the orange shells with the fruit mixture.

Blend the cottage cheese and the reserved pineapple juice together.  Spoon cottage cheese on to the fruit salad.  Top with the maraschino cherries and serve.

Grapefruit and Avocado Salad with Chipotle Lime Dressing

Last summer we grew our own lettuce.  We ate fresh salads almost every day.  After having all of that fresh grown lettuce the romaine and greens from the store in the middle of the winter just seem sort of, well, blah.

It can be hard to try to eat seasonally in the winter when there is hardly anything light and fresh around. Citrus fruit is cheap and readily available this time of year, so it makes sense to try and incorporate it into different dishes.  We had two grapefruits and two avocados on the counter that needed to be used up right away. Wade and I both really liked the flavor combinations of this salad.  I will definitely be branching out and trying more savory/sweet salads with fruit until we can get back in the garden growing beets, radishes, and spinach.

•1/4 cup lime juice
•1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
•1/4 cup olive oil
•2 cloves garlic, chopped
•1 chipotle chile in adobo, minced
•A small handful of cilantro, chopped
•Salt and pepper, to taste
•2 avocados, pitted and sliced
•2 grapefruits, peeled and cut into sections

Combine the lime juice and mustard in a medium sized bowl.  Stir in the olive oil, a little bit at a time, until well combined.  Stir in the garlic, chipotle, cilantro, salt and pepper.

Gently toss the avocado slices and grapefruit with the dressing.  Serve immediately or refrigerate until later.