How much fun is this?

Totally terrific!

"What a crazy, delightful, changing world! Who could have guessed that in 2012 young people in Moscow would put on a "flash mob" dancing and singing to an 83-year-old American song written by a Russian born American-Jew (Irving Berlin)."

DON'T MISS THIS WILDLY WONDERFUL VIDEO!

What fun!  Thank you, Susie!

Stacked Salads.

In the past it would happen by accident.  We'd be at a soccer game with the boys and I'd spontaneously invite people to dinner.  We often ran out of time to do any preparation other than shop for the food.  If friends wanted to eat before midnight, it would have to be a team effort.  What I learned was this:  No one ever minded pitching in and often people took great pleasure in creating their part of the meal.  An instantaneous pot luck of sorts.

If you, as I, enjoy the participatory aspect of meal making, I think you'll love the following sure-fire combinations made with wholesome/fresh/colorful ingredients and the help of a great group of friends. 

Here's how:  Metal forms, available at cookware shops/such Sur La Table/ are specifically designed for stacking salads, approximately $5 each.  A rather expensive option if you purchase multiples so that everyone is capable of making salads simultaneously.

Alternatively, having used the contents of any metal can, simply remove both ends and use as shown below.

We made a Cobb Salad one night/all sharing one metal form. The recipe was straightforward and easy:  bowls of shredded Costco-style rotisserie chicken, finely sliced greens tossed with bottled dressing, diced avocado, crumbled blue cheese, chopped tomato and hard boiled eggs.  Each level was lightly tamped as added. The only other optional additions: bacon strips and additional dressing. 

Use a ricer so that eggs don't topple off the tower. And a squeeze bottle could be used to decorate plates with additional dressing.  Chop bacon and let guests scatter on salad and plate.

We were on a roll.  Later in the week, we worked with the following combination: Greens mixed with sliced green onions and cilantro tossed with dressing then layered with crab meat, avocado, papaya or mango and celery.  We served each salad with lemon wedges and chopped macadamia nuts.  Definitely a winning idea once we figured out that the stem of a wine glass could do double duty as a tamper. 

P.S.  Thank you, Susan, for generating this terrific concept, for the Internet tutorial, for all the slicing and dicing AND for the gift of the metal mold.  Great fun was had by all!  Know that many, many more will enjoy this edible experience because of your generosity.

Create Your Own Adventure Day!

Bring a wok to work.  Stir up something special for your friends at work. Or simply stir up a little mischief.

Make up your own mantra.  Practice meditating if only for 2 minutes.

Isolate your favorite only-on-vacation activity. Insert this delight into your day.

Do something spontaneous. Or outrageous. Or simply absolutely, totally soul-satisfying.

Take a walk on the wild side: talk to a critter of some kind.

Figure out how to fit more of these moments into your life. Be sure to report back.<

Here's to you, dear friends and family members!

Finally a few free moments to take a deep breath and reflect back on a wonderful week filled with friends from across the country. As well as those from the Bay Area and beyond. To G who helped transform a gigantic heat sink into a beautiful, soon-to-be, high-yield garden/more on THAT later.  AND W who provided tech tutorials. 

Thank you, everyone!!!

Update on Thursday, February 18, 2010 at 9:18PM by Lois

How to transform fresh grapefruit into a tropical toast? A Breville Citrus Press. And if you're a fan of adding a little something special to your drink, two tips: Austrian Vodka from Trader Joe's and a gadget that pours consistent portions. Toss the bottle cap/simply store with Measured Pour Spouts. No more over serving yourself or others. A handy hostess gift; purchasing the 12-pack may make sense. Note differences in pour size.

Cheers!