nicoise salad

I had leftover green beans, some little tomatoes, new potatoes, and Italian tuna... and I really wanted a Nicoise salad. I made a dressing with kalamata olives, red onion, lemon juice, sherry vinegar and olive oil. That alone is pretty stellar. I might eat it on pasta tomorrow. I tossed that with mixed greens, and topped that with roasted new potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, and the tuna. Possibly the greatest spring dinner possible. And shockingly effortless.

Asparagus and Salmon

I made a very simple, so tasty spring dinner with my bulk purchases of asparagus and salmon as Costco this weekend. I roasted both the asparagus and the salmon on the same baking sheet- the asparagus (they were really thick) for about 20 minutes in a 475 oven, and then did the salmon in a 425 oven for 15 minutes. I did 6 salmon filets (to eat throughout the week), and about a pound of asparagus. I ate all the asparagus. But look how gorgeous they are:

New Apartment

I've finally moved into my lovely apartment, and it took me a whole week to even use the kitchen. I couldn't quite get my enthusiasm up for it when I had moving and repairs and an empty kitchen. It's a pretty nice kitchen, in fact. Lots of storage, new appliances, and a little breakfast bar. I've been slowly stocking up the kitchen. It's so beautiful and warm out, I'm dying to make some spring-type thing. I'm also very fixated on dishes that would make good work lunches, and I found a potato and spring vegetable salad on Fine Cooking that sounded like exactly what I wanted.

The green beans looked shady, so I went with snow peas instead, and I couldn't find watercress so I used baby arugula. The salad is gorgeous, and it's just the right proportion of potato, shrimp and vegetable, and the dressing is amazing.