Friends and Salads

This is my friend Jennifer.  We've known each other for 20 years.  We've laughed and cried together.  She's seen me at my best and my worst.  She was my maid of honor when I married Greg and she was there for the birth of my first child.  We bumped bellies when our daughters were in utero-our girls are two months apart in age.  I love her dearly and she truly is like a sister to me.  I miss her terribly because some how we ended up in two different states; she stayed in Colorado and I moved to Iowa.  We travel  back there every couple of years but  I've always wished our children could grow up together.  These last few weeks I've been in Colorado for an extended stay and it was perfect.  I hung out with her four beautiful children while she worked and when she was off we played.  The photo above was taken at the Denver Zoo.  

Some of my earliest adult food memories are shared with her.  We used to make lunch together and one of our favorite meals was grilled cheese dipped in ketchup. Yep.  Healthy.  We were vegetarians together for years. We loved sushi with saki and Mexican food~usually accompanied by several margaritas.  While we did make some margaritas one night our eating was a little more healthy this time around.  She's turned into a fabulous cook and whipped up several great meals while we were there.

She shared two recipes with me that we made together and I will make again soon 

on my own, thinking of her.

(Our beet salad next to magazine photo)

Tomato and Beet Salad

(adapted from Everyday Food by Martha)

Roast 1# beets

Slice 2# garden fresh tomatoes

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Arrange tomatoes on platter

Remove beets from oven and run under cold water, using a paper towel to remove skin.  Be careful-they are hot!  Once skin is removed slice beets and add to platter.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup (or more) feta cheese crumbles over top.  Add 1/4 cup chopped cilantro.  Drizzle with olive oil and sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  

Garbanzo Bean Salad

(We dug in so quickly we forgot to take a photo)

1 can garbanzo beans or soak your own

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 English cucumber, thinly sliced

olive oil (more)

red wine vinegar (less)

sprinkle sea salt

Mix together and eat. Yum.

Thank you Jen for such a fabulous holiday!  You are courageous and even more amazing now!  I love you and hope our friendship continues to grow for more years to come.

This post is linked to the ever friendly Beth Fish Reads weekend cooking meme hosted by Candace.  Feel free to head over there by clicking on the link and read other food-related posts.