Almost Canlis: Almost Canlis Salad

It's a holiday today.  Memorial Day. . .the day to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.  Thank you. 

One of my friends shared this story on FB, and by the end of the text, I was in tears.  Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you. 

I am home, knee deep in poly-whatever tubing, ribbons, and candy.  The impulse sealer is on the counter, and my fingers are aching from tying countless bows (mostly blue).  This can mean one thing. . .the school year is winding down.

Graduation season is here!

In less than a week, I will be the parent of a high school graduate, at least I sure fricken hope so. . .given the volume of robocalls I received this past week, I am just crossing my fingers.  When the phone rings between 6:00pm and 6:30pm, my heart skips a beat.  Not again!

Last week Wednesday was senior awards night.  Seniors receiving scholarships and commencement honors were celebrated during a 2+ hour-long program at the auditorium.  Mr. Dependable and his mom actually arrived on time!  D2 only bitched once!  and D1 did okay! 

To top it off, we got a lot done last week:

• After passing a competency exam, The Help completed his paperwork for a new employment opportunity.  He's not as excited as the rest of us, but I think he is looking forward to the challenge and the experience it will bring.  His mom is happy!
• D2 participated in her final band concert.  Yeah!  No more afterschool practices.  No more practice cards.  No more snare drum.  Her teacher has been bugging her (and me!) about changing her schedule for next school year to accommodate band practice.  Apparently, she learned a skill from D1 (say yes to placate but do nothing to execute).
• D1 took her math placement exam and registered for classes.  The math placement test was the precursor to registering for classes, and that darn kid put off taking it for so long.  When she finally got around to taking the practice test, she was flustered because she scored 3 points below what she needed to score (in order to get into the recommended math class for her major).  She put off taking the class for another week to get tutoring from her former math teacher.  That's when she realized she made stupid, careless mistakes.  When she took the real test, she scored well-above what she needed to score.  Whew!  Anyway, she was able to register for classes and is stupidly excited about a night lab she is taking.  She is even more excited that her first class doesn't start until after 10 am.
• And I survived my EES rating!  EES is the educator effectiveness system, which translates into a major headache for most educators (teachers and school administrators).  The process is so labor-intensive and time consuming that one had to wonder what the brass was smoking when they came up with that baby.

The weather here continues to amaze me.  How can it be May and I'm still wearing boots and poofy coats to work?  Serious.  There were a few days last week where it was so cold that 3M complained that she was freezing in her cashmere sweater.  She even considered going home to change/grab a jacket.

On Saturday, we finally saw the sun.  In spite of still being ill, the sun made me feel upbeat and we ventured out to the farmers market.  I bought some lettuce and tomato, just so I could make this salad.  Unfortunately, by the time dinner rolled around, the weather turned back to winter.  It became cold and damp, and I found myself wanting a bowl of soup instead of this lovely salad, a copykat recipe of the signature salad served at the Canlis Restaurant.

The Canlis Restaurant is an old-time Seattle restaurant.  It's on the southern end of Aurora Avenue somewhere between Ballard and Queen Anne (more Queen Anne, I think).  There was once a Canlis Restaurant (same owner) in Honolulu, but that closed up many years ago.  I wish they were still open so I could go there and have this salad.  I guess my only option now is to go to Seattle to have it!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Almost Canlis Salad

Salad:  2 heads romaine, chopped in 1-inch pieces

            2 large tomatoes or 1 dozen cherry tomatoes

            1/2 c parmesan cheese, shredded

            2 tsp mint, chopped

            1 tsp oregano, chopped

            4 stalks green onion, chopped

            1 c croutons

            2/3 c-1 c bacon bits or 1 lb bacon, fried crisp and chopped

Dressing:  1 clove garlic

                 5 tbsp EVOO

                 3 tbsp lemon juice

                 1/2 tsp salt

                 1/2 tsp pepper

                 1 coddled egg (gently drop in boiling water for 1 minute; remove to bowl of ice water)

Arrange salad ingredients in a large, shallow bowl or large platter.  Whisk dressing ingredients together.  Pour over salad and toss lightly.  Serves 6.

It's a holiday today.  Memorial Day. . .the day to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.  Thank you. 

One of my friends shared this story on FB, and by the end of the text, I was in tears.  Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you. 

I am home, knee deep in poly-whatever tubing, ribbons, and candy.  The impulse sealer is on the counter, and my fingers are aching from tying countless bows (mostly blue).  This can mean one thing. . .the school year is winding down.

Graduation season is here!

In less than a week, I will be the parent of a high school graduate, at least I sure fricken hope so. . .given the volume of robocalls I received this past week, I am just crossing my fingers.  When the phone rings between 6:00pm and 6:30pm, my heart skips a beat.  Not again!

Last week Wednesday was senior awards night.  Seniors receiving scholarships and commencement honors were celebrated during a 2+ hour-long program at the auditorium.  Mr. Dependable and his mom actually arrived on time!  D2 only bitched once!  and D1 did okay! 

To top it off, we got a lot done last week:

• After passing a competency exam, The Help completed his paperwork for a new employment opportunity.  He's not as excited as the rest of us, but I think he is looking forward to the challenge and the experience it will bring.  His mom is happy!
• D2 participated in her final band concert.  Yeah!  No more afterschool practices.  No more practice cards.  No more snare drum.  Her teacher has been bugging her (and me!) about changing her schedule for next school year to accommodate band practice.  Apparently, she learned a skill from D1 (say yes to placate but do nothing to execute).
• D1 took her math placement exam and registered for classes.  The math placement test was the precursor to registering for classes, and that darn kid put off taking it for so long.  When she finally got around to taking the practice test, she was flustered because she scored 3 points below what she needed to score (in order to get into the recommended math class for her major).  She put off taking the class for another week to get tutoring from her former math teacher.  That's when she realized she made stupid, careless mistakes.  When she took the real test, she scored well-above what she needed to score.  Whew!  Anyway, she was able to register for classes and is stupidly excited about a night lab she is taking.  She is even more excited that her first class doesn't start until after 10 am.
• And I survived my EES rating!  EES is the educator effectiveness system, which translates into a major headache for most educators (teachers and school administrators).  The process is so labor-intensive and time consuming that one had to wonder what the brass was smoking when they came up with that baby.

The weather here continues to amaze me.  How can it be May and I'm still wearing boots and poofy coats to work?  Serious.  There were a few days last week where it was so cold that 3M complained that she was freezing in her cashmere sweater.  She even considered going home to change/grab a jacket.

On Saturday, we finally saw the sun.  In spite of still being ill, the sun made me feel upbeat and we ventured out to the farmers market.  I bought some lettuce and tomato, just so I could make this salad.  Unfortunately, by the time dinner rolled around, the weather turned back to winter.  It became cold and damp, and I found myself wanting a bowl of soup instead of this lovely salad, a copykat recipe of the signature salad served at the Canlis Restaurant.

The Canlis Restaurant is an old-time Seattle restaurant.  It's on the southern end of Aurora Avenue somewhere between Ballard and Queen Anne (more Queen Anne, I think).  There was once a Canlis Restaurant (same owner) in Honolulu, but that closed up many years ago.  I wish they were still open so I could go there and have this salad.  I guess my only option now is to go to Seattle to have it!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Almost Canlis Salad

Salad:  2 heads romaine, chopped in 1-inch pieces

            2 large tomatoes or 1 dozen cherry tomatoes

            1/2 c parmesan cheese, shredded

            2 tsp mint, chopped

            1 tsp oregano, chopped

            4 stalks green onion, chopped

            1 c croutons

            2/3 c-1 c bacon bits or 1 lb bacon, fried crisp and chopped

Dressing:  1 clove garlic

                 5 tbsp EVOO

                 3 tbsp lemon juice

                 1/2 tsp salt

                 1/2 tsp pepper

                 1 coddled egg (gently drop in boiling water for 1 minute; remove to bowl of ice water)

Arrange salad ingredients in a large, shallow bowl or large platter.  Whisk dressing ingredients together.  Pour over salad and toss lightly.  Serves 6.