Hong Kong Chicken

Spring Break is finally here!  Actually, it seems so early this year.  The weather has been freaking me out...it's colder than it was in December!  I have worn boots more times since this month began than I did in all of 2014!  Serious.

D1 flew to Los Angeles last week for a convention.  She reported that the interisland flight was unbelievably rough.  I figured.  The weather report said more snow was expected atop Mauna Kea.  They even mentioned something called "freezing fog".  I never heard of it, but it sounds nasty.

I was hoping it would be warm and sunny so D2 could invite friends over for a splash, but with sub-80 degree weather, only Sammy is willing to go for a dip.  You won't even catch me lounging.  It's too damn cold.

In light of the cold weather, I've been holding off on preparing salads.  I want to eat Canlis Salad, but I just can't bring myself to have a cold meal, especially for dinner.  I'm not even able to have ice cream for dessert.  Not yet.  Maybe in a month. 

Being on vacation is great, but I really earned it.  Last week, work was brutal.  I had a student attempt to steal from me.  I caught him in the act, which went from "stealing" to "just using".  What's the matter with some of these fucking kids?  They are seniors but still haven't learned about personal space/property.  And the idiot adults who defend the inappropriate behavior of these kids.  Amazing.  It's actually frightening that some adults who work with students cannot themselves distinguish right from wrong or, equally vile, choose to make excuses for the students.  "Oh, but the family is so poor" Since when does being poor give one a right to steal.  "Oh, but he really is a good boy".  Good boy, my ass.  This "good boy" just talked smack about you behind your back, and you are defending his character...yes, that's after you gave him part of your lunch.  "Oh, they are Hawaiian and that's local style"  Stealing is NOT local/Hawaiian style; it is a crime, and it doesn't matter what your ethnicity is.  And yup, this is someone who works with students! 

So yeah, last week I was a little pissy.  It was rather entertaining to hear an adult plead with me not to levy consequences on a student for stealing.  Of course, the easiest thing to do would be to turn away and let this go, but then I would be a fucked up as the adults who make excuses for the kids.

In previous years, I've looked forward to spring break.  Not only does it present a time to relax/regroup, but it was also a good time to try different recipes.  This year, however, things are different.  The Help, with his new eating regimen, is not so enthused about a plate of sugar (I still am) and carbs.  Since early February, he has lost over 10 pounds!  I'm trying to realign my cooking to support him. So instead of dessert, I'm going to focus on an entree that all of us can enjoy.

Upon college graduation, I took a trip to Vancouver, BC, with my grandfather, uGeo, CAE and UL, to visit some Canadian cousins.  We went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and that's where I had Hong Kong Chicken for the first time.  I don't think it was called "Hong Kong Chicken" on the menu, but it was a Chinese-style roasted chicken, chopped into pieces, and served with a small dish of spiced salt.  It was heaven.

Years later, I remember Mr. Dependable's mom bringing home roasted birds (duck, chicken) from Honolulu and producing a small, foil packet of damp, spiced salt.  Not sure what kind of warped thinking goes into keeping salt with hot food, but I realize we're not dealing with the brightest light.  This reminded me about the dish I had in Vancouver, and I wanted to make it myself (salt not damp, no duck, skin crispy).

Getting back to present day, Hong Kong Chicken is something we can all enjoy.  The Help can eat it as a topping for a salad.  D1 (when she gets back) can load the leftovers with a ton of spicy salt.  D2 can shred the breast meat and stick it between bread to make a Costco-chicken-like sandwich.  Me?  I always go for the wings.  The carcass can then be used to make a soup...perfect for those nights with freezing fog (whatever that is).

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Hong Kong Chicken

     3-5 lb chicken, neck and innards discarded
     1/4 c oyster sauce
     1 tbsp sugar
     1 tbsp shoyu
     1 tsp salt
     1 tsp 5-spice
     1 tsp sesame oil
     2 cloves garlic, grated
     1/2" piece ginger, grated

Basting Sauce:  1 tbsp oyster sauce
                          1 tbsp shoyu
                          1 tbsp mirin

Spiced Salt:  1 tsp salt
                     1 tsp 5-spice
                     1/4 tsp white pepper
                     1/8 tsp sugar

Wash and dry chicken.  Combine chicken with other ingredients (except basting sauce & spiced salt).  Marinate overnight.  Roast breast-side up (tuck wing tips under body) at 350 degrees (20 minutes per pound) until done.  Combine basting sauce ingredients.  Baste twice while chicken is roasting.  Chop chicken as desired.  Combine spiced salt ingredients.  Serve in a small dish alongside chopped chicken.

It's boys volleyball season!  I'd be hard-pressed to decide which sport I prefer watching...football or volleyball.

I was fortunate enough to be at the first home game of the season (not the first game of the season).  I was planning to attend as a spectator, but the opportunity to help out a friend presented itself so I found myself working at the game.  In spite of it being "work", I had a great time, and I got to watch both the jv and varsity games from a great seat.

The Viking victory (varsity) made the experience even sweeter.  Let's hope the jv can find their groove and win their next game.

This was my first athletic event in the new gym.  The new gym is first-rate.  You can even look onto the court from the AD's office. 

The best thing about Saturday's game?  The concession!  Having been watching my cholesterol for the past few weeks, I broke down and bought a smoked meat & onion bowl.  The $5 price was a bargain for the thrill it brought me.  Even my cousin, who has lost over 20 lbs just from eating healthier, broke down and had a bowl.  The meat was tender, and there was a good proportion of meat/onions to rice...not just rice in the bowl.  I was told the volleyball parents did the concession.  I hope they will take care of more concessions...I would have a hard time not buying the smoked meat bowl every time.

Matsu, Brenda & Lance...next visit to Hilo, stop by and check out the gym!  They are still accepting donations for the gym, so if you're interested, here's a link to the donation form. 

I must apologize...this was not the first home game of the season.  The first home game was on Wednesday, March 11, against Christian Liberty (varsity only).  I heard it was a very quick game.

Cookie Jar: Potato Chip Cookies

Another hellish week in the books!  The week began with an observation by our district office.  We were assured the observations were not evaluative, however, I'm certain the data collected will be used to bite someone in the ass.  Never trust a person from the district office. . .lol.  I know some of you district office people are reading this and laughing!

Actually, the two groups of guests who visited me were really nice.  Perhaps they reamed me in the initial debrief, but they were nice and polite.  That was the overall sentiment echoed by many coworkers.  The last group of intruders were rude to some teachers.  Of course, some teachers weren't around to experience the rudeness, while some of us had polite people the first time too.  We'll see how the department debrief goes tomorrow.  Unfortunately, I won't be there.

In retrospect, the observations were the worst part of the week, but when you couple being "on stage" with trying to catch up from being out so much during the previous two weeks, it seems like even treading water is barely manageable.

I could not help being out of the classroom.  I had a workshop on Oahu that had been scheduled for some time.  My aunt passed away just before that, and services were held on Oahu.  Then I was out for a day to attend a pretty worthless workshop.  That workshop was in town, but it still kept me away from my students.  I hope I'm done traveling for a while.  I need time to plan for the 4th quarter, get my classroom up to speed, and get my house up to speed.

Unlike me, several others here will be traveling soon.  The Help will be heading to Oahu next week to celebrate his mom's birthday.  D1 will also be hitting the road, er, skies.  She is headed to SoCal for some kind of convention.  It will just be D2 and I holding down the fort.  Yippeeeee!  I guess that means cookies and pistachio nuts (another guilty pleasure) for dinner!

 I often talk smack about D2, saying she is a picky eater and difficult to feed.  That's true, no doubt.  But D2 and I are kindred spirits when it comes to snacking.  We love cookies, chips, salty nuts, cake, li hing mui, arare. . .anything without mustard or wasabi.

D2 and I find it impossible to walk past a cookie jar without dipping into it at each pass.  We both like crunchy cookies.  D1 can easily stay away from a cookie jar (as long as it's not filled with chocolate chip cookes).  D1 will eat soft cookies, warm from the oven.  D2 and I NEED the cookies to be crunchy.

One of our favorite cookies is potato chip cookies.  Potato chip cookies are easy to make and it gives us a good excuse for not eating all the way down to the bottom of a bag of potato chips.  None of us (even D1) like eating the potato chip crumbs, so potato chip cookies are a good way to use those small bits.  And D2 is okay with nuts, as long as they are chopped fine.  I prefer to use pecans or macadamia nuts in my baking; I never use walnuts.  I find walnuts to be slightly bitter, and I don't like them.  I can get into the rich, buttery quality of macadamia nuts or the toasty, warm taste of pecans.  I can't get into bitter.

In preparation for those cookies & nuts dinners, I made some potato chip cookies this weekend.  There is a chance they may be gone before the week is over, but that won't be a problem.  We are also "working" on another Costco-sized bag of potato chips (we buy the Kettle Chips).  By the end of the week, we should have more potato chip crumbs to use for cookies!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Potato Chip Cookies

     1 c butter, softened

     1/2 c sugar (plus additional sugar for dipping)

     1 tsp vanilla

     2 c flour

     2/3 c potato chips, crushed

     1/2 c nuts, chopped fine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment.  Cream butter and sugar til light and fluffy.  Add vanilla.  Add flour, crushed chips, and nuts.  Stir until evenly combined.  Using a #60 disher (2 tsp), drop dough 2" apart onto prepared sheets.  Using a flat-bottomed glass dipped in sugar, flatten each dough ball until 1/4" thick.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Leave on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Wi's Japanese Eggplant

Another busy week in the books!  I headed to Honolulu again on Monday to attend a training.  This trip had been planned for a while, but coming so close on the heels of an unexpected trip made it even more tiring.  A whole bunch of us from my school attended the training, and it was nice to be with colleagues.  I don't think I could've said the same about where I worked previously.  Taking a trip with any one of those clowns would've been hellish.  Oh, wait.  I did, and it was hellish.

Yes, HELLISH.  I took a trip with a colleague pickier than D2.  She kept saying she "wanted to try new things", but everywhere we went, she ordered the waitstaff to cook things SHE would eat, not what was on the menu.  She even admonished the waitstaff about lying to her about a dish.  I'm not kidding!  And probably the worst part...she stole hotel towels, something most people outgrow before their 21st birthday.  I know I will never room with her again, lest the thievery be mistakenly attributed to me.  I might be a bitch, but I am not a thief.  In kindergarten, someone at the sitter told the sitter that "kikukat takes things from people's lockers".  The sitter reported this to kikukat Mom, who proceeded to admonish me.  The next day I got in bigger trouble because I punched the girl in the mouth for talking smack about me.  Like I said, I might be a bitch, but I am not a thief, even way back then.  And a big "fuck you" goes to the sitter, for being an adult and just repeating shit she heard from a 5 year old.  Dumb wench!

Taking stock of my travels, I spent 5 days of the past 2 weeks in Honolulu.  That translates to 5 days of eating out.  I normally eat at the same places every time I go to Honolulu, but I actually broke new ground during these 2 trips.  We dined at Liliha Bakery, Aiea Bowl, Gyotaku, Kulukulu, Morimoto, and Kunio.  After 5 days of eating out, it was nice to come home and eat "home food".  The Help was nice enough to have prepared the Ds favorite, shoyu-sugar hot dog.

I did not grow up eating shoyu-sugar hot dog, but many of my friends say it was something served at home.  One thing I remember being served a lot of while growing up was eggplant.  It was sliced, seasoned, floured, and fried.  I enjoyed eating fried eggplant, but now I eat it another way, thanks to Wi.

My friend Wi (not the girl I punched in the mouth) has shared some great recipes over the years.  Nobody makes jello like she does.  Her layers are also perfectly level.  Kikukat Mom says Wi makes the best warabi rice she has ever had.  Wi's warabi rice is indeed ono and has a nice caramel color all over.  Maybe one day I will make it and post the recipe.

Wi happens to be a generational friend.  She comes from an old Hilo family.  Her parents know my parents and their siblings, and her grandparents were good buddies with my grandparents.  They went to the same church, had kids around the same age, and lived on the same street.  In fact, it was Wi's grandma who made me fall in love with botamochi decades before Wi's mom became known as a Hilo mochi maven. 

Years ago, when we were both pregnant, we'd email back-and-forth about cravings we were having.  Okay, even when we aren't pregnant we email each other about cravings, but the pregnancy seemed like a good excuse at the time.  One craving Wi had was for eggplant, and she shared with me this preparation method.  This has since become my go-to way of cooking eggplant.  Now that The Help is watching what he eats, this is something we can both enjoy. 

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Wi's Homestyle Japanese Eggplant

     Japanese eggplant, cut into 1 1/2" chunks
     1 tbsp oil
     Japanese dressing (mayonnaise & shoyu mixed together)

Heat oil in a medium saucepan.  Add eggplant, skin touching oil.  Cover and cook until side flattens, about 3 minutes.  Turn eggplant so another surface (still skin-side) will be in contact with hot pan.  Cook another 3 minutes.  Repeat 2 more times.  If necessary, cook a little longer until eggplant is soft.  Serve with Japanese dressing.

Cooked eggplant doesn't look so flattering in pictures, but trust me...this is delicious.

Easy Almond Danish Puff

I spent the weekend trying to recover from one of my most difficult trips to Honolulu.  While the flight was a bit rough, saying goodbye to auntieKH without losing it was the hardest part.

AuntieKH was a part of my life since I was 6.  I still remember when UM brought her to Hilo and introduced the family to his fiance.  It was the first time I ever heard that word.  It was also the first time I saw someone with long, beautiful, polished nails.  AuntieKH was a teacher (my dream job at the time) AND had long polished nails, cut straight across.  Wow!  I knew my uncle hit the jackpot!

That was more than four decades ago, and over the years, auntieKH has always been there for me.  When my ex-bf had no car, UM and auntieKH gave him their Toyota Corolla wagon.  When I needed a computer to write my master's thesis, UM and auntieKH came through and bought me my first Apple computer, a Mac Color Classic, and color inkjet printer.  When I moved out of my Honolulu apartment, auntieKH showed up to help me clean (for those of you who know me, you can probably imagine the coat of dust on the bi-fold closet doors!).  AuntieKH provided guiding words of wisdom when my friend's mom discovered she had pancreatic cancer...how to get a wig, oncologist in Honolulu, etc. 

Being related to auntieKH was an unexpected perk when I went to work for a state office on Oahu.  I was being treated rather nastily by this bitchy lady.  She happened to be signing in for a workshop at the same time I signed in.  Just by chance, one of the resource teachers at the sign-in table saw my name.  She said, "you're____ _____!  I'm ____ _____(my sister-in-law) cousin."  I recognized the lady from auntieKH's wedding photos...she was the friend who got the bride's bouquet.  I told her she hadn't changed in 30 years.  Then she turned to the boss sitting next to her and said, "you know whose niece this is, right?".  The boss knew auntieKH well.  The bitchy lady had heard the entire exchange and then said, "what, you're _____ ______ niece?".  Ever since then, the bitchy lady was a lot less bitchy to me.  When I shared the story with auntieKH, she just laughed and said that I should excuse the bitchy lady because her teaching career had a rough start...her students set fire to her room!  No wonder she was a bitch.

I still find myself tearing up, not wanting to believe she is gone.  AuntieKH took good care of herself.  She and UM attended exercise class at the Y several times a week.  She was also careful (most times) about what she ate.  The last time she visited Hilo, she ordered an egg white omelet at Hawaiian Style Cafe.  I still remember watching her fry an egg, using only a drop of oil in the non-stick skillet.

As I think back to the good times with auntieKH, I am reminded to take better care of my own health.  My cholesterol is a little higher than it should be.  I don't take medication, and I'd like to keep it that way.  Almonds are high in monounsaturated fats and have the power to lower bad cholesterol.  While this week's recipe has butter and eggs, it make me feel a little better to think the almonds will cancel out the cholesterol.  Did I mention I am sometimes delusional?  The best almonds to use are natural, sliced almonds.  Nuts.com offers both natural sliced almonds and organic sliced almonds.  Even better, they don't charge a ransom for shipping to Hawaii.

And don't be fooled by the pictures.  This dessert is very easy to make.  The Help was shocked at how quickly it came together.  Apparently, this dessert is also a great traveler.  The Help mailed this to daddyHelp for Father's Day.  He said it arrived in great condition.  I wish auntieKH came to the family New Years party this year.  My contribution was a tray of Easy Almond Danish Puff slices.  I think she would've loved it.  And maybe she would have looked at my nails with approval as I served her a piece . . . or two.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Easy Almond Danish Puff

Base:  1 c flour

           1/2 c butter

           2 tbsp water

Cut butter and flour together until pea-size pieces form.  Add water and stir until dough forms a ball.  Divide dough into 2 parts.  On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, press each dough half into a 3" x 12" rectangle. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Puff:  1 c water

          1/2 c butter

          1 tsp almond extract

          1 c flour

          3 eggs

Heat water and butter in a medium saucepan until boiling.  Stir in almond extract and flour.  Reduce heat to low and stir constantly until dough forms a ball.  Remove from heat and add eggs, beating until fully incorporated.  Divide mixture in half and spread over base, covering base completely.  Bake for 1 hour.  Cool completely on a wire rack.

Glaze:  2 tbsp butter, softened

            1 1/2 c powdered sugar

            1 tsp almond extract

            2 tbsp water

            slivered almonds

Beat all ingredients together in a small bowl.  Spread evenly over puffs.  Sprinkle with slivered almonds.  When glaze is dry, slice into 1" strips (for finger food) or 2" strips (for plated serving) with a serrated knife.

Makes 12-24 pieces.

           

Rice Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Vegetables, in loving memory of AuntieKH

Gung Hee Fat Choy!

The lunar new year will be upon us soon.  In a few days we will welcome the year of the goat.  How will you celebrate?

For me, it will be a work day, so there will not be much celebrating.  I'm sure the Ds will eventually coax a belated Chinese dinner out of Mr. Dependable.  I will probably end up cooking, which really isn't so bad.  Unless you are The Help.

The Help has decided to follow a strict eating regimen to bring down his blood sugar levels.  Since his last doctor visit, he has been steering clear of ice cream cookies, Napples, and other yummy goodies.  He has also been limiting his consumption of starch, replacing the mound of rice with a green salad.  I know how hard it is to stay away from foods which are unhealthy but taste so good.  I've been fighting the cholesterol war for years, trying desperately to stay off meds.  I applaud The Help's valiant effort. But that's sort of where it ends.

Unfortunately, the rest of us here, myself included, have not demonstrated compassion with our actions.  Last night I saw D2 polish off 5 ice cream cookies with her glass of milk.  D1 was busy unwrapping and popping Dove chocolates in between nibbles of li hing lichee.  Of course, I've been hitting the tin of Yoku Moku I received as a gift from Dee.  Yeah, I know it probably wasn't nice of me to stuff my face with those things, especially those rolled wafers (those are my favorite), but I really wanted to get rid of the temptation, for The Help's sake.  You know what I mean.

Anyway, for dinner on Thursday, I'll be making something we can all (even The Help) enjoy.  There is something for everyone in Rice Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Vegetables.  D2 will eat this because she loves baby corn and won bok.  D1 will eat this because she enjoys bell peppers and rice noodles.  The Help can eat this without restraint because it is light and low in fat.  Don't be fooled by the healthy sound of the recipe title.  This dish is extremely tasty, even to high school students.  Last year, D1 brought a pan of this to a junior council potluck.  She was a bit apprehensive about how it would be received, but she reported that they totally cleaned it up.  I guess I will do my part and have a serving of this too.  But I also plan on making gao and gai dan tat so I will have something to look forward to after dinner. . .sorry, but low-fat is really not my bag!

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Rice Noodles with Crispy Tofu and Vegetables

     1 block tofu, sliced into 6 pieces and drained on paper towels overnight
     vegetable oil
     16 oz dried rice noodles (1/2" wide)
     1 1/4 c water
     1 tbsp dried salted black beans
     6 large dried shrimp
     1 medium onion, cut into 1" pieces
     2 large won bok leaves, sliced into 3/8" pieces
     1/2 zucchini, sliced then cut into fourths
     1 bell pepper, cut in 1" pieces
     1 can baby corn, drained
     handful garlic (flat) chives, cut into 1" pieces
     6 T oyster sauce
     6 T shoyu
     1 1/2 tbsp mirin
     1 1/2 tbsp shao xing
   

Heat 1/4" of vegetable oil in a non-stick skillet.  Cut each tofu slice into 6 pieces (3 x 2).  Fry tofu pieces until golden brown and crisp.  Drain on paper towels.  Soak rice noodles in warm water to cover for 30 minutes.  Soak dried shrimp and salted black beans in 1 1/4 c water for 5 minutes.  remove shrimp and black beans and chop fine.  Reserve soaking water.  Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok.  Saute chopped dried shrimp, black beans, and onions for 1 minutes.  Add won bok and zucchini and saute for a minute.  Add fried tofu cubes.  Add bell pepper, baby corn and chives.  Saute for another minute.  Remove everything from the wok and place on a platter.  Add reserved water to wok.  Drain noodles and cut into thirds.  Add to water in wok.  Cook until water evaporates.  Return tofu and vegetables to wok.  Combine oyster sauce, shoyu, mirin and shao xing. Add to wok, and toss to coat everything in wok.  Remove from heat and serve.



With a heavy heart, I would like to dedicate this post (and original recipe) to my beloved auntieKH.  auntieKH left our physical world  last Tuesday.  While I am devastated by her passing, I am comforted by the fact that she left peacefully, surrounded by those who meant the most to her.  We will all miss auntieKH, but as LA said, auntieKH lives on in our wonderful memories.  

And auntieKH, if you're reading this, I don't think I thanked you enough when you were with us. . .thank you for marrying UM.  Without your love and support, he would've been just another family weirdo!

Rest in peace, Auntie

January 30, 1947-February 10, 2015

No Words

Creamy Italian Dressing

I spent most of last week licking my wounds.  I guess I'm more of a Seahawks fan than I care to admit.  After all, Max Unger is from the Big Island, and Jermaine Kearse and I are both Huskies.  Maybe it's also because I do NOT like the Patriots.

In my book, the Patriots are the NFL equivalent of the Oregon Ducks.  I'd like to draw in a Joker smile on Bill Belichick's face and give Gronk a good spanking.  Don't even get me started on Tom Brady.  He is from a school in the Big 10, the sworn enemy of the Pac 12 conference.  But I have one question about Tom Brady.  Why are his teeth so nice?

I can't believe the NFL swept Deflategate under the rug.  WTF.  The NFL spends all that money on domestic violence "no more" commercials, yet they condone cheating.  Talk about messed up priorities.  Moving on. . .

I guess the next big thing for me (in terms of entertainment) is the start of the 2015 Formula One season.  I hope Lewis Hamilton can repeat as world champion.  That would be awesome.  The F1 season runs March thru November, so that should take me well into football season.  Good.  I'm so not into basketball and baseball. 

Mr. Dependable crapped out again this weekend.  Well he told me that he was going to the other side of the island for this and that and if I wanted him to take the kids (HIS kids), then he had to change his hotel reservation.  Blah, blah, blah.  Out of fairness, I asked the Ds if they wanted to go with him or stay home.  Both said they'd stay home.  I like it when they're home anyway.  I don't need to wonder what time they'll roll in on Sunday evening.

D2 invited a friend to spend the night.  That was nice. I was going to order pizza for dinner, now that D2 eats pizza (D2 used to hate pizza, but now she will eat cheese pizza, as long as it's from Domino's.  Sorry, Pizza Hut.).  But on Thursday, after eating some kind of Doritos casserole for lunch, I decided maybe I wasn't ready for pizza just yet.  So I sent The Help to the market to buy some thin sliced beef for teriyaki.  The weather had been fairly nice last week, so having hibachi food wasn't too much of a stretch.  I even managed to make some Spam musubi for the girls.

There was a cute conversation at dinner.  D2's status as picky eater extraordinaire is well known.  One of her friend's mother has a list of the foods D2 will eat...it is not a long list.  D2's friend was shocked to see D2 eating beef teriyaki.  She said, "I never saw you eat this kind of food before."  I told her she could tell her mom to add that food to her list. 

On Friday morning, D1 showed up at my room carrying a bag of lettuce.  She said it was from Ma (a beloved counselor).  Ma and 3M left on Friday night for the city of brotherly love so I inherited a nice head of lettuce from her.  Cool.  I figured I'd offer the kids a nice bowl of salad alongside the Spam musubi and beef teriyaki.  There were no takers.  The Help and I ended up eating the salad by ourselves.  I suppose things could have been worse.  The dressing was beast.

As much as possible, I try to avoid buying salad dressing.  The only exceptions are ranch dressing (I buy the bottle) and Italian dressing (I have a thing for Good Season's packet mix).  Too many times, I've been grossed out from reading the dressing ingredient label.  Many dressings contain the Devil's condiment.  Just the thought of it grosses me out.  If a recipe I come across calls for it, I will leave it out.  Ick.  Yes, I am a hater.   I am a mustard hater.  That shit is nasty!

The dressing I made for Ma's lettuce was a creamy Italian dressing.  It didn't have the robust flavor of the Good Season's mix, but it wasn't missed.  A creamy dressing should be creamy and smooth.  This dressing delivers on those points and boasts the right herb flavor.  The instructions call for blending the dressing.  I use an immersion blender for this; it's easier to wash than a traditional blender. 

click on recipe title for link to printable recipe

Creamy Italian Dressing

     1 c mayonnaise
     1/4 c onion, diced
     2 tbsp red wine vinegar
     2 tsp sugar
     3/4 tsp Italian seasoning
     1/4 tsp salt
     1/4 tsp garlic powder
     2 dashes of black pepper

Blend all ingredients until smooth.  Chill at least 2 hours before serving.