Fruit Dip

I've been thinking about the whole food/memory assignment for a while now, and I've realized that almost ALL of my memories have to do with food. One of my strongest food memories is from two years ago. The night we brought Julianne home from the hospital, a friend in the ward offered to bring dinner over. This was exceedingly kind of her since she herself was due in only a few weeks. I'd obviously been eating hospital food for a few days, and was craving real food. Something with substance, something with nutrition, something with flavor. I was grateful for their offer, but silently hoped they wouldn't bring McDonald's. When she and her husband showed up, they came with TRAYS of food. GOOD food. A huge pan of chicken enchiladas. Rice. A platter of fresh fruit. It was exactly what I wanted. That night, Damien and I were watching "Gladiator" on TV and eating the fruit, which was accompanied by this amazing dip whose ingredients I could not figure out. So I called. I asked. It's not anything fancy, but it was absolutely perfect that night.

Fruit Dip
1 cup sour cream
A few spoonfuls brown sugar
A couple of teaspoons cinnamon (to taste)

Stir to combine and enjoy.

Strawberry and Mandarin Orange Salad

This salad is so fabulous, I can hardly wait for strawberries to get back in season for this salad. I think the dressing is what really makes the salad!

Salad

Spinach

Strawberries

can mandarin Oranges (drained)

*bacon crumbles

*shredded montery jack cheese

*candied pecans

*optional


Dressing

1/2 c. veggie/canola oil

1/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic finely minced

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of paprika

dash of white pepper

Just combine all ingredients in the salad, and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Combine dressing ingredients and mix well. Add to salad before serving or serve it on the side. Enjoy!