Mr. & Mrs. Hawthorne Enjoy A Delicious Repast.

After my last post about Ranch Dressing, 
I had fond memories of a salad I used to make
 which had Ranch dressing in it. 
I think it was called 7-layer salad.
 First, I had to call Xmaskatie for all the ingredients
 since generally I can't remember more than 3 items in a list. 
Sad, I know.

So, here we have: 
frozen green peas
 iceberg lettuce 
cheddar cheese
 carrots 
red onion
 bacon 
Ranch dressing

First layer is shredded iceberg lettuce.

Second layer is sliced red onion.

Third layer is shredded carrots.

Fourth layer is green peas.
 (I dropped them in boiling water for a few seconds, then drained.)
 Now, if I catch anybody using CANNED peas,
 I will come to your house and seriously HURT you..

Fifth layer is the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing
 pharmaceutical hodge podge.

Oh, man.
 Gotta love them chemicals.
 When you think you've poured on enough ranch dressing, stop,
 then pour on some more.

Sixth layer is shredded cheddar cheese.

Seventh layer is bacon.
 I haven't made this for a long time.
 I'm glad I remembered it,
 because it is so good.  
Next up: Parmesan cups.

I grated some parmesan cheese.
 Big rounds. 
Baked at 375 for about 8-10 minutes. 

Immediately, remove from baking sheet
 and place over cups.
 Press down while pliable to try to make cups.
 This needs to be done very quickly.
 If you can't do it this first time,
 place the parmesan cups in the microwave and nuke for about 50 seconds.
 Then you can move the parmesan around to get a better shaped cup. 

 The Dressing:

Olive oil, honey
 (This is sourwood honey 
- the good stuff - from the Blue Ridge Mountains.),
 orange, lemon, salt, and pepper. 

I added about a tablespoon or so of sourwood honey to 1/3 cup olive oil.
 Grated lemon zest and orange zest. 
Salt and pepper. 

Juice of an orange. 

Juice of a lemon.
 Whisk all together. 

Spinach and mixed greens.

Sliced cucumbers, mushrooms, and red onions. 

Toasted almonds.
 

Orange slices. 

Spoon salad into parmesan cups. 

Lots of flavors and textures.
 Crispy parmesan, crunchy, toasty almonds, 
cool, fresh cucumber, sweet oranges.

What a light, fresh "leave-'em-wantin-'some more" salad this was.

 Next, our entree:

Soft shell crabs. 

Delicious soft shells with tartar sauce and 7-layer pea salad.