The Perfect Salad!

When I think about one of the most influential people in my life I immediately think of my grandmother, Marie Kaprelian. She and my grandfather taught me that family is the most important thing in the world, good food matters, flowers are incredibly beautiful, and as long as you are together, you don't need much else. She was an artist, an avid gardener and a beautiful person, inside and out. She has been gone 10 years and I miss her as much today as I do the day she passed away. Her being affects my life every day.

She was a survivor.  Momoo came to the United States in August, 1915, during the Armenian Genocide, at age 2. Her parents, brother and she walked out of their house, threw their key in the bushes and walked without a cart, hundreds of miles to the country of Georgia. They took the last passenger ship to the U.S. from there. My great grandfather was sought by the Ottoman Turks because he was a leader in his community. He was a professor of music and was able to inspire people. Armenians did not have the ability to protect themselves against the Turkish people. They wanted to kill my great grandfather so the family fled the country. They did not want to be part of the 1.5 million people killed during the genocide. They did not want to be victims of what Hitler would later use as justification for the Holocaust.  They didn't want to be like Uncle John who was a Dean at Yeprad, tortured and killed.

There are tough stories of their trip to Georgia. Hearing cannons behind them, forcing the people out of the country or of children that were separated from their families. The saddest family story was that Hagopig, Momoo's baby brother, died as an infant when they reached Tiflisi. She recalls walking around a cemetery with a red rose, looking for his grave, which they would not find.

Momoo has a wonderful story - college at Cooper Union (one of 12 women to graduate) and a career as a commercial artist, married for 65 years to my scientist grandfather and raised an amazing family. She had a sister born in the U.S. that was extremely talented in music, and was at Juilliard on scholarship when she passed away tragically from illness. I think the most amazing part of my grandmother's story is that we knew the family history from a very young age but what I garnered from the history was strength and pride. There aren't many Armenians in the world but there is a bond and the food is good too!

I remember sitting on Momoo's lap and looking through House Beautiful and her delicious French toast. I remember her constant generosity and our many lunches out at department stores. Lunches I did not fully appreciate until I was much older. The Armenian food we ate so often that I loved. And her garden - her beautiful, huge garden. I mostly remember her kindness and her love. She was the matriarch of our family. Momoo brought all of us closer and inspired a love and devotion to her but also to each other. I feel so incredibly lucky and grateful to have known her for 33 years of my life and that both my daughters were able to meet her.

Put on The Sound of Sunshine by Michael Franti and Spearhead and get cooking!

The perfect salad!

I love vegetables. In fact, I adore them. I like grabbing them for snacks and eating them raw. I love roasting all sorts of vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. I like vegetarian meals too. So, it would make sense that I enjoy making salads. As I have mentioned in past posts, I grew up eating homemade salad dressing. For me, it is just as easy as bottled and so much better for you. Just a few ingredients and it tastes so yummy.

Salads can be so pretty too. Finding all sorts of vegetables and all sorts of colors can add depth of flavor and also depth in beauty too. Like my grandmother!

Think of a salad in a few parts - the lettuce or base, then the added vegetables or toppings and then the dressing. Sometimes I add a protein, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I use chick peas as my protein. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I use balsamic vinegar, sometimes I use apple cider or red wine vinegar. Sometimes I like to make salads without lettuce and lately I have been making a lot of salads with Belgium Endive because it is so easy and fast to cut. Today, this was my salad.

Today's Salad
1 red tomato
1 brown tomato
2 slices roasted red peppers in water, diced
1 strip cooked bacon
1 dash of blue cheese
2 pepperoncini, diced
1 Belgium endive, sliced
Fresh herbs from garden - basil, parsley, sage
Olive oil/Balsamic vinegar - 25%/75% - more vinegar than oil
Salt and Pepper

I would have added mushrooms and carrots if I had them.

Here are some other salads I have made - be creative - enjoy the palate and design away.

Enjoy and have a really happy day!