Monday, March 29, 2010

Window dressing

Eloise, July 2008

It seems like this post should be about pretty things in a window, doesn't it?

Well, it actually is about windows. The windows on my house. And dressing. Salad dressing, that is.
But I thought "window dressing" sounded like a spiffier title.

We live in a 113-year old home, which still has the ancient-style storm windows. The kind that have to be taken down every spring so the screens can be put in place. They're big, very heavy, and look downright dangerous to work with. It's kind of a rite of passage every spring and every fall -- when the storm windows get put up, I know Christmas is right around the corner. It's time to bake more, get out the warm and woolly throw blankets, and think about creative ways to entertain toddlers for the next five months. Then spring rolls around, and the thick storm windows come down. Screens go up, and we're headed towards fresh air, sunshine, and lots of trips to the park.

It's supposed to be downright summery around here this week. So, how happy am I that our windows guy can come early to help us spring ahead?! (We clearly don't get much excitement around here.)

Now, for the dressing part of the equation.

I thought I'd share with you my favorite vegan salad dressing recipe (at least, I hope it's vegan. Will someone let me know if it's not? I mean, I thought I had a pretty good handle on this stuff, and then I read something recently about vegan wine? Are there seriously non-vegan wines out there? What am I missing, vegan gurus? Someone walk me through this one?)

Anyway, this possibly-vegan-but-we'll-find-out-soon-if-it-really-is dressing makes enough to last you through many salads, and, even better, it's a cinch to throw together. I store mine in one of those Rubbermaid shake & pour containers.

The World's Best Salad Dressing
8.5 oz. Balsamic vinegar
3T Dijon mustard
1T Tabasco
2T garlic powder
24 oz. canola oil


Combine ingredients in a blender and mix until emulsified.

Enjoy on some spring greens and put a little spring in your step!

4 comments:

Megan said...

Wine ?? Dang.. I thought it was all vegan....should be.
I'll try the recipe--looks delish. Also, Ireally LOVE old houses.

Anonymous said...

good recipe!

could we sub olive oil instead of canola? :)

-pinkini

Beetnik Mama said...

pinkini, my sister asked me that, too, and I'm sure it would be fine. My only concern would be that the olive oil would most likely affect the flavor.

I might try a small batch next time and try it out!

Natalie said...

Another interesting combo: balsamic, olive oil and maple syrup. I'm Canadian, I can't help it :) It's amazing!