I am ashamed to say that it has never been hard for me to throw away my childrens’ artwork. Not all of it, of course. My general rule is that it must be either a) truly technically astounding or b) depict a family member. Everything else: into the recycling bin. (Poor Abby is still recoveirng from seeing her rattlesnake watercolor being heaved into a truck by a mustachioed sanitation worker.) But I must admit, it’s pure joy being able to sacrifice an artfully decorated Easter egg at the altar of dinner. This motley dozen (do take note of the Michael-Jackson themed “Beat it” one) was the inspiration for a family favorite: Cobb Salad. The recipe is sort of Stone-Soupish — a hard-boiled egg is a nice starting point, but with bacon to fry and greens to wash and chop, it is indeed only a starting point — but it’s one of those recipes that seems to work no matter what you have in the fridge. Deconstruct it for happier results with the kids, and eliminate all evidence of egg shells down the garbage disposal. Click to the jump for the recipe.
Easter Egg Cobb Salad
Toss together:
Fresh greens (I used Trader Joe’s “artisan” red & green oak lettuce)
1-2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
2 pieces of cooked bacon, chopped
1 red pepper, sliced
handful chopped tomatoes
1 cooked chicken breast, sliced
2 tablespoons finely minced red onion (or snipped chives)
handful of feta or blue cheese
Toss with your favorite simple vinaigrette, or if you have time, make this one:
All-Purpose Vinaigrette
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar or a squeeze of honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
a twist of freshly ground pepper
Chopped herbs (chives, parsley, dill, thyme, whatever!)
1/2 cup good olive oil
