Kitchen Remodel, Week Twenty-Three: Feathering the Nest

We are still waiting on brick to finish the outside of the new kitchen.  Apparently matching 100-year-old brick takes some doing. Ours is now on a train from Ohio, after baking in the brick oven for four weeks. 

In the lull, we have enjoyed using our new kitchen and are having fun filling the cupboards and adding a few festive touches.  Like the beautiful orange lantern we found at the annual arts and crafts show at the Portland Japanese Garden. 

The lanterns are made by Portland artist Margaret Gardner.  The red and green ones are going outside to use as the lanterns they are.  But we are keeping the orange on in the kitchen because, with its holes, it makes a perfect container for heads of garlic.

This is also pot luck season, so I have been making a ton of my potluck standby, Asian Cabbage Salad because it is fast, I usually have all the ingredients, and it stands up well to buffet table delays.  I made it up in my head, but there are no doubt recipes for it on line.

ASIAN CABBAGE SALAD

• 1/2 a medium green cabbage, shredded or chopped small
• 4 green onions, white and green parts, chopped small
• 1/2 or 1 whole sweet red pepper, sliced very thin
• 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds (or white or toasted)
• 1/2 cup slivered or chopped almonds (preferable roasted but not salted)

Combine all the ingredients in a big salad bowl. Add or delete at whim, depending on how much you need. Dress with:

• toasted or dark sesame oil
• rice wine vinegar
• soy sauce

I use a ratio of two to three parts oil to one part vinegar and go light on the soy because I don't like it to get too salty.  But mix to taste.  For the amounts listed above, I usually make about 1/3 cup of dressing, but I usually just pour the ingredients on the salad and toss without measuring, so it is hard to say for sure.

It is best, but not necessary, to dress the salad at least an hour before you plan to eat it, because it relaxes the cabbage a little.  The leftovers are still good the next day, so you can't really dress it too early.

WEEKEND COOKING

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