Summer Salad & Rutabaga Salad

Crazy Sexy Summer Salad with Miso Citrus Dressing pg. 166 & pg. 236
Roasted Rutabaga Salad with Pistachio and Charred Onion pg. 176

I am throwing a baby shower next Saturday.  Let me say throwing a themed party puts me in the heart of essence.  The natural high I get from planning out every last detail is completely intoxicating for me.  The planning for the party tends to bleed into other elements of my life just a tad.  You see I am having the party at my house.  So not only do I want the party to be a smashing success, I also want to do little refreshments to the house.  Things like new throw pillows to give the couch a face lift among other things. Plus some new plants outside to make spring look like it came a few weeks early.  Why is it I wait until I am having a party before I spruce up the house?

Maybe all of this is just nervous anxiety being refocused away from the dreaded b-day in a few days. Don't get me wrong I love birthdays, but for whatever reason I get so weird about my own.  Why is that? I think I am a little weird! It is a case of having way too high expectations.  That is not fair to myself or my loved ones.  Sorry guys I will do better this year. Promise! I am grateful for my life:)  Besides I will be so busy cooking and partying planning...

No matter how I look at it, my life is going to be really busy for the next couple of weeks.  I am totally excited to complete my last 10 recipes from CSK!  Hello people, the countdown is on! 10 more recipes, and I will have accomplished my goal.  Pretty sweet!  I will throw my BFF an amazing shower.  I will turn a year older and wiser.  Oh, and I get to go on a little vacation too!  Life is full of blessings, but it is also just plain old busy!

I have made 2 salads to help keep me fueled in between my many shopping excursions.  The first was the Crazy Sexy Summer Salad with Citrus Miso Dressing.

Summer Salad

Miso Dressing

It was good.  If you are a fan of miso dressings you will really enjoy this.  I bought some candied pecans to compliment the salad.  You could make your own as well.  Here is a link to when I made some from CSK: http://crazysexykitchenproject.blogspot.com/2012/11/greens-and-berries-maple-candied-pecans.html.  The Citrus Dressing recipe made a ton.  So either cut the recipe in half, or be prepared to have it on everything for a week or two! Get creative I am sure you can find other uses for it.  I can't say miso is my go to dressing.  I prefer a more traditional vinaigrette, but I loved how the beets looked and tasted in this salad.

Next up was the Roasted Rutabaga Salad with Pistachio and Charred Onion.  My house had an amazing smell after I made the charred onions for this salad.  Seriously heavenly.

I have never used rutabaga before.  It peeled really easily.  I borrowed my friends mandoline to slice it.  That is a cooking tool I will be investing in.  It sliced it so easily, pretty awesome.  I should have bought one a long time ago.

Once you prep the rutabaga you bake them for about 10 minutes.  The thing about them was I wish they were crispier.  I wanted mine to have more of a crunch.  They have an interesting flavor.  It reminded me a little of sauerkraut for some odd reason?  I love kraut, so I liked the rutabaga.

They were yummy with the onions and pistachios on top.  If anyone finds a healthy way to make them crispier let me know.

Now on to my last 10 recipes. OMG!  I have a confession, 3 of the 10 I don't want to make, but a deal is a deal so I will do it.  The Sea Veggie Salad sounds icky (sorry), The Clam Chowder again scary (I have to smoke mushrooms.), and lastly Seitan Brisket.  That one is the whopper for me.  That is like Julie Powell's lobster.  Wish me luck.  Today I am going to celebrate the countdown.  I wonder how I should celebrate the end?  Any suggestions??