Our best friends had a dinner party for us and some of our friends over the weekend at their beautiful home. In June they will have been in this home for just two years.
Prior to this they had lived down the street from us. We were 8410 and they were 8401…we had a connection from the very beginning.
They moved here almost 25 years ago just like us..we came from Chicago, and they came from Cleveland, and like a fish takes to water we became individually and as a couple almost inseparable.
The shared memories of all the times we have spent together over the years are many…at their home or ours, their deck overlooking the pond, or our patio looking out to the woods, celebrating their Christmas or Easter or our Hanukkah or Passover, hospital visits from us or house calls from nurse Donna, supporting each other in good times and bad, celebrating the accomplishments of each others’ kids as they grew into adulthood…
…and of course there’s the endless meals we have shared, as well as our love for cooking, eating and entertaining (okay, the guys weren’t that keen on the cooking and entertaining part…however, they did share a similar annoyance about the many last minute trips to the store for just one more thing …)
There were the countless walks down the street to each others’ homes carrying a dish we had just prepared and wanted to share, and the meals we would leave for each other, complete with a floral bouquet when one or the other was returning home from a vacation or a family visit out of town.
And the countless cards we’ve exchanged…sometimes 2 and 3 for a single occasion…
…marking the birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings and births of grandchildren we’ve celebrated together through the years. We’re still waiting for those last two. ( Hope my boys are reading this! )
And there were just the times when she and I would sit on her porch with an iced tea or in my kitchen with a cup of coffee and talk about nothing…those were some of the best times.
We shared our love of gardening and for years my friend and I would make it an annual event to drive to my sister’s in PA for a spring plant shopping field trip, driving back home with the car so overflowing with flowers, that we could barely see out the rear view mirror.
And on our arrival as we pulled into her garage and then mine to unload, our husbands shared that same look of disbelief as they witnessed the amount of flowers we had purchased. Through the years they came to expect it, but the look was there just the same.
And now, although they are a half hour away, of course it can’t be the same as walking down the street to see each other, but with a friendship as strong as ours it will take a lot more than that to break the bond formed over all these years.
And now two years after they have tested our relationship by moving, we are putting it to a harsher test by moving cross country in less than 2 months. As difficult as it will be we all know we will pass the test. We are already talking about the coastal visits we have to look forward to, and all the new things we will have to share with each other.
So it is no surprise that they wanted to entertain us one more time with some friends. I insisted that she let me bring something, and after much persuading (I can wear someone down when I want to), she allowed me to bring the salad.
I decided on the spinach salad above which is a recipe from Emeril to which I added some pitted Calamata olives, and some orange muscat champagne vinegar as well as the white vinegar called for.
(I’m in the process of emptying my pantry so I take any opportunity I can to use something up in there).
The evening was wonderful, the table was lovely, the food was terrific as always, and beautifully presented.
After nibbling on shrimp, cheeses, olives, and an edamame hummus along with cocktails we dined on…
Grilled Chicken Kebabs
Orzo with tomatoes, cucumbers, lemon, and herbs
and a melange of grilled vegetables…
My Spinach, Orange, and Almond Salad completed this fantastic menu.
Dessert was homemade strawberry shortcake, and we all dug in so quickly I forgot to get a photo. Rest assured, it was delicious!
Before I give you the recipe for the spinach salad I just want to say one last thing…
…while I love posting recipes on this blog, I love telling the story of how the things I post came to be, and why they came to be, so to our dear friends, the Murphys…this one’s for you with love!
Emeril’s Spinach, Orange and Candied Almond Salad
(serves 6, but can be adjusted for more)
Ingredients
¼ cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons sugar (Use a bit less if you want)
1 tablespoon water
½ cup almonds, sliced
4 small oranges
Dressing
¼ cup champagne or ¼ cup white wine vinegar
(I used half orange muscat champagne vinegar and half white wine vinegar)
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon orange zest (I used a bit more)
¼ teaspoon salt, to taste (I use kosher)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salad
6 cups fresh baby spinach, washed and dried
(I used half baby spinach and half mixed greens and herbs)
1 cup celery, thinly sliced
½ cup red onion, thinly sliced and cut into crescents
freshly ground cracked black pepper
(I also added pitted Calamata olives)
Directions
1. Lightly grease a 10" square of parchment paper with butter or vegetable oil and set aside.
2. Use a salad spinner to rinse the baby spinach thoroughly. Remove as much moisture as possible from the spinach or your salad will be soggy. Set aside to drain.
3. Simple Syrup: In a small saucepan combine 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of water over medium-high heat. Swirl the mixture occasionally until the sugar turns a golden amber color. this should take about 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the almonds and stir to coat. continue cooking until the almonds are fragrant and golden brown, about 1 minute. Be careful not to burn the sugar/nut mixture or yourself! Transfer the nuts to parchment paper, using a spatula to spread into a thin layer, and set aside to cool completely.
5. With a sharp knife, peel the orange, remove the bitter white pith, and cut the fruit into segments. (Use a small bowl to catch the orange juice that drips.) Reserve the segments in a separate bowl. Reserve the orange juice.
6. Salad Dressing: Combine ¼ cup of the reserved fresh orange juice, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, the Champagne or white vinegar, olive oil, orange zest, ¼ teaspoon salt, and the cayenne in a mixing bowl and whisk to blend. Transfer the dressing to a non-reactive container with a lid and refrigerate until ready to eat.
7. Put the fresh spinach in a large serving bowl, then top with the orange segments, celery, red onions, and Calamata olives, if using. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
8. When ready to serve, break the caramelized almonds (at this point the almonds have turned to “brittle”) into bite-size pieces and scatter over the top of the salad. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Toss to coat and serve immediately.