I wear and have worn many hats in my life. In my late teens I was a shallow Doogie Howser and got my degree in commercial art because I wanted to be in the high fashion business then it hit me that that would be next to impossible in Texas. It might surprise you to know that Texas is not the mecca of fashion. Oh well, on to a different career. I never knew that from my art background in art would come an exacting eye for design of a different flavor. Skip 30 years forward and to the opening of my own Bakery/Cake Studio in Rockwall, Texas. I opened it as a cakes-only business but it quickly grew to much more. Pretty soon I was working about 15-20 hours a day catering dinners and doing cooking and decorating classes. I sold it in 2010 to pursue other interests and to save my poor feet from committing mutiny on me.
As well as being a pastry chef, I'm a southern girl and, admittedly, we aren't known for our affection of overly healthy foods. Namely salads. Sure, we eat them, but only because they are the only thing on the table as we're waiting on the fried catfish. If I make a salad for my customers or for a meal at home, you better know it's gonna be fabulous and fattening. Why bother if it's not?? I like my salads bite-sized and interesting with lots of mouth-happy textures and ingredients. Try the salad below and you will no longer endure salad, you'll absolutely CRAVE it! Enjoy:
Italian Chopped Salad (serves 6-8 as a side)
3 heads romaine, cleaned and chopped into quite small bite-sized pieces
3 scallions, sliced
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped smallish
1 avocado, chopped smallish
6 Slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
Sweet Champagne Viniagrette (1/2 cup each Girards' Champagne Viniagrette and White Karo, trust me on this)
Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Be careful not to overdress, serve immediately)
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