Prepare your Taste Buds

I have been looking for vintage dishes to display the food for recipes featured on my blog. After visiting several thrift shops in search of some with zero luck, my sister began looking as well. To my surprise, she gifted me a floral patterned set of Chinese porcelain bowls for Christmas.

The charming bowls have been displayed on my dining room table for a few months now. Each time I walked through the dining room, I’d contemplate the food I would photograph in them. Would it be a delicious bowl of Sausage Minestrone Soup, peach cobbler or a vibrant green salad?

Salad seemed like the best choice! I imagined dark green leafy kale and deep purple blueberries. Both colors would bring the floral pattern on my new ‘vintage’ china to life.

I could add in some tender arugula to offset the bite of the hardy kale.

Cubed feta for saltiness and almonds for crunch.

Better yet, sugared almonds to add just a touch more sweetness, to the already sweet and tart blueberries.

I’ll call it, Kale Blueberry Feta Salad.

In culinary school, I was taught that taste and presentation were of equal importance. We eat with our eyes first, so plating is essential to ensuring that the natural beauty of the ingredients shine. These charming new bowls were sure to make the Kale Blueberry Feta Salad do just that!

Why this recipe Matters

Before my culinary education, I had learned a similar lesson. When I first started wearing make up, my mom showed me how to apply it. Her advice was, “Just add a little bit of color here and there, Sara. Let your natural beauty and who you are shine. Let people see you, not the make-up.”

You may wonder why I’m talking about make-up when this post is about a salad. But, this make-up tutorial from my mother, was one of the most powerful lessons that I ever learned from her. In her words, I found a much broader message. One that I imagine, she didn’t even realize she was teaching me at the time.

Or perhaps she did.

The message:

Look for the beauty in myself.

Beauty in others.

Beauty in things.

Just as they are.

Sure, you can add a touch of color here and there, but just enough to enhance the natural beauty.

I find this to be incredibly true in the kitchen.

The kitchen, filled with its endless ingredients, all adding in their own unique variation of color to a meal.

For this reason, I always use neutral serving dishes.

And by always, I mean a-l-w-a-y-s.

All of my serving dishes are white.

To me, neutral dishes act as a blank canvas. I love how a white dish simply fades into the background, showcasing the beautiful colors of the food before me.

Thinking about this further, probably explains why ‘I’ haven’t found any vintage dishes. As there were likely too many patterns of color displayed on them for my taste.

So, leave it to my sister to find some for me.

If I live in neutral. My sister lives in color.

We are undoubtedly different personalities.

She is bright and eccentric. It’s as if her hand is holding a rainbow of color that trails behind her when she enters a room. Despite our contrasting natures, I realized that’s the reason I found these vintage bowls she gifted me so beautiful. They are mainly white with just a little bit of color here and there. She managed to capture us both in her gift to me.

As I filled these bowls with Kale Blueberry Feta Salad, I envisioned pieces of my mom, my sister, and myself. Women who each played an intricate role in my childhood.

Women who matter to me.

So, thank you, Amy, for the vintage bowls with just a little bit of color here and there. They inspired me to create a recipe for this delicious Kale Blueberry Feta Salad.

And thank you, Mom, for teaching me that there’s beauty in simplicity.

I hope my long rant on beauty and dishes inspires you to make this salad! As you’re chopping the kale, take a moment to appreciate its vibrant color. Watch the almonds as they turn golden brown in a skillet with butter and sugar, and savor their transformation.

Take the time to appreciate the natural beauty of each ingredient.

Then, serve it in a dish that matters to you.

Maybe for you, it’s a dish that was passed on by a beloved family member. Someone who you’d give anything to share just one more meal with.

Or a simple salad bowl that was gifted to you by a friend or someone you love.

It can be neutral or any old color you want.

Cook What Matters to you.

Handy Hints for Kale Blueberry Feta Salad

•The dressing and the candied almonds can be made up to 24 hours ahead of serving the salad. Simply store the dressing mason jar in the refrigerator and shake well before dressing the greens. Store the cooled candied almonds in an airtight container at room temperature.

• Buy washed and ready to eat kale and arugula to simplify this recipe even further. Bypassing the washing and drying of leafy greens can be a huge time saver!

•If you dislike feta cheese, crumble a 4 oz log goat cheese instead.

•I recommend investing in a pair of Serving Tongs. A set of two salad servers can be tricky if you are serving in a buffet style setting. Not every occasion allows for informal tableware, but for a weeknight dinner or a BBQ, serving tongs are practical.