Ask and you shall receive!

So I was just talking about how long it had been since someone prepared a meal for me. Well, last night I was able to enjoy just that. A friend prepared salmon and sweet potato fries for dinner, just for me! I am not kidding when I say that I cannot remember the last time someone cooked for me (besides my parents or my friends parents). It was great! The salmon had a Cajun rub that created a great crust as it was broiled. It was cooked perfectly (I like my salmon rare). The sweet potato fries were also very enjoyable! For someone who does not really care for sweet potatoes, I definitely cleaned my plate. As I was eating the fries I was trying to pinpoint why I don't like sweet potatoes, because it seems that everyone else I know does. The conclusion I came to was simplicity. The reason I liked these fries was that they were seasoned with salt and pepper, that's it. I don't need all the nuts and marshmallows and brown sugar, etc. I just want to enjoy the actual taste of the food. I understand that you must season foods, but when you start adding all the extras, it just seems to mask the original flavor of that item, the flavor that gives the food its own identity. Its like ordering Iced Tea and pouring 12 packets of sugar into it. Why not just order sugar water?! I never put sugar in my teas or coffees. I actually enjoy the flavors by themselves. I wish I had taken a picture of the meal, but I'm not sure I had mentioned this new little project, so I didn't want to seem weird by busting out the camera at the table.

Anyways, back to the meal. Being a gracious guest, I brought a salad to accompany the meal. Very simple, and I think very tasty (my friend agreed but you never really know if people are telling you the truth or lying to make you feel better). Spinach greens, toasted walnuts, bleu cheese crumbles, crispy turkey bacon, dried cranberries and sliced strawberries. I made a strawberry vinaigrette as well. Vinaigrettes are so simple and quick to make. All you need are the main flavors of the dressing, i.e. strawberries and sugar in this case, then vinegar and olive oil (at a 1:2 ratio), a little salt and pepper and a blender (or a whisk if your hard core). That's its. You can make them as thick or as thin as you'd like, just by adding too or lessening the olive oil.

Another great thing about the meal was that we sat at the table and talked. Growing up we always ate dinner at the table, until my parents divorced. I'm not saying that we never ate at the table after that, but we definitely did not eat at it every night anymore, even though my mom always prepared delicious homemade meals (we rarely ate out, which is how I hope to raise my children). Now-a-days the dinner table is your lap and the conversion is with the TV. Even when friends are over everyone seems to migrate to the kitchen and dinner table during the meals preparation, but then the plates are taken into the living room. I'm an old school kind of gal, and I enjoy a great meal, great bottle of wine, and great conversion...all things that I got last night. Food is something that should bring people closer together. Try and make it a point to eat at the table with friends, family, whomever, at least once a week. If you want to be daring, turn the TV off as well, and just listen to each other and enjoy the food and the time that you are able to spend with one another.