Snappy Caesar Salad and Peculiar Pretzelmen

Alright folks, let's get back to the topics of food and music, shall we?

The Mexican spread was a big hit - my ultimate favorite was the roasted chipotle-tomatillo salsa. I took some lovely photos that I'll post in the near future.

But today, I thought I'd turn you on to my favorite way to whip up a very quick and tasty Caesar salad, courtesy of my dear friend Martha Scarborough:

Grocery list:

1 bag of organic romaine hearts
1 package Semi-Freddi's garlic croutons (use other brands at your own risk; these are the bomb!)
1 bottle Cardini's Caesar dressing

and if you desire...

1 squeeze of lemon
1 sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan (use your microplane, duh!)

I think you can figure out how to put the salad together (and if you can't, then my dear, I'm afraid there is no hope for you). You'll have enough here for one big fat salad that'll feed 4 to 6 people as a side dish. Or you can do like I do, and take the ingredients to work and make a fresh salad every day for lunch. And don't forget to share!

Now normally, I'm not a big fan of anything instant, and I am not especially fond of bottled salad dressings. But this Cardini's is damn good, and it doesn't contain anything nasty!

I am a big fan of a freshly prepared, crispy ice cold Caesar salad made with fresh lemon juice, garlic, anchovies, and the like. But for times when you're feeling lazy, hungover (...at dinnertime? Well yes, it's been known to happen), or pressed for time, the above recipe works quite nicely.

"What the hell is a Peculiar Pretzelman?" you may be wondering. Funny you should inquire; The Peculiar Pretzelmen are a fabulous band of young gents and a lady, of whom I was fortunate to be entertained by last night. And I do mean entertained. No shoegazing here, just a delightful flurry of sound featuring ukuleles, buckets, horns, steel drums and some kind of squeezebox. Not only do these folks deliver an infectious sound that makes ya want to jump up & down & stomp your feet, but they do it with such style and finesse. It's a little bit fire and brimstone, a little bit twisted cabaret, and 100% fun. Rumor has it they're coming to a town near you, so perhaps when they do, you should invite them over for a bowl of Caesar salad and offer them shelter in your comfy guest room.

Until next time, rock on with your big fat salad!