A Little Serendipity, Shabbos Salad & Friday Flowers

ser·en·dip·i·ty

1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

2.good fortune; luck:

I love this word!

I find it to be so true- some of the most amazing things I have discovered and have had the fortune to accomplish in my life, were solely by chance. But these serendipitous accidents don’t happen if you don’t take a little bit of a risk and chance!

Many times I have been asked, “what made you decide to do this? or How did you come up with that?” and I realize the answer is simple – Hashems help & a little Serendipity!

I apply this theory to everything that I do, whether it is creating new recipes, deciding to open a new café, trying this idea called kosherstreet, or any other idea that I think has merit…Never be afraid to TRY anything because you never know what you may discover  – but you will never know if you don’t make the effort first!
It is like the Lotto tag line – You have to BE IN IT TO WIN IT!

So even though really the new year has started for me back in September with Rosh Hashanah  – there is nothing wrong with taking advantage of  ushering this new Calendar year with a little resolution.

SO for me this 2012, I plan on creating a lot more Serendipitous moments!

Shabbos Leftover Salad

Serves 6-8

This salad really should be called the “whatever-I have-in –the fridge & pantry” Salad. My extremely frugal husband tends to come home with bulk items that he has found on sale. One day it was corn niblets in a can, I think it was buy 12 at the price of 6. He brought home 24 cans.

This salad came about when one shabbos lunch I had a lot of leftover chicken and rice from the Friday night meal and I really needed to use up the corn that was taking up space. It was a big hit and is now made every shabbos lunch with whatever leftover Friday night meat and rice or couscous that we had.

You will see that I did not add the meat to this recipe – Because that is really up to you and what you have left over from the night before!

Tip: Sometimes I add 1 tsp. wasabi paste to the dressing for a sharper flavor

For Salad:

2 romaine hearts, cut into bite size pieces

1 package alfalfa sprouts or bean sprouts

1 seedless cucumber, cut into rounds or chunks

1 12oz can corn niblets

1 cup shredded carrots

2 ripe avocados, diced

2 cups cooked brown rice

¼ cup dried sesame or pumpkin seeds

For Dressing:

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup teriyaki sauce

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. ginger powder

In a large salad bowl add all your vegetable ingredients including the rice and the pumpkin seeds. Mix well. In a small bowl add all your dressing ingredients. Blend well with a fork until mixture is a light brown and creamy smooth. Add dressing to salad and serve.

Friday Flowers

A Simple Vase with gorgeous tulips is all that I need to brighten up the Table.

2012 this year I hope will be one that is SIMPLE & Beautiful!

See you all in 2012!

Wishing you all a really wonderful Shabbos!

Sarah