Kare's Garden Lettuce

The title of this post was the subject of an email my Mom sent to me last Friday afternoon. The body text read as follows: Lettuce is ready to harvest. I have 3 kinds you get to choose 1. Will it be Red Leaf, Romaine, or Butter Crunch?
"Lettuce is ready to harvest" - have you ever heard a more beautiful sentence? I so wish I could grow my own lettuce. I chose Butter Crunch. She also ended up giving me some Red Leaf.

Fresh. Local. Organic. It doesn't get any better than this.

My Mom is a stellar gardener. Always has been.

Tonight I made a Butter Crunch Salad with Citrus Dijon Dressing.
I somehow finagled my own dressing. Here's how:
-1/4 cup olive oil
-2 tsp Dijon mustard
-1 tsp white wine vinegar
-1/2 tsp honey
-1/2 tsp of lemon juice
-juice of 1/2 an orange
-coarse sea salt
-fresh ground pepper
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk. I don't make my own dressing often (ever?) But tonight, I thought I owed it to the lettuce.
The salad for two combined about half the head of butter crunch lettuce, washed thoroughly, patted dry and torn by hand.

Along with a couple handfuls of sliced almonds

1/2 a red onion sliced

1/2 an orange torn into chunks.

1/2 of a ripe avocado (my salad only)
handful of goat cheese crumbles (my salad only)
handful of feta cheese crumbles (Adam's salad only)

Adam doesn't like goat cheese (how?) or avocado (something I will never understand.) So I tossed the lettuce, almonds, onion, and dressing first. I plated the salad and topped with the respective cheese crumbles, my avocado, and the delicate orange chunks.
I drank three small glasses of Tamas Estate Pinot Grigio. One while preparing, one with dinner, one while watching the C's game. The vibrant aromas and flavors of green apple and citrus are refreshing and pair well with salads, especially one with a citrus dressing!

Love wine bottles with fun labels.

Love easy dinners.

The lettuce's namesake pretty much nails it. Its buttery broad leaves and crisp tender ribs make me proud to say this is some of the best lettuce I will ever eat. My Mother has outdone herself once again. My dressing wasn't half bad either. The olive oil base with mild elements of sweet and citrus from the honey and orange juices, and a subtle spice from the Dijon allowed the the rest of the ingredients in the salad to shine.
A perfectly ripe avocado does wonders to my spirit. Thick sticky goat cheese plus the sharp taste of onions, the thin almond crunch and the soft juicy oranges combined effortlessly for a complex blend of taste and texture. Paired with a light and crisp Pinot Grigio - this Monday night dinner was deliciously satisfying.