Winter's Day Chopping

Typically on a winter's day, if you are inspired to cook anything, I would bet it would be a stick-to-your-ribs stew, hearty chunky soup, bread that fills the house with a homey aroma or maybe a hot mulled apple cider. Those choices fill the magazine covers now.

Not me. I am usually not inspired by the covers of cooking magazines. Today I felt the need to cook - rather chop up - something different. Some might say "summery" even. I love to mix up a cold "black bean and whatever" salad with an olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper dressing. Here is my latest creation.

There is no recipe. It is always alittle different ... just whatever I feel like throwing into the bowl. My cold salads typically have the dressing described above, and always black beans and fresh cilantro (I totally love cilantro) but sometimes fresh basil, sometimes I add garbanzo beans, canned corn, usually onions and celery and just whatever I have in the house. This time I added cauliflower and radishes - that was a first for those items.

There was another first. Today I added pasta. Here is a closer picture of the pasta. Does it remind you of something?

This was "Dog Lover's Pasta" and the pasta should look like paw prints. I think it does when you look at it ... looking for a paw print!! What is too funny is that I also have "Cat Lover's Pasta" and they look exactly the same. :-) I got these specialty pastas from a children's fundraising event last fall.

I have said it before ... I am a big lover of winter.

But I am a big lover of summer dishes!!