Hello friends, I am in Vermont and having a great time learning all about Ben and jerry’s – I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned in a post later – when I’ve converted all of my pages of scribble notes into actual English! I am so happy and excited to be on this trip, but I’m also having a little bit of jet lag. I’m actually writing this close to my normal bedtime… if I was in Portland.

I may be far from home but I am still dreaming of this Waldorf salad that Dave made Sunday night. He made the salad and I made homemade hamburger buns for some delicious pork sliders, which will probably appear on this blog later.  But back to this salad. It kind of reminds me of a chicken salad without the chicken. You don’t need it, apparently, because this was fresh, guilt-free (mayo will never cause me guilt) and only got better with more time to marinate. Also, it’s not a requirement, but Dave made fresh mayo for the salad, which made it even better.

Here’s what you need – if possible make this salad at least an hour in advance so the flavors can meld:

3-4 apples
2 ribs of celery, sliced on the bias
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 to 1 cup of mayo (this will depend on your preference)
2 tsp. yellow curry powder
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
Freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of salt

To toast the almonds, place in a 350 degree oven for ten minutes. Allow to cool before adding to salad.

Chop the apples into cubes, removing the cores and placing in a mixing bowl. Toss with the apple cider vinegar, and then add the mayo and toss again to coat. I would start with a half cup of mayo, and see how you like the coverage before adding more.

Add the celery, raisins, walnuts and red onion and toss to coat evenly. You can adjust the mayo again as needed.

Finally, fold in the curry powder and pinch of salt. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Serve on a bed of lettuce and season with freshly ground black pepper.