a new dish

There's a little love affair going on at my house these days. (Move over, Paul! ;) I've got a crush on a new dish.  A Garden Medley Pyrex dish, to be exact.  I've actually had a love affair with quite a few Pyrex dishes over the last few years, mostly enabled by Paul who indulges me often on birthdays and Christmases with a new bowl or two.

But when I saw this dish, complete with cozy, I was smitten.  Did you know that once upon a time they made promotional Pyrex with a matching cozy?!  I did not, but I am crazy in love with this one.  Apparently it was a promotional item made by Pyrex for one season in only this particular bowl, and I've seen very few floating around the internet so I'm thrilled to have snagged one.

All I need now is a red checkered tablecloth for the backyard picnic table and seersucker for the children, and we'll be in business!

An inaugural salad welcoming the titillating new dish to the house and Lentil Tomato Salad was born. (Better known as, I already had all the ingredients in the house.)  Spring onions and greenhouse tomatoes are popping up at the farmer's market and are a welcome sight to the winter-weary.

Snowflake dish, meet Garden Medley dish.  I hope you will be best of friends on our picnic table, potluck table, and every other occasion that you might meet.

Lentil Tomato Salad

1 medium tomato, diced
1 cup cooked lentils
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small red pepper, diced


1 small cucumber, diced
2 spring onions, sliced thinly
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
several grinds of pepper

Toss in bowl (preferably a pretty one!) and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

And a bonus salad (because I'm thoughtful like that)!

Quinoa Avocado Salad

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa

1 cup water

1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)

1 medium avocado, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 small tomato, diced

1/4 - 1/3 cup lemon juice (we like it very lemon-y!)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

Cook quinoa in water with corn until quinoa is done.  Cool, then toss with remaining ingredients.  This salad is even more amazing with fresh chopped cilantro. (And summer, with all it's accompanying herbs, is on it's way!)