Salad Swap - 2012

So when I had first come to Montreal, one of my friends, Ms. DB, and I got together and made a good 5 BIG batches of salads (pre baby so the variations were endless as was our time) and split the goods. We had lunches for the whole week and it was fabulously fun to do. Since then, we have had kids, and our time is limited and less spontaneous. I decided, in the spirit of our salad ceremonies with Ms. DB, I would make something similar for the busy mom: A SALAD SWAP! What is that you might ask? Every participant brings with them a HUGE batch of a yummy salad to have at dinner with the other girls. We then split the leftovers and take them home for lunch/dinner the next day to share with our families. Ideally you share your recipes, (we did through e-mail) so everyone can reproduce your concoctions.

With kids, we talk less around the table, we do less activities, honestly it was a fabulous excuse to see the girls (sans bébé) and spend some "efficient" time together. It was a blast! Hope you get inspired to plan one of these for your group of friends!

I have posted an overview of what we had. Merci les filles! :)

Cutting the bread. The ladies have arrived!

I made these as my "flowers" (vegetable centrepieces) lettuce and cauliflower with grape tomatoes and radishes in my vase. Fun!

I just bought this so I, too, can make SPA WATER! Love it! So much easier than filling up the pitcher all evening long. It holds 7.5 L of liquid.

In this I had:

Fresh mint leaves (about 3 branches)

Cucumber (1/2 an English cucumber)

The juice of 1 lemon

The juice of 1 lime

1 lemon sliced

1 lime sliced

DELISH and REFRESHING! 

For the alcoholic drink:

I also made a Sangria:

1 bottle Rosé wine

raspberries (1 cup)

Sliced Peaches (1 large peach)

Sliced Nectarines (1 large)

Appetisers, just a few for the guests to munch on while we waited for everyone to arrive.

Here are just a few of the salads the girls brought.:

A Chorizo Tomato salad

A Feta and Tomato Salad w Couscous

A Bean Salad

A delish Lentil Salad

A VERY simple Carrot Raisin Salad I made along with my Salad Olovieh.

It was:

about a dozen large carrots shredded by my food processor (about 2 min)

1 cup of sultan raisins

Apple cider vinegar

Olive oil

Salt

pepper

STIR! 

For Dessert I made "Safe" cookie dough truffles. I got the recipe from Bakerella who got it from Lindsey Landis' Cook book "The Cookie dough Lover's Cook Book"

I also made a round fruit salad. Because it was a salad swap!

NOTE: I obsess over melon ballers. I don't know why. I love them almost  like I love salt and pepper shakers. So I balled: 

1 Pineapple (a MESS, did not like that experience)

1 Cantaloupe balled

1 Honeydew balled

2 cups blueberries

1/4 cup dark maple syrup

I like to make a "favor" for everyone to have when they leave home. Originally I made these spoons as place markers for everyone to sit around the table. I bought bamboo spoons. 

SPOON STORY: 

So originally I was looking for copper I was going to engrave my guests' name on the strips, then hammer the plaques into the spoon. I could not find copper strips for the life if me in Montreal. I know it exists, I just have no idea where to look SO, I thought and I thought. I remembered my dad's chip soldering tool he had. When I was growing up, I would use it to burn designs into wood scraps in the garage while my dad worked on projects over the weekends. It was fun, but now actually useful! My husband also has one of these tools (yes very Oedipal, I don't want to hear it). I stole his soldering iron, mind you I did use an old tip so I'm not so mean. I burned each person's name into the spoons. If doing this your iron needs to go up to 440degrees to burn into bamboo. Be careful and have fun!

I bought a packet of rosemary, lavender buds, as well as a sweet colored ribbon to tie the two together. 

TA DAM!

We had a blast. I loved it! Hope you have the desire to do your own Salad swap! I look forward to posting another summary of a Salad Swap next year! 

ENJOY!