The Road Less Traveled By

Sunday, November 17, 2013
The weekend before my birthday, my oldest daughter made it home from university to spend a day with us. (Yes, I know my birthday was nearly two weeks ago. I promise this is the last birthday post for 2013.)

If you know me well, you'll remember how I love my family walks, and it's no surprise that we spent an hour walking down by the Humber River. It was a beautiful day, the leaves were at their colourful best, and the river walk is always a lovely one. But the highlight was witnessing the artistry of inukshuk sculpture - the creation of Inuit landmarks - in person.




Sisters enjoying their walk together:

And how better to celebrate a day together than with a traditional birthday arugula salad?  


Arugula Salad with Pear, Blue Cheese and Apricot Vinaigrette
(adapted from Food Network)

Ingredients:
2 cups washed arugula, lightly packed
1 cup Boston lettuce, torn
1/2 ripe pear, thinly sliced
couple of squeezes of fresh lemon juice
4 ounces St. Agur or other blue cheese, crumbled

Dressing:
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1/4 cup apricot all-fruit spread
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

(note: this makes more than enough dressing for a couple of meals of this salad)


Combine arugula leaves and Boston lettuce in a salad bowl. Squeeze a little lemon juice over pear slices to keep them from browning. Arrange them on top of lettuces. Top salad with blue cheese crumbles. Combine vinegar and apricot preserves. Stream in oil as you whisk dressing. Pour dressing over salad, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

19 comments:

Unknown said...

Beth, so glad you enjoyed your birthday. Celebrating with family is as good as it gets, Your photos are lovely!

Julie said...

Beautiful photos! So wonderful you were able to celebrate with your daughter!!!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Loved seeing the pictures. It's awesome to keep celebrating our birthdays. And especially sweet that your daughter came home from college.

Bonnie said...

Beth, I think you should just keep celebrating. The rock sculptures amaze me! I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Bonnie

Monet said...

What a gorgeous day and a lovely salad. Long walks are my favorites, and I know that I'll enjoy days where Lucy and I can stroll together. Thank you for sharing such a delicious dish. I hope you have a wonderful start to your week!

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

Keep up those celebrations my friend :D
Have a wonderful time! And the sculptures are true works of art!

Cheers
CCU

Joanne said...

A birthday family walk sounds lovely! And so does a birthday salad...especially when it's filled with such lovely flavors!

Inger @ Art of Natural Living said...

What a nice way to spend your birthday!

Anonymous said...

I never tire of arugula! It sounds like you had a fabulous birthday this year!

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Now I want a birthday arugula salad!!! It sounds amazing! And such a fun birthday outing :)

Jemi Fraser said...

I love Inukshuks! They're beautiful - what a lucky treat!

Vicki Bensinger said...

Wow your photos are stunning! I can't wait until I can take better photos. Your salad sounds yummy too! Happy Birthday!

Katerina said...

I believe coming your daughter was a very special gift for your birthday! A salad is always necessary for a good meal!

Valerie Gamine said...

Beautiful salad to mark an equally lovely day. :)

Unknown said...

Very cool to see the artist at work on your lovely Fall walk-and I think birthdays should be celebrated for at the very least several weeks- your traditional birthday arugula salad looks just like a perfect way to continue the celebration ;)

Kitchen Riffs said...

All the photos are good, but love that top one! Nice way to celebrate your birthday. Great salad, too - thanks for this.

grace said...

what an incredible sight to behold! i'm touched. :)
great salad, too--the apricot in the vinaigrette sounds fantastic!

Angie's Recipes said...

Beth, I am so happy to know that you had a great birthday. The salad looks fabulous...arugula is my favourite green.

CQUEK said...

great shots!

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