Panick salad, basic nice dressing: all well

Tomato-cucumber salad, originally uploaded by BakingSoda.

Despite planning some evenings you find yourself frantically searching your kitchen for something to add to your dinner. That sounded good right?

Now here's the unplugged; I don't plan for meals. Never. In the past I tried but I'm just no good, there are forever things happening which make my treasured scheduling fly out the window. Either I have left-overs that are too good to throw out but too little to feed my family so I come up with things to add to them thus dipping into the "planned meal" stash. Or I plan a meal and we just don't feel like it that evening. I know people who plan their meals, ha, there even are people in my little black book that I know for a fact eat the same meal every Wednesday, or do their grocery shopping every Thursday morning... same shop, same list. When I'm at a distance I smile (or smirk whatever my disposition is like at the time) but when in their presence they manage to make me feel sloppy, too easy, not on top of things. Oh well. Snarky comment: I also know they are my go-to addresses when the kids need empty cans or jars for a school craft project, hehe.

This salad was invented on the spot when one of the kids friends stayed for dinner. We had a tray of oven roasted potatoes with fresh herbs and legs of chicken, some peas for the twins but I needed a "something else".

- cherry tomatoes, halved
- toasted walnuts
- deseeded cucumber, in small chunks
- rucola
- home-made croutons

Dressing:
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp walnut oil
1 heaped tsp Dyon mustard
2 tbsp raspberry vinegar
fresh pepper/salt
1 tsp apple syrup (appel diksap)

Combine in a glass bowl and mix vigourously until emulsified. Or, take one of these glass jars, screw lid on tight and shake.

Snide comment at self: It has come to my attention that some of those people might be likewise intimidated by humble me... they know how I cook -the from scratch stuff- and insert a "I know you would probably .. " a bit reluctant to talk about food in my presence. It took me a while to notice but it should help me feel less inadequate.