Small Bites … Adventures in Downsizing

Jan Kinzel

 

Cleverness…..…Did you ever see anything so clever that it made you wish you had invented it? I did. Our quest to purchase a dining table that suits the size of a smaller living space led us to a locally owned store that carries only dining tables, chairs, and bar stools. It was there that I saw this clever thing! I think a picture is worth a thousand words, but I will try to describe it.

The function of this thing is to help the customer construct a facsimile of a finished table. It stands about three feet high and measures about two feet square. There are three rotating sections. It looks somewhat like a little carousel. The top rotating section holds twelve table legs of different styles. The middle section has eight table top styles and the bottom section has a selection of eight aprons.

To begin, I chose the farmhouse style of table leg. Rob, the young man who was helping us, slipped the leg out of its holder at the top and into a slot at the bottom of the ‘little carousel’. My husband spun the middle section to select the table top he thought looked the best; then together, including Rob, we selected the apron. When all three sections were spun to the choices we wanted – voila! – there was a model of our table! I tell you, it was the coolest thing! We ordered our ‘custom-made’ table in the perfect size for our condo and in a great creamy white finish sanded here and there so some wood shows through the paint. We will see it in 4 to 6 weeks.

At the end of that day I found myself still marveling at the cleverness of that thing and thinking whoever invented it must feel pretty smug. I wished it had been me.

 

Walk-about Food

Last year a friend and I worked together on an event for 150 people.  We thought and thought about what to serve and hit on this (dare I say?) clever idea. It was very well received so I’m just going to put it out there for you along with some variations. We called ours ‘Walk-about Salads’.  We had two distinct types: Italian & Thai.

The idea is to serve layered combinations of classic ingredients in individual clear containers. For the large group, we used plastic, short, wide-rimmed, 9 ounce glasses from the party store. To dress it up, or for smaller groups, martini glasses are perfect. Keep the elements bite-sized so it is easy to eat – no knife needed. For added pizzazz, moisten the rim and dip in an appropriate seasoning – such as a mixture of coarse salt and celery seed for a tomato salad or raw sugar for desserts. I like to use heavy-weight plastic spoons or forks of colors that enhance the dish. Here, then, are a few of the ideas.

 

Walk-about Toy Box Tomato Salad

Fill glass a third of the way with large cherry tomatoes cut in half.  Next place cubed feta cheese and top with a chiffonaude of fresh basil leaves. To make the chiffonaude, remove the leaves from the stem and stack, then roll them up like a cigar and slice across the short end with a sharp knife.  In a canning jar, place the same amounts of balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil. Add a tablespoon of sugar and 4 cloves of garlic, minced, a pinch of salt and a grind or 2 of black pepper. Place the top and turn the ring tightly to seal the jar. Shake to emulsify the dressing. Drizzle a tablespoon or two over the salad. Serve with a bright green plastic fork.

 

Marie’s Lettuce Wrap Walk-about Thai Salad

Fill the glass to 1/3 with shredded iceberg lettuce. Spoon meat mixture in next (see recipe below). Next comes scallions, cut finely on the diagonal, using white and green parts. Top with coarsely chopped cashew nuts, a lime wedge and a few cilantro leaves. Garnish with a little Asian paper umbrella and add a black plastic fork.

Meat Mixture:  In a skillet, lightly brown 1½ lbs. ground turkey in 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Add 1 diced small yellow onion and cook until onion is soft. Add 2 teaspoons salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons each of freshly minced garlic and ginger. If desired, add a little red chili paste for heat. Cook 3 minutes longer. Stir in 1/3 cup Yoshida’s marinade and 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar. Remove from heat and mix in ½ each of a red and a green bell pepper, finely chopped. Let cool. Layer in glasses as directed.


Walk-about Shrimp & Avocado Salad

Place medium-sized peeled, deveined, tails on shrimp on a baking sheet in single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast at 4000for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Layer in glass with 4 shrimp on the bottom, ½ an avocado in the middle, and top with several ruby red grapefruit sections. Tuck a butter lettuce leaf on one side of the salad and partly under the shrimp. Have the ruffle edge of the lettuce stick up a little from the glass rim. Drizzle with 1 or 2tablespoons of your favorite raspberry dressing. Top with a shrimp and a parsley sprig. Use a bright red plastic fork to set off color of the shrimp.

 

There’s so much more you can do: Walk-about Caprese Salad; Walk-about Caesar Salad; Walk-about Tira Misu; Walk-about Strawberry Short Cake; Walk-about Vanilla Wafer Banana Pudding; Walk-about Cherry Pie; Walk-about S’mores; Walk-about English Trifle.

These are just a few possibilities. I heard of one fancy party where mashed potatoes with gravy was served in martini glasses and in the September 2010 Food Network magazine, it showed layers of pulled pork with barbeque sauce and mashed potatoes topped off with a cherry tomato!

 

TIP:  Life is just a bowl of cherries!

Psalm 104:14 …bring forth food from the earth…

Read the whole chapter!