Well, it is over. The wedding is done. All that non-stop planning and the big day has come and gone in the blink of an eye. People keep asking me how I feel about it and I don’t really know what to say. I’ve given it a lot of thought, trying to sort through the emotions that are still ebbing through my body at rapid rates. I think I just feel content. I don’t feel relieved, per say, as many people ask. I also don’t feel sad that it is over either. I am simply content with the memories of that wonderful day. On the way to our honeymoon Ken and I kept replaying the whole weekend over and over to each other. It got to a point where we laughed at ourselves, but kept going, neither of us wanting our minds to forget any little detail.
I have no qualms that I am loved by my friends and family, yet our wedding contained such overwhelming love and joy over our union. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced and surely will never forget. I am so thankful to have been surrounded by such wonderful, caring people and to have been able to share such a fantastic experience with every one of them is amazing and almost magical. Would I do it all over again? Only if I could go back in time and have everything exactly as it was. I would never change a thing, not one single detail. My only concern now is how a tiny thank you card is going to express the gratitude that I feel in my heart. I guess I will really get to test my writing skills the next couple of weeks!
Now, on to the recipes you clicked on the post for! This is a 2 part recipe, one for a Crunchy Asian salad, and the other for a Citrus Sesame dressing to pour all over it! Both are simple to make and nearly all of the ingredients can be skipped and/or substituted out. The salad is fresh lettuce of your choice loaded with purple carrots, snow peas, wasabi almonds, red onion, and Bartlett pear. It is a fresh take on an Asian salad and really made my taste buds pop! It is especially fabulous that I am posting this now if you live in my area because the high has been up to 90 lately and a crisp, cool salad is what you need to beat the heat right now!
The dressing is SO marvelous and can be saved to pour on lots of different food other than salad. It has a rich sesame flavor that is complimented by the fresh squeezed citrus from the lemon and lime! My friend-Ann Marie came over the other day and poured it all over her sautéed kale and carrot skillet meal. She gave it two thumbs up! I especially like to use it as a marinade for Portobello mushrooms to throw on the grill too. However, for the sake of this post, let’s drench the above salad in it, I guarantee you won’t be sorry.
- Asian Salad:
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
- ¼ cup roughly chopped Bartlett pear
- ¼ cup wasabi almonds (I got mine at Trader Joe's)
- ½ cup chopped purple carrots
- 6-8 snow pea pods
- 2-3 cups leafy greens of your choice.
- Citrus Sesame Dressing:
- Juice of 2 small lemons
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tbs cream cheese or mayo (vegan of course)
- ½ tbs sriracha
- 1 lg clove of garlic, minced
- 1 tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 3 drops liquid smoke
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- For salad, assemble with lettuce on bottom and other ingredients on top.
- For dressing, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously until everything is combined and the dressing is smooth. You could also use a mini blender like a bullet for this; I just used old fashioned elbow grease.
- Pour some dressing on salad and enjoy. The dressing recipe makes much more than for 1 salad, so get creative with the leftovers!
Jack Stone says
Jenn and Kenny, you are both so loved, and I have NEVER attended an event, until your wedding, where so much love, joviality, and respect were so evident. EVERYONE who attended had a great experience.
I hope everyone tries this recipe; sounds and looks so appealing!
Jenn says
It was a great day! And yes, this recipe rocks! I am particularly obsessed with the Citrus Sesame dressing right now! Addicting!