Smitten Salad

The other night at dinner, Mike was quiet as he ate. Then he said, "You make a really good salad." Oh, be still my heart.

It was this salad, but with sausage instead of bacon, lemon juice instead of vinegar, plus some corn, chili flakes, and paprika.

Sometimes I make it according to the actual recipe, which has become a favorite on its own, but just as often I add my own twists to it. That's what cooking is really about. Pouring yourself into dinner for the pure joy of it.

We don't usually do "diet" salads in our house, mostly because if I'm just looking at greens and salad dressing I'm not very interested in eating it. And when we eat salads like this, with the dressing made from pan drippings, we're always satisfied. They're meals unto themselves, and then we fall in love all over again.