Arugula, Orange and Red Onion Salad

There's not much in the garden yet except lettuce and arugula. At the end of February I started buttercrunch and romaine lettuce under glass in a planter on the deck. We've been having some great salads. I have a raised bed for arugula. It self-seeds so I always get an early crop. Then as the season warms up I'll plant more arugula. I buy seeds from different suppliers each year so I have a lot of different varieties of arugula. We eat a lot of it. I love oil cured black olives. They used to be hard to find, but now our local Shopper's Warehouse has them at their olive bar all the time. Yum!

Arugula, Orange and Red Onion Salad
4 servings
2 bunches arugula, washed and trimmed
1 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Fresh lemon juice
2 large navel oranges, peel and white pith removed, cut into segments
8 very thin slices red onion, separated into rings
12 or so pitted oil cured black olives
Freshly ground black pepper

Drizzle the arugula with half of the olive oil and the lemon juice; toss to coat and divide among 4 salad plates. Arrange the orange segments, olives and onions on top, dividing evenly. Drizzle with remaining oil and season with black pepper. You don't need any salt because of the olives.

This One Isn't from the Garden

I got this recipe from the Food Network webpage. Visit them. They have great recipes. I prepared this recipe for the choir breakfast we always have at our pre-Easter rehearsal. It was a big hit. The recipe is included in Paula Deen's new book, Paula Deen & Friends: Living It Up, Southern Style. It's a great book. I don't have time to watch Paula's show every week, but I do enjoy it when I have time.

Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup
Recipe courtesy Paula Deen


Recipe SummaryDifficulty: Easy Prep Time: 20 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 8 hours Cook Time: 40 minutes Yield: 6 to 8 servings User Rating:


1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
8 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash salt
Praline Topping, recipe follows
Maple syrup

Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Praline Topping:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.