HAPPY 'AUTUMN COMPANIONS' FEED GARDEN AND SOUL (Echinacea - Toad Lily) ~ BABY GREENS with CHICKEN, DRIED CHERRIES, PEARS & PECANS
“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”
~ George Eliot
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October Garden Abstract
(Toad Lily ~ Echinacea)
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Echinacea
(faces still shining early October strong)
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BABY GREENS with CHICKEN, DRIED CHERRIES, PEARS & PECANS
~ Memorable autumn flavors blend together like perfect plants in the garden ... a taste of autumn at its best (Fine Cooking - Oct 2008)
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1 medium garlic clove
coarse salt
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. fresh thyme
freshly ground black pepper
1 peeled, cored, diced firm-ripe pear
1/3 cup dried tart cherries (Michigan dried are best)
8 oz. (8 loosely packed cups) mixed baby greens
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
(Rotisserie chicken easy and tastes great)
1/2 cup toasted pecans
Gorgonzola or Feta cheese
- Chop garlic, sprinkle with salt, and mash to paste with flat knife side of chef's knife. Put paste in large serving bowl and whisk in olive oil, vinegar, thyme, and pepper.
- Gently stir in pear and cherries. Add greens, chicken, and pecans. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with crumbled gorgonzola or Feta cheese. Serve immediately. (4-6 servings)
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Tiny Toad Lily
- "Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things."
- ~ Author Unknown
Comments
Tus fotos son siempre muy bellas
Saludos
When I was a lad, a few friends and I where down the park, when another boy came along with a bottle of whisky he had liberated from his father's drinks cabinet. Being idiots, we downed the bottle. Rather drunk, I was concerned about the obvious stench on my breath, so on my staggering way home I bought some Pecan ice cream, to cover the smell (I was 14 and drunk, so it wasn't going to be a good idea). Later that night I was very ill. It took years before I could look at a pecan again!
The chicken salad sounds great,one of my favorite combinations.
Eileen
All is well, dear Shady, and thank you. (Unusual, yes, a bit like me :)
Good luck finding the dried tart cherries, IG. Here they are often beside currents, raisons, dried blueberries, cranberries, etc. And thanks for sharing ... you always make me smile :)
As you can see, Toad Lilies are fun to view up close and personal, Eileen. I have them in several locations so prefer variegated for more visibility/contrast from afar. Enjoy the salad and hurry back to get them :)
Thank you, Carol, how kind. Always a joy to visit your lovely life. We are both blessed.
Thanks, Linda. I'm delighted these two friends are still happy companions, still flourishing in my early October garden.
Ronelle x
Thanks for the salad recipe--this sounds like one of my favorites I order at Panera's!
Yippee. I grow Tricyrtis and love them and even feel capable of crushing garlic and throwing everything else together in a bowl. Success will be mine thanks to you, dear Joey!
Thanks Kate ... toad lilies are hard not to love :)
Hi, dear Ronelle x, and thank you. Good luck finding those cherries.
A bit behind but autumn has definitely found us, Dee, although today feels more like spring.
Thanks Rosey. When not in the garden, I have been spending tons of time in the kitchen (daughter's birthday dinner party last night, son and grandboys for dinner tonight, cooking for Young Son's housewarming/football party on Sat ... ) Life is good :)
Hi Whimsical Garden, and thank you ... as I so enjoy visiting you!
We are blessed, Gail, it's like spring here too and lovin' it! Yes, rotisserie chicken is a good thing and use them often in recipes like this. If you have one near, Costo chickens are awesome.
Thanks, dear Rose. Hope the recipe suits your fancy :) Yes, Thelma and Louise would be most welcome for a visit, anytime!
Happy you approve, Monica. Hum, a pot ... porcelain enamel (Le Creuset) or good quality stainless. I trust you have an iron skillet :)
Thank you, Tatyana (so enjoying your travel posts)!
Thank you, Kimberly. Hope you like it ... it's been a joy connecting.
Yippee, dearest Edith. You hit home run!
IG - Sainsbury's sell dried sour cherries....but I usually buy up all their stock in the Chesterfield branch :)
Thank you, Wendy. Small but mighty, toad Lilies are cute/handsome and, as you can see, make many gardeners smile :)
-yumi-
toni