When you marry into a family as large as the Ray clan, it can be a little overwhelming. A simple gathering of the immediate family outnumbers even the largest event my Midwestern relatives can muster. My first meeting with the Rays occurred at Thanksgiving 2004, and when we arrived at Butch and Linda's, there were more Rays present than I could count.
On this particular Thanksgiving, the Ray family had planned a family photo with Grandma Ray and her children, many grandchildren, and even the great-grandchildren. As the only Ewing present, I sat this one out. Unfortunately, I sat it out on the trampoline and accidentally ended up in the background of the photograph.
It's a great picture of a big, happy family, and if a picture's worth a thousand words, it pretty clearly sums up my transition in to such a large family. I'm there, but kind of in the background. Not because I didn't want to love my in-laws, but because there were just so darn many of them that I wasn't sure where to begin.
So I started with Butch. I'd heard stories of this hardworking dairy farmer with a passion for pulling tractors and a fierce love for his family. Not to mention that a name like Butch is effortlessly intimidating; coupled with Mike's stories, I'll admit I was a little scared of Butch before I even met him.
In an effort to bring in an interesting dish and make a favorable impression, I showed up with my strawberry spinach salad. Turns out Mike forgot to mentioned that he got his sweet-tooth from his dad. Once I had this figured out, I quickly discovered the way to your father-in-law's heart is through his stomach.
Six years later, my recipe remains the same but it seems Butch deserves some credit as well. A little bit for making this my most requested recipe, but mostly for helping me step out of the background and truly become one of the Rays.
Always start with the candied walnuts, since they take the longest. Pre-heat your oven 200 degrees and gather:
1 cup walnuts (pecans will do in a pinch)
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp water
Beat the egg white until very frothy, but not stiff. Mix in the vanilla, sugar, and water, then stir in walnuts to coat. Spread walnuts into a single layer onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes. Once you remove the walnuts from the oven, let them cool for 5-10 minutes, but don't wait too long or they will be a beast to separate. Remove the walnuts from the baking sheet, and let them finish cooling in another dish while you prep the dressing and the salad.
For the vinaigrette:
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tsp salt
2 tbsps Karo syrup
Pour all ingredients into a lidded dish, and shake until blended.
For the salad:
6 cups fresh spinach, washed and dried
2 cups strawberries, sliced
Add the candied walnuts to the spinach and strawberries, then toss with the vinaigrette and serve.
On this particular Thanksgiving, the Ray family had planned a family photo with Grandma Ray and her children, many grandchildren, and even the great-grandchildren. As the only Ewing present, I sat this one out. Unfortunately, I sat it out on the trampoline and accidentally ended up in the background of the photograph.
It's a great picture of a big, happy family, and if a picture's worth a thousand words, it pretty clearly sums up my transition in to such a large family. I'm there, but kind of in the background. Not because I didn't want to love my in-laws, but because there were just so darn many of them that I wasn't sure where to begin.
So I started with Butch. I'd heard stories of this hardworking dairy farmer with a passion for pulling tractors and a fierce love for his family. Not to mention that a name like Butch is effortlessly intimidating; coupled with Mike's stories, I'll admit I was a little scared of Butch before I even met him.
In an effort to bring in an interesting dish and make a favorable impression, I showed up with my strawberry spinach salad. Turns out Mike forgot to mentioned that he got his sweet-tooth from his dad. Once I had this figured out, I quickly discovered the way to your father-in-law's heart is through his stomach.
Six years later, my recipe remains the same but it seems Butch deserves some credit as well. A little bit for making this my most requested recipe, but mostly for helping me step out of the background and truly become one of the Rays.
Always start with the candied walnuts, since they take the longest. Pre-heat your oven 200 degrees and gather:
1 cup walnuts (pecans will do in a pinch)
1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp water
Beat the egg white until very frothy, but not stiff. Mix in the vanilla, sugar, and water, then stir in walnuts to coat. Spread walnuts into a single layer onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes. Once you remove the walnuts from the oven, let them cool for 5-10 minutes, but don't wait too long or they will be a beast to separate. Remove the walnuts from the baking sheet, and let them finish cooling in another dish while you prep the dressing and the salad.
For the vinaigrette:
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tsp salt
2 tbsps Karo syrup
Pour all ingredients into a lidded dish, and shake until blended.
For the salad:
6 cups fresh spinach, washed and dried
2 cups strawberries, sliced
Add the candied walnuts to the spinach and strawberries, then toss with the vinaigrette and serve.
2 comments:
katie, your sooo sweet and rock that salad!!!!!
Thanks! Kind of a strange transition into such a large family, but nothing brings people together quite like good food...
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