Quest: Perfect Salad

I am having dinner at a friend's tonight and plan to take along a salad for accompaniment. On a regular basis I'm a bit lazy and cheap out on doing anything more than lettuce, carrots and celery. For this occasion I'd like to add some fixings, but I can't decide. I love a sweet and citrus inspired salad, though it's hard for me not to use calamata olives if I have any reason to.  A friend once brought a salad with pomegranate seeds to a potluck, and it was so awesome. And then of course....during my very brief time in France I ate tomato, basil, and mozzarella salads numerous times.* I think their soil must grow better vegetables. I don't know that I have ever enjoy eating anything more in my entire life. 

*I first had a salad of this kind in New York City and didn't like it. This was still during the phase of my life that I didn't enjoy a fresh tomato. I must have been expecting something else because when the waiter set it in front of me I was for whatever reason almost moved to cry (and terribly embarrassed, by the way). I must have been exhausted, or maybe I was bummed NY wasn't perfect anymore.

Don't you sometimes wish you were a food photographer? I really like looking at beautiful photos of food, both prepared in lovely bowls and with the ingredients laying there before being mixed up. I also like the way my friend Tyler photographs food, which he makes look slightly disconcerting and often very object-like. Like, if you saw a creme brulee in one of his photos you might call it Food and not creme brulee. I hope he won't mind me sharing one of his nice ones.

"Chicago's Twice Thrice"

A real food classic, here with shadows

Oh yeah....it's Cupcake Day on the Martha Stewart Show. I'm still not over yesterday's cupcake lust, and this is just cruel. After kind of a funny morning I'm having the kind of day that if everything else doesn't go just right I might go to bed.