Don’t you just love May! Everything is green and blooming and it’s not too hot! I’m so excited to get the call any day now from my friend Toni telling me it’s time to gather wild sweet peas from a special hill in South Orange County. (Don’t worry we aren’t breaking the law. At least I think we aren’t:) May also has Cinco de Mayo which is fun especially if you love Mexican food and drink! Below is a simple, very colorful (4 ingredient) salad that will be perfect to serve on May 5th (or any fun occasion really)! Here’s what you’ll need for this CINCO DE MAYO SALAD:
2 bags of Spring Mix lettuce
Mini tri-color peppers (about 9)
2 medium avocados
2/3 cup of pepitas (Mexican name for pumpkin seeds)
opt. Tortilla strips
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350. Toss the pepitas in a teaspoon of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of garlic salt, then roast the pepitas for about 13 min. (or until golden) on a lined baking sheet, stirring the pepitas half way through.
Step 2. Chop the avocado and tri-colored peppers into bite sized pieces then create whatever fun design you want.
Step 3. Serve with a cilantro dressing. I had my designated taste testers try three different ones. Brianna’s, El Torito’s and Trader Joe’s. Brianna’s was by far the favorite probably because of it’s creaminess. If you want an even yummier creamy effect, mix equal parts of cilantro dressing with homemade Hidden Valley Ranch!
Looking Back
In California we love Mangos! A couple of summers ago Pickett’s Pearls posted about this delicious (4 ingredient) Mango Salsa which included a video on how to slice mangos! Check it out!
Not More Succulents!
I can’t help it! Succulents are so fun to work with and so hard to kill! These little treasures would be perfect for Spring and Summer gifts (like Mother’s Day:) or party favors! All you need are small containers like these tiny soft boiled egg cups or petite demitasse cups with tea cup stands (Amazon), miniature succulents (plants or clippings) and cactus soil mix. (Cactus soil is very grainy, so it provides good drainage. The word on the street is that succulents don’t care for wet roots:)
*The cool thing about succulents is that you can simply stick a clipping in the cactus soil, water it, and it will take root in a couple of weeks.
**Surprisingly succulents seem to love water (especially if they have good drainage). Our outside potted succulents got a lot of rain this season and flourished more than ever. Water them any time they seem dry.
Fun Saying
I love the saying “ I will be there in two shakes of a lamb’s tail”! That, my friend, means pretty damn quickly. If you don’t believe it, watch this darling video of little lambkins shaking their booties like mad!