dressing.

I had some of my most favorite ladies in the whole world over last night. It was so fun! Gosh, I have amazing friends. We laughed, talked, played with makeup and clothes {seriously} and most importantly, ate. I made dark chocolate cupcakes with salted caramel buttercream and a non-recipe-follower’s version of chopped salad. {Combine however much you want of: romaine lettuce, green apple, pre-cooked bacon, bleu cheese, mini noodles, red onion, corn [thawed, frozen], avocado, and grilled chicken}. The girls said that they loved the balsamic vinaigrette I made. Now, I’m not a devoted must-make-from-scratch girl. Some things {like Pad Thai} are best left up to the professionals. However, I don’t waste my time with store bought vinegrette. Making it from scratch is cheap, easy, and made with things you generally always have.

The very best balsamic vinaigrette: In a small food processor, combine 1/2 cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 generous teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon chopped shallots, 1 clove garlic, crushed, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Process until well blended. Makes a generous 1/2 cup dressing. If making in advance, refrigerate, covered, until serving time.

*My tips: I add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. /  Sometimes I skip the shallot because I don’t always have those on hand. / I usually used jarred crushed garlic. / I don’t bother food processoring it. I’m sure it’s good that way, but I just whip it real fast before I mix it in the salad so that I don’t dirty another dish.

Speaking of mustard…

I just love mustard yellow. Actually, all yellow. I don’t discriminate. Mustard yellow, chartreusey yellow, bright yellow… L O V E it!!! And my dad, the excellent shopper that he is, bought me this sweet gem of a camera bag for my birthday:

Pretty sweet huh? Thanks to the lovelies at Jo Totes for making such fun camera bags, thanks to my amazing friends for said camera, and thanks to my dad for letting me tote in style! Want to order one for your very own? You can do just that right here. Happy dressing! xo, linds