asparagus and pea salad

it may not sound {or look } all that appetizing, but trust me, it's quite refreshing and very delicious!!

{WARNING: if you're not in the mood to read, but you want the recipe, you'll have to skip down to the bottom. sorry. i'm really chatty today.}

well, hello there, friends! happy friday! do you hear a big sigh echoing across the land? if so, that's me... sighing the biggest sigh of relief because the invitations are essentially done. oh, my! what a load off my shoulders. not to say that doing these invitations for my friend was a burden. it was such a joy! but this last week {especially monday through wednesday } was very... let's just say, it was the hardest part of the process. but the challenge was also invigorating!

each time i do one {this is my fourth }, i learn a little more, and i think to myself, "i could do this! all the time!" i was talking to my mentor/counselor last night about photography and my custom wedding invitation designs. she said, "i can tell these are the right areas for you to be, because your face just lights up when you talk about them!" i said, "really?" i hadn't realized. but i'm glad.

i'm just proud of myself... especially on this last one. it was my first letterpress design. i'm so thrilled with how it turned out. and more importantly, so is the bride. so all i can say is "SIGHHHH"... in a good, good way! some day after the wedding, i'll post the design on my jorjah-b blog. but it's still a secret for now. *wink*

well, i trust you all will have a nice long holiday weekend. we are blessed to have practically perfect weather here today and for the next three days. i'm so glad!

okay... on to the actual point of this post... ASPARAGUS AND PEA SALAD! remember i said i would post the recipe a while back? here it is with some photos i took after my first preparation of it. finally, hah?

i'm not really a foodie. don't get me wrong, i LOVE food! but b. and i are not really connoisseurs. we are great appreciators of good food. and we cook some good things from time to time. but probably by the true definition of the word, we are not foodies.

i have a strong feeling we would be if we were independently wealthy. who wouldn't, right? but then we might both need to step up our workout habits. it's funny, because one of my friends recently told me i looked like i had lost weight... she thought i was dieting and/or exercising. i just started laughing out loud. i said, "yeah, it's this great new diet plan called unemployment." ...not to paint a picture of us as emaciated or going without meals. we are well provided for. i just found that funny. hey! there is a bright side to every trial. a trimmer figure happens to be one of the bright sides of unemployment.

but i digress. so my sister calls me up last march and says, "can you bring something for easter dinner?" i said, "sure!" but what i did not realize was that she didn't really mean "something" as in "any old thing". in fact, she didn't even mean it like "you bring the side dish" or "you bring the dessert". she meant it like a "something very specific, because it's all part of a very big plan, and everything has to be just right, and it all goes together, and it will never do if you substitute with something else" kind of "something".

now i have to admit, i was a bit perturbed by her detailed, specific request. and you'll know why when you see this recipe. i mean, c'mon... who cooks with pea shoots and ice baths? i kept thinking, "why can't i just make my specialty, caprese salad... something simple, but still delicious." in fact, not only did i think it. i mentioned it. but she would have nothing to do with it. she insisted. {turns out, it was one of the most delicious meals i ever had, so i'm very glad she stuck to her guns.}

so off i was on a hunt for tarragon and pea shoots. let me tell you... to this day, i still don't know what pea shoots are. so we just improvised. i prepared the salad at her house, since she was hosting. i can say this... i was annoyed all the way up until i tasted the dressing. oh, my goodness! so delicious! at this point, i was starting to get excited about my little dinner contribution. i felt like a regular martha stewart. {and so i should have, because that is the magazine that my sister got the recipe from.} one taste of that dressing, and my grumbling attitude began to melt away.

you know? i think i could be a foodie! and i'd LOVE to be a food photographer as well... it is something i really want to learn. what better way to practice than to start making gourmet dishes?

alright, without further ado, here is the recipe {complete with grease stains from the other dishes being made }.

{oops... sorry about including part of the steamed artichokes recipe. you'll just need the text above that part... the instructions 1, 2 and 3.}

this dressing is so good, i plan to make it and use it on all kinds of salads this summer. now i just need to buy some tarragon for the herb garden.

if you are not a big fan of asparagus, you could probably use this dressing on a myriad of salads. let me know if you make this... either the salad or just the dressing. i'd love to know what you think! maybe you can us it for this memorial day!

just one more thing to share. i had three phone interviews for a job opportunity {yesterday and today }. they all went very well, and i'm excited to see if i hear back with word that they want to keep pursuing me. i will definitely be sharing more about that soon... and maybe even networking with my blog readers for career advice. well, not really career advice, but your thoughts about whether or not i should accept if they were to offer... you'll see what i mean.

okay... i'm probably signing out for the weekend. between invitations, job interviews and insomnia {see last post }, i'm POOPED! who knows? maybe i'll pop back in. regardless, have a wonderful, wonderful {and hopefully long } weekend! hugs to you all, and a big thank you for your continual thoughts and comments.

~xox

or should i say
~zzz