As a kid I ate only croutons from a salad.  Now I love salad and eat everything in them but the croutons since they usually taste old and bland.

Leave it up to my friend Mari to bring over homemade croutons that leave me loving them again.  Crispy with olive oil and garlicky, they’re lovely on her velvety chestnut soup or any salad.

Mari’s Croutons

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Lay one bread slice flat, cut 1/2″ strips lengthwise, then 1/2″ strips crosswise (resulting in small cubes).  Repeat with remaining slices.  You should have about 3 cups of bread cubes. Put them into a large bowl.

2. In small bowl, whisk garlic into olive oil.  Pour over bread in large bowl, tossing quickly to evenly distribute among cubes.  Don’t get too much oil onto any cube or it will turn out soggy.

3. Spread onto baking sheet and bake, turning frequently, for 7-10 minutes or until golden brown on all sides.

In Mari’s words, “Crunchy Fun!”

Giraffe-carved salad servers from Kenya.  Black and white.  Hand painted on bone.

Ten Thousand Villages, $38

I bought a bunch of fresh tarragon at the market because I don’t think I’d ever bought fresh tarragon before.

Then it sat in my fridge for a while, making me feel guilty.

In the nick of time I used it in a delicious homemade salad dressing.

Now I can buy fresh tarragon again!

Fresh Tarragon Vinaigrette

Adapted from Wasabi Bratwurst’s Everyone’s Favorite Fresh Herb Salad Dressing

What I Changed and Why: Kept the fresh herb to tarragon only to highlight its flavor; Kept the vinegar to just balsamic for simplicity; Adjusted other spices to taste.

1. Shake all of the ingredients together in a jar with a tight fitting lid. (If you do not have such a jar then first whisk together all ingredients, adding the fresh herbs at the very end.)

2. Toss the greens & the dressing in a large bowl and plate it.

There are two types of people: those who view salad as something to eat because it’s healthy and those who love salad.

I truly love salad. Good salad.

Some friends of my future in-laws, Pat and Beth, spent a year traveling the world before they settled down and had kids. Beth, an avid vegetable eater, nearly went crazy. As soon as they arrived in a new country, Beth learned the word for “green” in the native tongue. At each restaurant she pleaded to the server, “Green! Green!” in hopes that a plate of vegetables would arrive.

Here’s a fun twist on Caesar salad dressing. I think it appeals to both salad types.

Balsamic Caesar Salad Dressing

In a glass measuring cup, combine vinegar, mustard, and anchovy paste and mix with a fork. Bring a small saucepan of water to boil. Add egg and boil 45 seconds. (No more!) Take out with slotted spoon. Rinse with cold water and crack egg into the mixture. Mix well. Whisk in olive oil with a slow, steady stream of olive oil. Coat salad greens, tossing well. If desired, add grated Parmesan and toss again.

It can be tough to find a good bottled salad dressing.  Often I make homemade vinaigrettes, but when life gets busy bottled dressings are very helpful.

Seeds of Change makes some great dressings.  The Greek Feta flavor is one of my favorites.  It has a nice balance of sweetness, saltiness, acidity and oil.  A splash over some mixed greens, a few tosses, and you have an elegant, simple salad.

Some finely diced red onion or a few artichoke hearts would also complement this dressing nicely.