Birthday Lunch Menu

Photography by Kate Sears

On Saturday, I mostly made a bunch of salads and an appetizer in addition to a (store-bought) cake.  The cake was actually part white cake and part vanilla ice cream which was different but pretty decent.  I first made stuffed tomatoes which are always a crowd pleaser. I also made broccoli salad which is also a popular dish. I also made caprese pasta salad with lemon vinaigrette which I snagged from The Cooking Photographer's blog. In addition to the tried and true, I also made a new recipe - Aida's Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad. It's probably a good summer recipe, but I used frozen corn and it still tasted good.  I don't know if I loved the cilantro dressing, but it's very light and I still liked it.  This was the only dish that I actually added salt and pepper to.  Mine wasn't as colorful because I only used red grape tomatoes, but it was still tasty.  Recipe is linked and also below:

Aida's Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad
Ingredients



For the dressing:
1 1/2 cups packed fresh cilantro
1/2 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper


For the salad:
4 ears corn, kernels removed (about 3 cups)
1 1/2 pounds grape tomatoes, halved (about 3 cups)
1 pound fresh mozzarella, diced
2 medium avocados, diced

Directions
Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender, using 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste; process until smooth. Combine the salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Let sit at least 15 minutes before serving, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.