By Apple picking Saturday at a farm in Stow with Meghan and Brian and Aidan (age 6) and the baby (12 months, walking, unstoppable). Four kids under 7 in an apple orchard. A controlled chaos.
Liam climbed a low branch. Nora filled her bag with apples she could not carry and I carried them for her. Aidan and Liam raced between trees. The baby put an apple in his mouth whole and Meghan panicked and fished it out. The baby cried. The baby was fine.
Twenty pounds of apples home. Mine, not Meghan's — she already has a tree in her yard. Pies in the future, applesauce, apple crumble, apples to pack in the kids' lunches for three weeks.
Sunday Ma came over to my house (rare) because Dad was at a BFD retiree breakfast. She helped me peel apples for four hours. We made three pies. The kids put all the peels into the compost like it was Christmas. Ma said Katie the counter is too small you need a bigger counter. I said I know Ma. She said when. I said when I can afford it. She did not press.
Group Tuesday. One more session in this cycle. Bernadette is starting to hint at a transition — she said, we cannot stay in the six-week room forever, we find ways to live the rest of the week. I am thinking about whether I will do another cycle or space it out. I think I will do another. Not ready to space yet.
Clinic — Shanice is doing great. Two weeks of her own panel, she is competent, kind, fast enough. Dr. Rashid told me Friday that he is very happy. He said your mentorship is part of why. I said she is easy.
Saturday pancakes, pre-apple-picking. Burned the first one. Liam did the flip. Nora broke one egg shell into the bowl and I fished it out again. She is persistent.
Sunday dinner at Southie with leftover pies and Ma's pot roast. Dad said he liked my pies. Coming from him, that is a Michelin star.
Food of the week: apple pie. Mine. Crust made with butter and a little vinegar. Filling: apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, a spoonful of cornstarch. Lattice top.
We came home from Stow with twenty pounds of apples and I used most of them on pies — but there were still apples left by Tuesday, sitting in a bowl on the counter Ma declared too small, and I needed something that wasn’t another baked thing. This salad was it: crisp apples, toasted pecans, that honey vinaigrette that tastes like it belongs in October. It felt like the week deserved something easy and bright after all the peeling and the rolling and the good, tired kind of Sunday.
Apple-Pecan Salad with Honey Vinaigrette
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 5 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 6 cups mixed greens or romaine lettuce, torn
- 2 medium apples (Honeycrisp or Fuji), cored and thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup pecan halves, toasted
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese or feta
- 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
- Honey Vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Toast the pecans. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pecan halves for 3–5 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Slice the apples. Core and thinly slice the apples just before assembling to keep them fresh. If prepping ahead, toss the slices in a little lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine the greens, apple slices, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, crumbled cheese, and red onion slices.
- Dress and serve. Drizzle the honey vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 230 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 21g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 160mg