By Early September. The factory had me Tuesday-Saturday this week with Sunday and Monday off, which is the rotation I prefer because it gives me two consecutive days at the apartment without the four-AM clock-in. Sunday and Monday are also the days Mama has her two days off, so the schedule lined up for a Mama-visit Monday afternoon at the apartment for the first time in three weeks.
Mama came over at one PM Monday after she had run her own grocery errands in Broken Arrow. She wanted to see the apartment again and she wanted to bring me a small jar of her own canned tomatoes from the August canning project she had been doing solo since the move. She also wanted to drop off Carol’s 1976 Waldorf-salad card from the box, which had come up next in the rotation and which I had been the one cooking through anyway.
Sunday I made the raisin walnut Waldorf salad because the card was on the kitchen counter and because Dustin had been asking for a fruit-salad-leaning Sunday side for two weeks. The salad: diced Granny Smith apples, diced celery, halved red grapes, chopped walnuts, golden raisins, all tossed in a dressing of mayo, plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, a touch of honey, salt, pepper. Refrigerated an hour to let the flavors meld. Served on a bed of romaine lettuce. Mama had two helpings. Dustin had three. I had one and a half. The salad has carried into Wednesday-lunch territory for both Dustin and me.
The recipe is the small Sunday-anchor in a small year of recipe-anchors. The Sunday-publish has been the small constant since I was fourteen and a freshman at Sapulpa High. The constancy is the small discipline. The small discipline is what makes the small kitchen-life sustainable.
The cafe’s small weekday-rhythm continues. Mama runs the small breakfast-and-brunch rotation. Cody runs the small lunch-and-dinner rotation. The small staff is the small extended family the cafe has built across the years.
Raisin Walnut Waldorf Salad
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 3 large apples (one tart like Granny Smith, one sweet like Fuji), cored and diced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup seedless red grapes, halved
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup walnut halves, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- Salt to taste
- Romaine or butter lettuce leaves, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the apples. Dice the apples into bite-sized pieces and toss immediately with lemon juice in a large bowl to prevent browning.
- Combine the produce. Add the celery, grapes, raisins, and walnuts to the bowl with the apples and stir to combine.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, honey, and cinnamon until smooth. Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.
- Dress the salad. Pour the dressing over the apple mixture and fold gently until everything is evenly coated.
- Chill (optional but recommended). Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving to let the flavors come together.
- Serve. Spoon onto lettuce leaves for a classic presentation, or serve straight from a bowl family-style.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 185 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 20g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 95mg