15th Wedding Anniversary

On this day, June 5th, 15 years ago - Rob and I got married at Highland Park, overlooking the Space Needle and the skyline and waterfront of Seattle. My son, Aubrey, Rob's mom Marilyn, his brother Mark, and my friend Karin were there to witness our wedded union under the rainy skies. 15 years later has seen us moving to Texas and back, my son growing up into a young man, the addition of our furry companion Whimsy to the family, a few company career changes and increased focus on friends, family and recreational pursuits. Tonight we are going to Canlis to celebrate our anniversay. Canlis is a restaurant in Seattle with a history of providing over 50 years of the best dining and service ever.

One of my favorite salads of all time is from this historic, extraordinary restaurant:

Canlis Salad - serves 4-6

SALAD:

1 large head Romaine lettuce

1 to 2 peeled ripe tomatoes (Joni - I'm too lazy to peel the tomatoes)

CONDIMENTS:

1/2 Cup chopped green onion

1/4 Cup freshly gated Romano cheese

1/2 Cup very well one chopped bacon

4 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 Cup croutons

DRESSING:

1/2 Cup olive oil (Joni - I use only 1/2 to 2/3 of this amount of oil)

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 coddled egg

Ingredients Notes:

You can't use too much mint. The best Canlis salads use olive oil that has been flavored with garlic cloves or you can also rub the inside of a wooden bowl with garlic cloves. (If you don't have a wooden salad bowl, you can add garlic powder to the dressing mix.) With the coddled egg, pour boiling water into a cup and put a whole egg (in the shell) in the hot water, let sit for 2 minutes. You may substitute a pasteurized egg mixture. Canlis makes its own croutons. Butter and Italian seasoning.

Directions:

Wash individual lettuce leaves in warm water, drain and dry in colander then chill in refrigerator. Don't ever, ever toss a Canlis Salad with warm wet leaves!

Into a large bowl place the tomatoes, cut into eighths. Add the Romaine lettuce, sliced into 1 inch squares. Then add green onions, cheese (reserve some of the cheese to sprinkle over top of the salad), bacon, oregano and half of the mint.

Dressing: Put the pepper, lemon juice, egg and other half of mint in a bowl and whip vigorously. Slowly add olive oil, whipping constantly. Pour over salad and toss thoroughly. Add croutons and remaining Romano cheese.