Refreshing Fennel Citrus Salad with Orange Maple Dressing

As we dance between winter and spring, life can feel dreary and lackluster. The excitement of Christmas, the new year and Valentine's Day is behind us. The promise of warmth, new life and green-hued landscape taunts us as we wait in the ending days of February. Glimpses of sunshine and occasional above-average temps remind us that winter's bitter cold is almost in our rear-view mirrors. Spring is just within reach. We stagger between the desire for stews and casseroles while pining for fresh, vibrant salads and the unleashing of our grills from our sheds. This particular salad is a beautiful ideal bridge between the seasons. All in one a nod to winter produce and yet, a welcome "hello" to the beginning of traditional salad season.

And, it truly could not be easier to assemble. I've presented it within this post as a side salad, but one could easily add a beautifully-cooked filet of salmon on top for a more-complete meal. The salad itself consists of just four fresh ingredients. And, the dressing is comprised of stuff most of us keep on hand. Between the two components, you'll need maybe ten minutes to get this on the table from start to finish.

Yields 2 - 3 servings.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Scones with Orange Drizzle Glaze

 

Scones are one of those things that can be thrown together pretty quickly and easily.  So, I often make my Blueberry Scones with Lemon Drizzle Glaze for us for breakfast or to have to snack on during the weekends.  The problem is that my teenage daughter, Allanah, hates blueberries, so I set out to make a scone with ingredients that she would like.  The result?  Make 'em with chocolate!

Pair that with some oats for texture and some orange zest and juice for a refreshing, subtle citrus kiss ... and I think we've got ourselves a winner!

Making scones is pretty much like making biscuits.  The less you "work" the dough, the better!  When you first pour out the dough onto your floured surface, it may look like it will never come together.  I promise it will!  And, you want to leave lots of chunks of cold butter in the dough to create the flaky pockets like we all adore in the best biscuits, too!  I place my scones in the freezer for about 5 minutes prior to baking ... just to ensure that the butter flecks/chunks are very cold before baking.

This one is for you, Allanah!