while in la over the weekend, i decided to cook up a meal for us girls before we headed out for a night on the town. i kept the concept simple knowing that i would be in a foreign kitchen with little to non of my regular tools. 

now, i tried to keep it simple, but in my mind homemade croutons are run of the mill. so i was SHOCKED when i went to slice up our bread and i could not find a serrated knife.

how can you survive with out a serrated knife?!? 

then i realized, until wesley filled me in, i had no idea the important things i could do with a serrated knife. sure, it is not a utility knife and by no means should it be your first purchase, but if you like salsa, fresh bread of any kind or you ever need to slice cake, it should definitely be your second or third. 

thanks to its ridged edges, this knife will grip into all those hard to slice surfaces as you work. this saves you from slipping and slicing your finger and having to push so hard that you crush your bread or tomatoes. 

quickly slice tomatoes with out squirting their insides everywhere. 

tomato dicing has never been easier. 

slicing or chopping bread goes from messy to a breeze. 

delicate dessert cakes like pound cake can be crushed under the weight of a normal knife. the serrated knife makes quick, delicate work of slicing it. 

if you are looking to up your kitchen game, or simply want to stop making a crushed, crumbly bread mess every time you need to make your seasoned croutons, the serrated knife is your guy! 

xo, a

often when i'm busy, i find myself relying more on salads as a quick go to meal. most dishes require time for prep, cooking, resting and serving. that is way too many steps when i have twenty minutes at home in between class and my next job. so i keep a few different lettuces, cheeses, nuts and fruit (fresh and dried) on hand to toss together in a bunch of different combinations depending on my mood. if i'm lucky and have extra time, i'll grill up some chicken or shrimp to pop in. you could even throw in some tuna if you had some and wanted an extra protein boost or beans would do the trick for that too. 

but the key to a good salad is the dressing. and vinaigrette's are super easy to make (5 minutes or less) and can be stored on hand for up to a week. i love this one because it uses things i usually have on hand and is delicious with pretty much anything you could put in a salad. 

apple cider vinaigrette
serves: 1 cup
prep: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: less than 5 minutes
ingredients: .5 cup good olive oil. .25 c apple cider vinegar. 3 tbs orange juice. 1 tbs honey. 1 tbs dijon mustard. 2 tbs finely minced shallots. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper. 

in a bowl or small food processor, combine all of your ingredients. 

whisk or blend till well combined. 

if you want a very smooth vinaigrette i recommend blending. if you like it a little lighter with small bits of shallots, i recommend whisking. 

serve or keep in an airtight container for up to a week. 

xo, a

apple cider vinaigrette
serves: 1 cup
prep: 2 minutes
active time: 1 minute
total time: less than 5 minutes
ingredients: .5 cup good olive oil. .25 c apple cider vinegar. 3 tbs orange juice. 1 tbs honey. 1 tbs dijon mustard. 2 tbs finely minced shallots. 1 tsp salt. .5 tsp pepper.
in a bowl or small food processor, combine all of your ingredients.
whisk or blend till well combined. if you want a very smooth vinaigrette i recommend blending. if you like it a little lighter with small bits of shallots, i recommend whisking.
serve or keep in an airtight container for up to a week.