winter-to-spring salad

So I was working from home one day this week and trying to figure out what to do about lunch. I really dislike cooking or even thinking about putting together a normal, everyday meal, especially when it's just me. And when I say "really dislike," you may as well read that as "avoid at all costs." Given the choice among pulling out a cookbook and browsing for inspiration, falling back on something I can make with my eyes closed like a pot of red beans and rice, or pulling out the Cheerios, I'm going to go for the breakfast cereal every time. I can't tell you just HOW GREAT it is to be married to someone who loves to cook meals. I totally hit the lottery and I'm thankful every time the Boy Scout looks at me with a gleam in his eye and a stack of open cookbooks on the counter and asks, "How do you feel about [fill-in-the-blank-with-some-ridiculously-gorgeous-entree-that-takes-hours-of-dicing/steaming/assembling]?" And the leftovers? I'm drooling just thinking about it. You think risotto is good on the first night, wait until the flavors have a chance to develop for 24 hours.

But alas, on this particular day, there were no leftovers, and the fridge was pretty bare. Ends of cheeses, almost-gone relishes, a few pieces of fruit nearly ready for the compost. Luckily, the salad greens in the backyard were going great guns and in serious need of a trim, so I threw together this salad in about 5 minutes. If you've never tried chive flowers, you should. Not only are they colorful, they have a garlic-onion kick that elevates this salad to something a little more along the lines of what the Boy Scout turns out.

Winter-to-Spring Salad

• 1/4 large ripe pear, sliced into bite-size wedges
• 1/4 c goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 tbsp good olives, sliced
• 3 tbsp broken walnuts
• 2 c fresh salad greens, preferably a spicy mix
• 1 tbsp chive flowers (dried or fresh)
• balsamic dressing

Toss together and go outside into your garden to eat it.
Serves 1