Time to dust off the Overnight Salad!

As they say around these parts, “I just can’t get my hands down!”  Why, you ask?  I’ve just seen this weekend’s weather forecast for Copenhagen.  And I had to do a double take…  We’re going to have temps of up to [steady yourselves…] 19 degrees celcius (66 fahrenheit) on Saturday.  Woo hoo!

Forecast courtesy of dmi.dk

Perhaps I should explain that – for weeks and weeks – we’ve been around zero to 5 degrees (32-41f).  So this means it’s time to get out the shorts, sandals and the garden hose!  Luckily I started worked on the garden last weekend (see yesterday’s post Down the Garden Path), so we’ll be able to relax, sit around and just enjoy the warmth…

And, of course, the warm weather means that we can fire up the barbecue!  I’ve just placed my online grocery order and have added pork chops and sausages to the list.  And a bottle of rosé wine bien sûr – so that DH and I can sit on the deck, sunglasses perched on the top of our heads, pretending we’re already on our summer holidays in France 🙂

I’ve also ordered lots of salad items (so those poor wee hard-working root vegetables can finally go on spring break) and will be making this ‘Overnight Salad’ to go with our grilled meats.  Sounds very weird, but it’s very tasty and the best part is that I can make it on Friday night or Saturday morning.  I’ve posted it before and – with the warm weather approaching – it’s time to dust it off and put it back on the menu! 🙂

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OVERNIGHT SALAD

I discovered ‘Overnight Salad’ in a book by Dawna Walter. I bought some of her books after seeing her on “The Life Laundry” tv programme on the BBC – back in the days when I was first looking for ways to get better organised at home, long before I discovered the Flylady. Heaven knows why there were recipes in that book but, though I’ve hardly read it since (yes, I should declutter it!), I’m still making this salad! 😉

Why is it called Overnight Salad? Because you can make it the night before and it won’t wilt! You can also make it a few hours before you need it and leave it sitting in a cool place, if you’re short on fridge space. I often make it when we’ve family coming to visit or when it’s barbecue time – just grill some steaks/sausages/chops and serve this alongside. And yes, it sounds gross, but it’s actually yummy!

You’ll need:

• iceberg lettuce
• bunch of spring onions
• mayonnaise
• sugar
• frozen peas
• cheddar cheese
• bacon

Take a big glass bowl – remember the one you got as a wedding present? Chop up an iceberg lettuce. No nutritional value here, just crunch! 😉 Then finely chop a bunch of spring onions and scatter them on top.

Gross part coming up! Mix up a generous amount of mayonnaise with 2/3 tablespoons of sugar. Spread this on top of the lettuce and onions.

Cover the mayonnaise with a thin layer of frozen peas.

Grate a good-sized block of cheddar cheese and sprinkle over the peas, be generous! And then, for the grande finale, top with crispy bacon pieces…

Leave overnight in the fridge or on top of your kitchen worktop for a couple of hours. Bon appétit!

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Hope you have a terrific Tuesday! 🙂