Salad on Sunday

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining brightly all day with a high temperature close to 80. It was a great day to play outside and enjoy spring. So, what did my kids want to do? Stay inside and watch t.v., of course.

Late in the afternoon, Jack and Georgia came over for a visit. Ian and Ainsley were thrilled. Georgia was only half-way up the stairs when Ainsley ran to her, threw her arms around Georgia, and squeezed. Adorable! All four of them headed to the play room. It was nice to hear happy chatter.

I went back to working on the laundry - sorting, folding, sighing at the number of loads left to do. Then I heard a strange clunking sound. At first I thought it was the kids upstairs, but then I realized it was coming from the kitchen. Upon investigation I found Ian attempting to prepare something to eat.

"Ian, what are you making?" I asked.

"I am making shredded apple salad. But the apples aren't shredding the right way, so I added some ketchup," he replied proudly.

Which cookbook this recipe came from remains a mystery, as does the preparation method. Ian had placed a Golden Delicious apple and a Granny Smith apple in the salad spinner, thinking this would shred them. The result was two badly battered apples smothered in nicely spun ketchup. The design on the bowl resembled a Rorschach Ink Blot. I think there may have been an image of my head with Einstein's hair hidden in red ripples. At least the mess was confined to the inside of the bowl and not the entire kitchen!

After I finished laughing silently, Ian and I washed the apples and sliced them. He shared the "salad" with the other kids while they played in the back yard. Neither one of us mentioned the ketchup to the others. Sometimes you have to keep secret ingredients to yourself.