Fire as they bear

These are the gunports on HMS Victory, which rests in the Historic Dockyard in Portsmouth, England. On our visit to England last year, our two days at the dockyard in Portsmouth was one of the highlights. The Emperor and I decided that next time, we'll just go to Portsmouth and have done with it... except for wanting to spend some real time in Wales. There's nothing else for it -- we'll just have to move to Britain to see everything we want to see. Ah, well, no foreign travel on our own nickel until the exchange rate improves, if it ever does.

For the past few days I've been trying to knit a little more. The Sheepish Look tea cozy is finished, and I've been zooming along on the Tofutsie sock, having turned the heel last week. So I picked up the Lotus Tank and have finished the first fifth of the lace section at the bottom. This lace pattern is actually easy and fun to do! After some initial stupidity on my part, the knitting has gone smoothly. Let's see if I can make it to the stockinette...

While we're waiting for the exchange rate to improve, here's the recipe for my favorite salad, which my friend K-- showed me how to make over ten years ago. It goes with everything, and it's not soggy or heavy. Don't dress the lettuce too far ahead of time, or it will wilt.

Some lettuce (I use whatever I have on hand), torn into pieces
Berstein's Restaurant Recipe Italian Dressing (I don't think other dressings work as well)
a scant teaspoon of pine nuts per person, toasted (the nuts, not the person)
two green onions (one if it's just for you, more if it's a really big salad)
a scant teaspoon of shredded parmesan cheese per person

Tear up enough lettuce for however many people you want to serve. Put this in a bowl and pour a little bit of the dressing over it -- you don't need much, maybe a teaspoon per person, just enough to wet the lettuce a little. Toss the lettuce to spread the dressing, and if you want to put it in a "nice" bowl, do it now. Trim and then slice the green onion thinly, both white and green parts, and scatter the pieces on the lettuce. Sprinkle on the pine nuts, then the parmesan cheese. The onions, nuts, and cheese will stick to the lettuce as you serve it.