Mmm ... you can't get this in a bottle

Okay, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I'm no whiz in the kitchen. I mean, I used to cook extensively when I was a kid -- but then again, my mom and both my grandmothers are downright gourmets.

I think my problem is that I'm lazy. I don't want to cook. I don't want to do dishes, and I don't want to stand over a hot stove when I could just run over to Mulligan's (or O'Charley's or Mandarin Palace) and spend my time watching Law & Order reruns with Paul. Hey, it's all about priorities.

Mom amazes me, how she can throw a bunch of ingredients together sans recipe and end up with a dish worthy of the Betty Crocker Kitchen Bake-Off. She says she can taste the foods in her head, which sounds silly until I realize that I write music because I hear songs in my head. So I guess it's not that far-fetched.

I can't concoct as well as Mom on a daily basis, but I can cook without a recipe if needed. Which, as it turns out, is a good thing ... especially since I lost my favorite dressing recipe. I even searched online for a suitable replacement, but it's nothing doing. :(

So here's my version, adapted from a recipe I knew by heart as a kid:

Kate's Curried Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup olive oil (doesn't need to be the expensive stuff though)
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard OR 1 tablespoon dry ground mustard
• 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder

Directions:

• Put all ingredients in an airtight container.
• Shake to your little heart's desire. Tonight, I shook while singing that zydeco classic "Don't Mess With My Toot-Toot."
• Serve ... or stick it in the fridge. Just make sure you shake it up really well before you pour it over anything.
  

I love to make a big ol' bowl of pasta and pour this on top to taste. (Hint: It doesn't take much.) Add some freshly ground black pepper, and you're set. Also, if you're into warm potato salad, you can coarsely mash up some cooked skin-on red potatoes, add some fresh scallions, and mix this dressing in. Great for summer barbecues.

Of course, I've got to be careful what I post here in my blog. This is like my secret recipe of dressing-y goodness. Now that my readership is growing, it's not going to be so secret anymore, eh? Anyway, if you make it, let me know how you like it. It's gotten the Paul Seal Of Approval, and he's so damn picky, that I must be doing something right. :)

And now, the spirit of Martha Stewart has taken leave of my body, and I can go back to my regular take-out habits. Because nothin' says lovin' like ... food cooked by somebody else and served in throw-away containers. ^_^