After saying she had no food preferences, my sister Judy, who would soon be visiting from Oregon, asked, “ Do you still dump everything on top of salad?”

I laughed and didn’t say anything, while thinking–  I thought she liked my salads.

We eat so much salad at our house– at one time I wanted to do a blog titled “Lettuce Eat.”

I was a little shy about making dinner on the night of Judy’s arrival, but I went ahead with something simple that I hoped she’d like. Judy loved the dish and later told me her salad inquiry didn’t come out quite right.

My personal favorite marinade ingredients.

Chicken and Asparagus Salad

1 lb. of chicken tenders

1 red bell pepper

1 bunch of asparagus

Marinade– it could be bottled, or your favorite homemade concoction. I often use: Splashes (2 or 3 Tablespoons each) of olive oil, soy sauce, and sherry

½ t. red pepper flakes,

2 cloves of garlic, sliced

grated ginger (unpeeled)

Salt & pepper

Dressing– olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Marinate the chicken (I used a Ziploc bag) for a few hours in the fridge. Cut asparagus into 1½ inch pieces, place in a pan, cover with water, and boil for 1 minute. Drain asparagus and toss, in the pan, with a splash of olive oil and a shake of salt. Set pan aside. Lay chicken tenders on a baking sheet and cook at 500° for 5 minutes. Slice bell pepper and cooked chicken, and toss with asparagus. Sprinkle with about 1T each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and add salt and crushed black pepper to taste. Serve on top of salad (your choice), which is also dressed with oo and balsamic. Shredded fresh basil is a welcome addition to the chicken or the salad.

These are the salad ingredients used on picture day. I love corn and often take a handful out of a package of frozen corn, defrost it in hot water, and squeeze out the excess moisture. It's perfect– no cooking necessary.