question: what do a salad, a wedding and my son have in common?

Answer: they are all a wrapped in Greek.

My latest favorite salad is this Greek salad, pictured here. One of our favorite family movies is: My Big Fat Greek Wedding. And my sixth grade son just started a new social studies unit on Greek culture.

My son is learning everything from Greek religion to dress, history and geography. The ‘dress’ part of which added a twin size white sheet to my errand list (I often crack up when I consider what lands on my errand list, it is so random and often so unusual and so very mismatched that it warrants a chuckle. But I will talk about that more on another day). What you need to know: I bought a big white sheet so my son, like every other child in the sixth grade, can make togas to wear daily to class. Errands aside, this new dress code is worth a chuckle. And Target will wonder why they are out of flat, twin, white bed sheets. They will never know what hit them. Maybe I will buy a Queen white sheet and wear a togo myself; that would be cause for erupting chuckles in various circles…

Well, if you aren’t going to wear a toga, and you don’t have time to watch a movie (though, try to make time for this one, it is a hoot), you might as well make this simple, good for you salad. Course, you could upstage me: wear a toga while eating Greek salad and simultaneously watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Hands down: you win.

I wonder if I should pack this salad, along with some pita wedges, in my son’s lunch during their Greek days?

Simple Greek Salad
1/2 red onion
kalamata olives, pitted (about 2/3 cup)
cherry tomatoes, halved (about 2/3 cup)
feta cheese, sliced into 1/2 inch dice (about 1 cup)
2/3 cup cucumber, peeled/seeded/sliced into half moons
1/2 lemon
Olive Oil (just under 1/4 cup)
kosher salt, course pepper (KSCP)
optional good idea: add handful of fresh parsley or mint and/or dried oregano, to taste

Slice the red onion into bite size wedges; let sit in bowl with ice and icewater for an hour (takes out the extra zing so the flavors can meld); meanwhile, place olives, tomatoes, feta, cucumber in a bowl. Mix juice of the lemon with twice as much olive oil and pour over salad. Let marinate, occasionally stirring, at room temperature 1-2 hours. After 1 hour, drain onions and squeeze out water from onions. Add onions, KSCP, herbs to salad. Toss and let sit at least another hour, and more.

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