Make Your Own Salad Roll

"We can't allow any idle hands," President Barack Obama has been quoted as saying, which is why there was a make-your-own-salad-roll bar at our Inauguration Party. The prep is a lot of work, so my hands were definitely not idle that day!

Salad rolls are a fun way to shake up a regular bowl of lettuce, especially if you eat salad all the time and are bored by the same ole-same ole. They're also great for getting dinner party guests to interact (well, at least to interact with the food, if not each other).

Ingredients & Directions
-Choose a sturdy lettuce, like Iceberg or Romaine, wash and dry it, then trim into pieces a little larger than your hand, thinning thick lettuce ribs when necessary.

-Dice your favorite salad ingredients very very small (this is the time-consuming part, for me at least). I like tomato (deseeded so there's less runny mess), Kalamata olives, cucumber, and yellow pepper, for example.

-Put the lettuce on a tray, and the veggies in bowls with individual spoons.

-Spoon some goat cheese (or another spreadable cheese) into a bowl as well.

-Fill a small pitcher with your preferred salad dressing. Include salt and pepper, and if you want to cater to Obama's tastes (and mine), hot sauce, on your salad bar.

-I typically like to make the first roll to show guests what to do: take lettuce, spread with goat cheese, sprinkle vegetables, top with a dab of dressing, roll the lettuce, and chomp.

Best to eat over a plate!