I'm often asked if I really go home, after a day in a restaurant kitchen, and make dinner in my own. Even after a day in July in a restaurant kitchen, when I swear I could bake a cake in the car driving home, the answer remains: yes. <br /> <br />That said, I don't always cook dinner. It's July, remember, which means that I often can't stand the idea of anything that generates heat any more than anyone else can. Instead, I stand in front of the freezer and/or refrigerator and wait for dinner to essentially present itself. <br /> <br />My freezer is my friend. When I cook any kind of seed, grain, or legume, I always make more than I need at the moment. Always. I am not making that up for the sake of a good post. I cool the leftovers, then freeze them in (labeled) ziplock bags, flattened so they stack easily and I can see what I have. An excellent habit to cultivate if you haven't already. <br /> <br />After cleaning and rearranging the freezer recently, I ended up with a couple of stacks of frozen thises and thats. Faced with the need to invent something to take to a picnic that I could make in advance, hold overnight in the refrigerator, and transport without spilling or sloshing, the solution was obvious. Salad. And hold the mayo. <br /> <br />As for layering the salad, use a clear glass bowl if you have one, or read here (http://thesolitarycook.wordpress.com/2013/07/21/seven-layer-salad/) about an epiphany I had regarding the perfect serving vessels.

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