As I grow older I can see how our experiences in childhood affect the kind of adults we become. I recently attended the funeral of my best friend’s mother. As he spoke about his mom, it became clear to me that we had similar childhoods. Our moms were both tough cookies, and it made us more focused and driven as adults. I know that he had a difficult time with his mother, but it was clear that he loved her nonetheless, and would miss her terribly.
When I was growing up, my mother had expectations of who I would become. As a child, I never met those exceptions, and the more I withdrew, the more she tried to pull me out. There is no set recipe or rules that ensure what kind of adults we become, but I think this experience formed a lot of who I am today.
My parents were very hard workers, and they instilled that work ethic in their children. When I was younger, I was more interested in athletics than in math and science. This infuriated my mother. Her parents had fled the holocaust, and as a very poor family in the United States, they had to work hard to make ends meet. The most important thing to them was that their children be educated. Being an athlete wasn’t high on their list of priorities.
Although I resisted, I eventually ended up with a master’s degree, which surprised my mother and made her very proud. Criticism, feeling neglected, micromanaging, and not feeling appreciated affects us all in different ways. We all walk out of childhoods with some emotional bumps and bruises. All of these things–bad, good, and everything in between– come together to make us the people we are. Our childhoods are part of us, we cannot go back and change it, but we can choose to look at it through a different lens. Once we’ve accomplished that, we can try to heal ourselves to do better for the next generation.
In that process, we might also begin to look more kindly at our parents, faults and all. My mother became the most influential person in my life, even despite her mistakes. I took all her criticisms and turned them into a positive mindset, which helped me learn to work very hard and be the best person I can be as a friend, wife, daughter, and mother.
On to the recipe. While this salad is simple enough to make, it is packed with flavor. Rocket refers to the arugula in the salad. The chicken, cranberries and artichoke hearts make this salad a hearty, satisfying meal. The sun-dried tomatoes and arugula add a nice texture and tang. The pasta is delicious and filling, truly making this dish a satiating meal. The dressing is the star of this dish. The oregano and the parsley are the savory, while the crushed red pepper and the cayenne pepper give it a nice kick. The lemon adds just the right amount of lip puckering deliciousness.
This recipe is courtesy of Meant to Share, by Danielle Kartes and will serve 4 to 6 people who will want a second bowl of this delicious and healthy chicken salad.
Ingredients for Italian Rocket and Chicken Salad:
For the Dressing:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Salad:
6 cups young rocket (baby arugula)
3 cups prepared shredded chicken (rotisserie rests work great)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup marinated artichoke hearts
1 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 pound farfalle pasta
Place all dressing ingredients into a food processor or high-speed blender and pulse until dressing is thoroughly combined.
You can finely chop and whisk by hand as well.
Set aside.
Place all the salad ingredients in a large salad bowl.
Add half the dressing and toss, and reserve the rest to spoon over individual portions.
It’s that simple!
