I finally started a blog! For years now, I’ve been making excuses as to why I couldn’t start one but that all changed about a month ago when inspiration was handed to me…literally. 
I was standing in the kitchen of my grandma’s condo as she ruffled through her cupboards, “do you want these,” she said, handing me a box chock full of her old recipes. I love to cook so there was no way I was turning down a box full of my families food history. About a week later my wheels started turning, I had to come up with a way to keep these recipes alive and not put them right back in the cupboard where they came from. From that thought, this blog was born. My plan: to update my grandma’s recipes with a local, nutritious twist–two elements I try to incorporate into most things I cook. I’ve been comparing what I’m doing to the movie, Julie & Julia. Just as Julie cooked her way through Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Amy & Areen will be where I cook my way through my grandma Areen’s recipes and master the art of grandma’s cooking…and so it begins! 
As I was thumbing through my grandma’s recipes trying to find something to kickstart this blog I stumbled upon her pickled beets. To this day, pickled beets are one of my grandma’s favorite snacks…mine too. About a month ago I took a cooking class and we learned to make a salad with roasted beets, spinach and citrus vinaigrette which has become a staple in my diet and something I eat for lunch at least twice a week. 
Grandma’s pickled beets and my go-to salad inspired this delicious salad. The vinegary bite from the pickled beets mixed with the delicate greens, creamy goat cheese and zesty dressing makes a downright delicious combo! The beets take about 12hrs to cool and absorb the flavors of the tasty pickling liquid. My suggestion is to make a double batch of them over the weekend so their ready for lunch all week long…any extras make a delicious afternoon snack too! 
