Watch the video "Awesome Vinaigrette in Less That a Minute"

 For years, I ignored this, and then I got caught in the trap: I learned overnight how to make a killer salad dressing and now I have to come in to the kitchen and make one every time we have salad! This said, it takes literally less time to do the basic vinaigrette than it took me to write these paragraphs.

3 measures of olive oil (you can experiment with oils, but as Popeye will tell you, OO is the place to start)
1 measure of vinegar
1/3 of a measure of mustard
(optional a few drops of honey)

Put these in a bowl big enough to cotain the salad. Using a small spoon, a fork or whisk, stir them together while turning the bowl, slightly askew so the dressing coats the bottom and as much of the sides as you can.

The mustard is important. If you can get a good fancy one that is both spicy and fruity, skip the honey. My current favorite is Dijon with raspberries. Barring that, I use the typical French (but not French's) mustard.

Once you get this down, you can experiment for the rest of your life, adding bits of red onion, shallots, truffles, herbs, capers, garlic, chives, or a thousand other ingredients. You'll be like a Bordeaux wine maker, assembling, blending until you have the perfect complement to your salad vegetables.

Found the original image on the site Internet Food Assoctation.

Seriously? I thought cheese was fattening?

What is or is not fattening will depend a lot on your personal metabolism, but it's safe to say that the two cheeses I just named are fat. Or, better stated, they probably contain around 40% fat. But here's the dirty secret. You remember how low-tar cigarettes usually made people smoke twice as many? Well, the opposite is also true, strong flavored cheeses like Comté, Roquefort, Stilton and Cheddar only need a few grams in a sandwich, in a salad, on a gratin or a pizza or in any dish to make it taste rich and, let's not mince words here, cheesy! Strong cheeses are also great with many white wines, both dry and sweet, and thin shavings of Comté will weigh almost nothing, yet go beautifully on the nibbles tray.

0% cheese is is not cheese at all, it's a "cheese product", both rubbery and tastless. Don't go there! Watching your weight is no big deal, it's like Google's "Don't be evil", just "Don't pig out". Small portions of great food with true taste will leave you with full enjoyment and not make you need to stuff yourself. Follow Comte_USA on Twitter to see recipes and retaillers where you can buy fine cheeses in your area (of the USA).

Yes, Comté is my favorite cheese and yes, I sometimes work Comté but my opinions are my own.