Blue And White Scandinavian Style China from Noritake

{ Rebecca Taylor Dress (similar) | Nashelle Earrings }

I want to eat salads.

This is weird.

But I don’t mean, like, salad-salads; I mean like pasta salads. And watermelon salads. And salads with really a lot of cheese in them, which to me is a totally different thing than that sad stuff that comes next to your burger in a restaurant (with blue cheese, ranch, Italian, or the house raspberry balsamic) and that you obviously ignore because ranch may be good, but burgers are better.

Whatever, it’s a spring thing: to me, spring is all things light and bright and refreshing, and apparently that includes both my food choices and my tablescape. I’ve been posting shots of my mix-and-match floral and gold dishes for years and I love them still, but I’m in the mood for something new. So for a spring refresh what I decided to do was pick up a few pieces in two additional patterns that work either on their own, or mixed in with the pieces I already have.

The blue and white print you see here is a brand-new style from Noritake called Sandefjord, and while it’s pretty on its own (especially the mugs and the serving platters), I like it even better mixed together with Cher Blanc, an all-white collection made of porcelain so fine its almost translucent (but is also – inexplicably – highly durable; a fact that my children have already put to the test a number of times).

So now my spring entertaining options include white-on-blue, white-on-white, white-on-blue-on-gold-on-explosions-of-pink-flowers, and various permutations thereof. I’ve been on a little bit of a Trader Joe’s induced cooking hiatus lately (those heat-and-serve pizzas are just so eaaaaasy and I’m so laaaaazy), but my pretty new table is making me want to get back in the kitchen again and play…and just in time for the warm weather, hooray.

Cucumber and Watermelon Salad with Hoisin Dressing (adapted from this recipe)

What You Need:

1 English hothouse cucumber (the kind that comes in plastic wrap), cut into 1/4″ pieces (preferably chilled)
2 1/2 cups cubed seedless watermelon (chilled; drain excess juice after chilling)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

What You Do:

Whisk together hoisin sauce and lime juice.
In a large bowl, combine cucumber and watermelon, pour over dressing, and toss lightly. Sprinkle over cilantro and mint, and serve immediately.

Note: I didn’t add these just because I was making this salad last-minute and didn’t have any handy, but as good as this salad is on its own, I have a feeling that adding a cup or so of fried wonton strips for crunch and texture would make it even better. Next time.