Autumn Salad with Zesty Mustard Dressing

This post is sponsored by Dietz & Watson.

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I recently traveled to Washington, DC, for a special dinner with Dietz & Watson. (I mentioned it in my post a few weeks ago.)

…Scroll down to see how you can enter a competition to win a seat at the same table!

Choose the table.

Dietz & Watson is hosting this series of special dinners all over the country to encourage people to #ChooseTheTable. So many of us eat while driving, standing up, during our kids’ activities and more. Yet, many of us know the social and mental benefits of stopping to enjoy a good meal. While that might not be possible every day, the more we make the effort, the better off we will be.

This year we have been making much more of an effort to #ChooseTheTable with Mazen, especially as our family has transitioned. I can say with confidence that we are all happier when we eat together.

In honor of choosing the table, Dietz & Watson is partnering with local chefs in select cities to create multi-course dinners using their meats and cheeses. Our dinner was at Kapnos with Chef George Pagonis. (You may have seen him on Top Chef!)

We had four courses using Dietz & Watson ingredients. My favorite of them all were the chef’s Arancini (aka rice balls). They were filled with parmesan, mozzarella, tomato, basil, and the Dietz & Wastson soppressata. It reminded me of pepperoni pizza as a fried ball, it was so delicious!

Enter the competition.

Four randomly selected winners, plus a guest for each, will get to experience this exact same creative dinner with Chef Pagonis at Kapnos. The event will be held on November 7, and while travel is not included, entries are open to everyone between now and October 24.  Here’s where you can enter! 

Try Dietz & Watson products at home.

I was so inspired by our dinner. I procured a selection of Dietz & Watson cheeses – plus that flavorful soppressata – to create an Autumn-themed salad at home. I got more than I needed to try some new things. Let me tell you, the Blue Jack cheese is incredible! It’s like a blue cheese in sliced form, and it has been epic on sandwiches and burgers lately.

I also love the Zesty Honey Mustard for my homemade salad dressings, and that inspired the dressing for this salad. It’s about one heaped teaspoon of mustard, plus 2 tablespoons of herbed olive oil, 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar, and pinches of garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Since figs and apples are the fruits of the season, I added those to my salad – plus baby spinach, honey-toasted almonds, and the Dietz and Watson Cranberry Goat Cheese.

The sopressata provided richness!

I imagine this combo would be great as a salad, as pictured, or as a sandwich with layers of thinly sliced meat, goat cheese, apple, and fig.

Food has a magical power to bring people together. They say that “hunger is the best sauce” and similarly, I think food is a great conversation starter. Many wonderful connections have been made over meals, and sitting down to a delicious meal remains one of my all-time favorite ways to relax and unwind. (Also: wine!) Food doesn’t taste as good when you have to chow it down standing at the counter or eat with crumbs falling in your lap in a car. Whenever possible, set the table, light a candle, use cloth napkins, use the fancy flatware, and make mealtime as special as possible.

What are some ways where you choose the table?

Thank you to Dietz & Watson for sponsoring this post. Don’t forget to enter to win a seat at the table!