This has been my go-to salad all summer long. With strawberries being as cheap as they are this year, I can’t get enough of it. Doesn’t it look yummy?

Summer Salad:

• romaine lettuce
• strawberries, sliced
• grilled chicken, sliced
• almonds or pecans
• shredded colby or cheddar cheese (not pictured)

When it comes to salad dressings, I’m extremely picky. I wasn’t always, but lately I  have a hard time settling for anything store bought. If I’m in the mood to splurge on a nice bottled dressing, I’ll either go with Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette or Trader Joe’s Balsamic Vinaigrette. Both have a subtle sweetness that goes really well with the strawberries and nuts. The salad above was inspired by one that was served at a baby shower I attended last year. The hostess shared the homemade dressing below for what she called “Town and Country Salad”:

Poppyseed Dressing:

• 1/4 onion, grated
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 C canola oil
• 1/3 C apple cider vinegar
• 1 t dry mustard
• 1 1/2 t poppy seeds

So good. A little bit of work to prepare.

I also resurrected a recipe I got from a friend’s mom way back in middle school. I think the dressing was inspired by a local restaurant. I remember trying the dressing at her house one night and loving it. I got the recipe from her and proceeded to lose it and find it over and over again for the next 10 years. If you saw the drawers in my mother’s kitchen you would understand. (Sorry Mom, I outed you.)

I don’t even know what to call this one…:

• 4 T brown sugar
• 1 t salt
• 6 T rice vinegar (KA-ME brand is good)
• 1/2 C oil

Anyway, there you have it. If you try it out, enjoy!

Answer: Smitten Kitten’s Cubed, Hacked Caprese salad

I’ve been on a gotta-have-some-GOOD-food kick lately. And when I stumbled upon this recipe, I decided to forget about that whole couponing thing and just get the ingredients I needed to make this. (The fresh mozzarella did come with a $4 coupon off your next purchase coupon…)

I used my new “Elite” Cuisinart Food Processor to make homemade pesto (note to self: always use less garlic than the recipe calls for). Add a little red wine vinegar and…voila!

Deb from Smitten Kitchen calls this a “springboard” salad. I had never heard that term, but totally dig the idea. Once the basic dish is prepared, you can serve it in a variety of ways. Deb outlines 7 different ways to eat it. I chose to serve it with toasted bread sprinkled with olive oil (no salt…there was plenty of flavor in the salad itself).

Also on the menu for this week:

• Tomato Pie
• Quesadilla Pie

I just love the dishes I discover on Simply Recipes. The tomatoes from the vegetable garden we inherited with the house are all ripening and I’ve needed to find ways to use them hide them in dishes that are so good Ross can’t complain that he’s eating tomatoes. We had the Quesadilla Pie tonight. Even though I had to rush the baking time a bit to get Ross off to Bible study in time, it was still delicious. I love Mexican food, but can get bored with the basic quesadilla, burritos and taco salad. This new dish will fit right into the rotation!

Ok…time for some coupon clipping. I’m way behind!