Spinach & Strawberry Salad

I love this fresh tasting spinach salad – I can throw it together quickly and my family chows it down!  

Ingredients:

1 bag of spinach leaves (or 1/3 of a box)
1-2 pints of strawberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup raspberry flavored vinegar (I used Kozlowski Farms, but you can use any brand)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1/2 cup vegetable oil.

 

Assembling the Salad:

Toss the spinach leaves into a big bowl.  Even though the bag or box says that they are prewashed – I still give them a good rinse.

Quarter the yummy strawberries and add them to the spinach.

Throw in the toasted pecans.  Oops – I forgot to toast them!  The salad does taste better when they are toasted.

Add the crumbled feta cheese.  Refrigerate the salad.

Making the dressing:

In a jar, measure out the raspberry flavored vinegar.

Add in the sugar.

 Incorporate the dry mustard…

poppy seeds…

 and vegetable oil. 

This is how the dressing looks before you shake it.  Shake the jar well and refrigerate for at least an hour.  Yeah right – I’m usually running late, so I stick it in the freezer for as long as I can!

After it’s cold, shake the dressing very well again.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad (the dressing recipe makes enough dressing for 3-4 salads).  Toss salad.

Enjoy!

 

My recipe is a variation of this one from RecipeZaar.

 

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

I love ice cream, but I don’t like all the unpronounceable words in the ingredient list of commercial hot fudge sauces.  This recipe is so easy to make – it has only 6 ingredients! 

Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients
2 Cups Sugar
4 Tablespoons Flour
2/3 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
2 Cups Whole Milk
4 Tablespoons Butter
2 Teaspoons Vanilla

    

Whisk sugar, flour and cocoa powder in a bowl, and set aside.   

     

Heat milk, butter and vanilla on medium high heat.  When the butter has melted, add the dry mixture, whisking constantly.  Whisk for approximately 5-7 minutes, until the sauce is glossy and has no lumps. 

 

Spoon it into a glass container with lid, and store it in the refrigerator.  It should last at least 1 week.  

     

Enjoy!!   

This recipe makes about 3 1/2 cups of hot fudge sauce.    This also makes a great gift – I’m giving it to my daughter’s teachers for Teacher’s Appreciation Day.  Thank you, EatMakeRead, for this delicious recipe!

 Photos courtesy of Kelly McMenamin Photography.  She may be reached at Kelly.McMenamin.Photography@granitebaybuzz.com. 

Thank you, Kelly – you’re the best!!

Saeng’s Strawberry Stand

Our family loves Saeng’s strawberry stand!  It feels as though summer is around the corner when their stand opens up at the corner of Douglas and Barton every year.  Saeng’s strawberries are grown on Otow Orchard’s land and are so fresh and delicious.  No wonder they’ve been around for 14 years.  Love their jam too!