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.

 

Granite Bay High School Photography Display at Quarry Ponds

This week, when you swing by Peets for a quick caffeine fix, please take a moment to check out the fantastic photography displayed on the walls of the Market Hall.  These stunning images are shot by two Granite Bay High School students, Kandace Ries and Kelly Matheson. 

Their Granite Bay High School photography teacher, Steve Fischer, explained that the intention and reward of his class is that at the end, his students learn not only to photograph, but also to market and sell their pictures.  This class is run like a business – during the school year, students pay for their supplies and overhead (frames, mats, etc.).  At the end of the year, they are expected to create a gallery style showing of their work.  They, not the teachers, must make arrangements as to where their artwork can be shown, what type of advertising to do, and how to price their work.  The students then select and hang the pieces for sale, and when the photographs sell, students keep 100% of the profits.

Two very different styles are exhibited.  One of the photographers, Kandace Ries, prefers taking portraits.  She feels that a person communicates through his or her eyes.  I love her haunting black and white close-ups of eyes, with all the crinkles and wrinkles exposed.  As a child, Kandace loved looking at photos shot by her grandfather.  He enjoyed participating in quick draw, and would often photograph the action.  In the future, Kandace plans to be a professional photographer.  Her photographs were taken using a Nikon D40; Kandace’s showcased pieces range from $30-$220 unframed.

The second photographer, Kelly Matheson, favors photographing nature up close.  Even when she does portraits, she prefers to shoot them outdoors, in natural light.  Kelly strives to showcase very fine details that create a visually stunning and layered image.  I love the picture she is holding below - the colors are so sharp and vivid.  She wants to become a teacher, but Kelly knows that photography will be a part of her life – either as a hobby or as a side business.  Kelly used a Nikon D60 for her photographs, and her pictures range from $40-220 framed.

Please support the Granite Bay High School Photography class, and especially these two very talented young women.  Their impressive photographs would be gorgeous in any home! 

Kandace Ries and Kelly Matheson invite you to their showing and reception on Thursday, May 13th, from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Market Place Hall at Quarry Ponds.  

See you there!

(Please excuse my terrible photos – I have a lot to learn!)

MAS Movement and Strength

  

When my friend Kelly and I walked into MAS, we saw a quote on the wall that read “the best exercise of the heart is to reach down and help someone up. ”  We loved the positive vibe that it reflected! 

It felt as though we were at home with good friends.  That zen feeling at MAS is everywhere – from the painted koi pond on the floor at the entrance of MAS, to the murals and quotes on the wall, and finally to the smiling faces of everyone we met there. 

Susan Binon founded MAS in June 2009 in honor of her late sister, Mary Ann Scott (thus MAS – her initials), who passed away from cancer. 

Susan and her husband, Paul, recently participated in the Kaiser Permanente-sponsored “South Placer Art in Public Places” by purchasing a 6-8′ tall sculpture of the breast cancer awareness ribbon.  Karen Dukes, an artist, will paint the ribbon to reflect Mary Ann Scott’s love of butterflies, and the finished sculpture will be displayed at MAS around June.  We can’t wait to see it!

About a month ago, Rex Owens, a corrective exercise specialist,  joined Susan as a co-owner.  Susan and Rex’s vision for MAS is to be a source of health and wellness at all fitness, health and age levels. As a community service, this summer, MAS plans to host a health fair with their trainers, a physician and a nutritionist on hand to assess and answer any general questions about health and fitness.  

In addition to personal training, their 7 trainers hold varied classes such as Cardio Hip Hop, Piloga, TaeBo and Zumba.  When we arrived at MAS, a trainer was working with some junior high school-aged boys who were doing the Teen Boot Camp. 

MAS also runs a 6-week training boot camp for the Granite Bay High School Girls’ Soccer team to sharpen their fitness and agility for their sport.  Susan and Rex look forward to expanding this type of training to other high school and jr. high sports.  

I love that they even have a class that caters to the littlest ones!  On Tuesday afternoons, kids ages 4-8 can take a boisterous, 30-minutes Zumbatomic course which is loosely based on Zumba!  How fun is that?! 

 

 MAS Movement and Strength
6085 Douglas Blvd.
Granite Bay, CA  95746
Phone:  916.626.4573

 

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

Thank you, Kelly – you rock!

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!!