Shaking Hands & Strawberry Salads

Just to begin, thank you to all the people out there still practicing common decency. You don't wear white to weddings. You say you love your Christmas gift, even if you don't. You call if you're going to be late. Chances are, the person on the receiving end of these polite concessions will be so appreciative and receptive it will actually work out better for you than if there wasn't ever a known possibility of a faux pas. Keep things simple. When did we switch our focus from learning to shake hands, look people in the eye, and be on time (all things my dad coached me on at a very young age) to focusing on things like making more money, reaching some unreachable physical goal, or raking in the most Facebook friends (aka Bookface or the Book of Faces, as we like to call it). Tonight, my husband and I were invited to a barbeque after he and his friends had worked all day pouring concrete for a landscaping project for one of the guys. So in the spirit of keeping things simple, and with some incredible inspiration from my mom and my friend Kyra (Holla!), here is a clean, fresh, and supereasy recipe. This will be a huge hit at any barbeque; I certainly can't get enough!

Strawberry Salad

Don't let the name fool you, I know green salads with fruit can be scary. Although sweet, this salad is also savory and surprisingly satisfying. It can also be easily modified to suit your tastes. She's a blank slate, play with her! Although, I will say, I've had strawberry salads with other dressings and the levels of flavor do not compare to this one.

Selection of spring greens (whatever is in season), chopped

Fresh spinach, chopped

Red Onion, sliced thinly and diced

Strawberries, halved and sliced

Parmesan Cheese

Salted Sunflower Seeds

Lemon

EVOO

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Honey Mustard Dressing (feel free to make your own)



Chop your greens, onion, and strawberries and let them all mingle in your salad bowl (remember, if your strawberries are very juicy and ripe, they will be very sweet so you may want to use fewer). Pour in some parmesan cheese, I suggest using the shaved variety so you get more bang for your bite. (The next time I make this I'm going to forego the salted seeds for unsalted and add some bacon or pancetta for the salty element. If it's the earthshaking improvement I expect it to be, expect a Part II!) Sprinkle the entire mixture with fresh lemon juice, careful not to let the seeds fall in. Drizzle EVOO and grind black pepper over the bowl, mix well. I'm not a food snob but when it comes to black pepper, fresh ground is the only way to go. Did you ever hear that good quality black pepper shouldn't make you sneeze? True story! Anyway, mix this together, then add your Honey Mustard Dressing. Go easy at first, mix it in, and taste. The biggest sin a salad-maker can commit is to overdress. Mix it, taste it, if necessary add more, but in all honesty, you probably won't need it. And that's it. Enjoy!

This summer, my goal is to remember two things, 1) Keep it simple and 2) Be brave. I'm told the two aren't mutually exclusive. I guess we'll find out! But for now, here's to shaking hands and strawberry salads! Cheers!