I recently returned from a trip to Northern Italy. It was wonderful to travel with friends again! I’ll post more highlights from my trip soon. However, I thought it would be best to start with one of my favorite things about any trip to Italy:…
I originally planned to post my recipe for strawberry shortcake, but when I went to the Decatur Farmers Market and the first peaches of the season were there. I couldn’t resist making Peach Shortcake instead. My mom went crazy over it, so it is now…
I’ve been spoiled all spring with fresh lettuce from my garden. This strawberry salad is one of my favorite salads to make with fresh-from-the-garden lettuce. I’ll either eat it as a side or add chicken, salmon, pork or steak to make it a main dish.
Skip to variations or detailed instructions.
Step 1.Clean lettuce. I like to use mixed greens, butternut lettuce, or spinach. I recommend using a salad spinner to clean the lettuce. Dump the water from the salad spinner and then put the salad spinner full of lettuce in the fridge for at least 15 min. This makes the lettuce nice and crispy. (Note: I store my lettuce in the fridge in the salad spinner and it stays nice and crisp for days.)
Step 2.Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Whisk until emulsifies – that means the oil and the vinegar bind together.
Step 3. Put the greens in a bowl. Add desired amount of dressing to greens and mix together. Reserve remaining dressing in the fridge for future salads.Note: When you store the dressing in the fridge the olive oil will separate from the other ingredients and solidify in the fridge. To use, remove it from the fridge and let come to room temp for 30-45 minutes before using. The olive oil will re-liquify. Whisk together for a few seconds to get the dressing to re-emulsify. (You can zap it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds if you are in a hurry.)
Step 4. Top with strawberries, feta, and pecans and serve.
