summertime

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing

/ Jodi / 25 Comments

Strawberry Spinach Salad 1

Looking for a bright, light, fresh summertime salad?  How about fresh baby spinach leaves, slices of juicy ripe strawberries, chunks of creamy goat cheese, and crunchy candied walnuts all drizzled with a sweet and tangy poppy seed viniagrette?  It just screams summertime!

Strawberry Spinach Salad 2

Since we were talking about strawberries this week, I couldn’t resist making this when asked to bring a salad to Liz’s birthday party last evening.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Candying the walnuts is a cinch and homemade dressing makes it so much fresher.  This salad is super easy and bursting with flavor.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients:

  • Large bunch or bag of fresh baby spinach leaves
  • 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
  • 1/2 cup goat cheese, broken into chunks
  • 1/2 cup candied walnuts
    • 1/8 cup powdered sugar
    • pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
    • pinch of salt
  • Poppy seed dressing
    • 1/8 cup white vinegar
    • 1/8 cup sugar
    • 1/4 tsp shallot or onion powder
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp ground mustard
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • 1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Directions:

  • Prepare candied walnuts:
    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    • Mix dry ingredients in small bowl.  Set aside.
    • Blanch walnuts in a small saucepan of boiling water for 3 minutes, and drain.
    • Mix sugar and walnuts together, and spread onto baking sheet.
    • Bake 10 minutes until golden.
  • Prepare dressing:
    • Whisk together vinegar and sugar until sugar is pretty much dissolved.  Add in shallot powder, salt, ground mustard.
    • Whisk in olive oil.
    • Stir in poppy seeds.
  • When ready to serve, toss spinach leaves with poppy seed dressing thoroughly.
  • Stir in sliced strawberries, goat cheese, and candied walnuts.
  • A protein can be added for a full meal (i.e. chicken breast slices, steak slices, salmon chunks

Happy Friday!  Enjoy the weekend, and have fun doing things at life in between.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

The Road to a Friend’s House is Never Long…

/ Jodi / 1 Comment
r1

looking down our driveway to the road

 

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the fence across the street from our driveway

 

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the path of the power line along the country road

 

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along the country road to our house

 

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private lanes on country roads

 

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country road … take me home…. to the place… I belong

 

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Mikey walking to his buddy Halo’s house on the path through the woods

Porch Sittin’ @ the McKinney B&B

/ Jodi / 3 Comments

porch rulesOh Sweet Summertime! What I love BEST about my home in the summertime is how it practically doubles in size because it expands onto the porches and into sweet outdoor living space. I love lazy weekends when the biggest decision is whether to sit on the back deck in the sun or the side porch on the comfy cushioned rattan furniture or swing on the front porch – especially with lots of friends and family over drinking coffee and Marty’s specialty breakfasts in the morning or bottles of wine or icy G&T’s in the evening. Ahhhhhh Sweet Summatime!

Here’s a little McKinney B&B Porch Tour:

The front porch is filled with antique furniture.  On one end hangs a comfy swing that Marty’s dad got from an old friend’s family homestead that has got to be over 100 years old.  Marty made it extra comfy by hanging it with springs, so you can “bounce” when you swing.

front porch

On old barrel serves as a table with an old wooden chair from Grandma’s house next to it and a big fern in some old “Pop” Crates (Vernor’s Ginger Ale!) the kids got me for Mother’s Day.  Then on the other side of the door is a 12 foot long antique church pew we got from Jill’s in-laws (thank you so much George and Alice – it finally found a wonderful spot in our home!).

front door fernsAround back was a space made for entertaining.  Several tables, an outdoor fireplace, chaise lounges are all scattered for family and friends to gather round on breezy, warm evenings.

back deck 1

Or I often enjoy my morning coffee and start my work-from-home days on a chaise lounge with the warm morning sunny southern exposure before it gets too hot (and too bright to see my computer screen!)

back deck 2

The sounds of the porch are like visiting a bird sanctuary.  Marty has several feeders and loves watching the red-headed woodpeckers, cardinals, blue jays, yellow finches, and all the other beautiful creatures that share our outdoor home.

geraniums

On the side is our newest addition of Aunt Francie’s 30-year old rattan furniture that was in great shape less the dry-rot, out-of-date patterned material.  My dear friend Janet’s sister, Sue (seamstress extraordinaire) worked her magic and turned this:

photo

Into this:

side porch

side porch 3I’m actually sitting here now writing this post – see my laptop and coffee mug :).

IMG_8132And guess who is hanging out with me?

MIkey deckIs he the handsomest Mikey you’ve ever seen?!

Hope you enjoy some porch sittin’ like we are…

side porch eveningat Life In Between.

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi