Attention Pittsburghers! If you are interested in baking up some treats (granola, baked goods, chocolate-covered goodies, etc) for the Great American Bake Sale, please contact me! The bake sale is on April 17th, and will be outside a local Giant Eagle. If you can help out or bake some treats, please contact me at merchant.jessica@gmail.com. You can also sign up here. I promise we will have a blast!
Mr. How Sweet was away this week, so that means I had free reign of the kitchen.
Well, I always have free reign of the kitchen, but if dinner doesn’t include chicken or steak, I’ve practically got a toddler on my hands.
For Mr. How Sweet, salad does not a dinner make.
And usually for me, salad doesn’t make a dinner either.
But when I include a lot of non-veggie items, salads are for me
Fruit and cheese are a must in my salads.
So is bacon.
Not much – maybe just 1/2 of a slice of bacon, crumbled.
Shockingly, there is no bacon in my house right now.
I know. It’s pretty much a sin.
Figs are another salad must-have for me.
I can rarely find fresh figs here, unless they are in season. Even then, I can only find them for a few weeks.
Dried figs taste like dessert to me. Which is surprising, since dessert for me usually include mounds of chocolate and cheesecake. And sometimes I eat bacon for dessert, too. Duh.
I am in love with these marinated strawberries.
Sure, I can be dramatic, but these are really, really, really delicious. I am thinking they would be fabulous in crepes. Or ice cream.
And if I can find a way to eat them with bacon, I will.
Marinated Strawberries
1 cup sliced strawberries
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Toss strawberries with vinegar and sugar. Let sit for 1-2 hours.
Fresh Mozzarella Salad
Serves 2
4 cups romaine & spring green mix lettuce
2 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
2 oz walnuts, chopped
4 dried figs, chopped
Combine all ingredients together. Top with you favorite salad dressing. My current favorite is this.
Now that Mr. How Sweet is back in town, my nights of eating fruit, s’mores, and chips for dinner are over.
It was fun while it lasted.
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spring is definitely upon us! what a fresh, springy looking salad! looks delicious!
Oooh I’ve never used figs in a salad. It’s pitiful trying to find anything but everyday fruit in Ireland. BUt it looks so good!
Your heading image with all the cupcakes makes me want to bake. It looks scrumdiddlyumptious.
This salad looks wonderful! I feel like you are slowly but surely going to love salads!
mmmm fresh mozzarella. I need to learn how to make it and do it asap!
What a wonderful, summery salad! I love fresh mozzarella, mmm!
This salad is beautiful!!! Never would have thought of the combination of strawberries and mozzarella, but YUM!!!
Figs go so well with cheese, it’s such a nice combo! And I am a believer that fresh mozzarella goes with…everything!
Fruit is the jam in salads! I usually do apples, but we had a strawberry spinach salad for Easter and I have been craving it ever since!
That salad looks delicious! I don’t know why I have never tried balsamic marinated strawberries before. I guess it’s because every time I have fresh strawberries in the house, I end up eating out of the carton in one sitting!
that mozzarella wouldn’t stand a chance. It would be in my Food Trap before it ever hit the salad plate.
Yum! This salad looks amazing! Those strawberries look perfectly sweet and juicy!
Ohh! Yummy! Love that it’s inching closer and closer to summer and better and better berries!
That looks awesome!!!!
Macerated strawberries are pretty much the most fantastic thing on earth. And that mozz looks unbelievably mouth-melting-fantastic!!
The only way I can get BF to eat salads for dinner is adding steak, bleu cheese, and croutons. Sigh…..
That marinade sounds really good! I wish I lived in the Pitt area then I would totally help with the bake sale!
That is so nice that you are doing a bake sale for charity. I wish I lived in the Pittsburgh area so I could join in. Wonderful salad!
My stomach is growling.
i’ve never had a dried fig, but it sounds like i need to try it STAT. a fruit that tastes like candy? sign me up!
I make balsamic marinated strawberries in a similar marinade–but I use a bit of ground black pepper and it adds a really nice kick. The sugar is the key though. Obviously.
I wish I was in Pittsburgh so I could come buy your treats!!! I should send my grandma up there for me. She and my grandfather were born and raised in Pittsburgh. My grandpa retired from Delta so they get to fly for free and often visit up there. Hmmm, need to give Grandma a call now!!
That salad looks soooooo good!! I am reintroducing salads now. I don’t like them too much in the fall/winter, but eat them often in the spring/summer!! And I love strawberries in my salads, so delicious!!
YUM! I have never tried dried figs in a salad but I love them on their own, so I can imagine how good that must be! I’m a big fan of fruit in salads anyway.
I have actually never done the balsamic strawberries before..shocking. I do need to do that. The salad looks delicious! Don’t tell my boys…there is no bacon here now either…very shocking! Your salad looks delicious!
Ah, there’s nothing better than a sweet ‘n savory salad! And balsamic-marinated strawberries are simply the best. They are also great as a dessert, served over ricotta sweetened with sugar or honey!
great looking salad! sure wish i was close enough to participate in the sale. sounds fun!
Your blue corn chip confession inspired me so much I’m having some with my dinner tommorow night when I make chicken quesdillas….I’ve been craving them for two days!
If I hadn’t oded on the peanut butter fudge my mom brought me last night, I would have pigged out on them.
The balsamic and strawberry combo is awesome, and is even good over ice cream. But then again, what isn’t good over ice cream?
I have been enjoying your blog for a while now and I thought you would be a perfect person to ask this question: The in-laws are coming in town this weekend and we are having dinner at our house on Saturday. What would you make in this situation. I don’t want to be in the kitchen all day, but naturally I want to make something delicious to show them that their son married well–just kidding about that last part. But what would you recommend?
Any ideas would be much appreciated!
yum this looks delicious! such a unique combination of flavors!
I wish I lived close by so I could help out!
Dried figs are a favorite of mine… are marinated strawberries
YUM!
oooh marinated strawberries. sounds great (as usual!) jess!
I’ve always heard of strawberries and balsamic vinegar together, and I’ve seen it on FoodNetwork many times. But then last week I finally tried it…I died and went to heaven. Writting this comment from a fluffy cloud…
Mozzarrella is one of the few cheeses I am not a big fan of…unless it’s melted on pizza or in some sort of pasta.
I like the idea of figs in salad though. That sounds good!
i LOVE marinated strawberries…on friday night my mom made marinated strawberries and let them sit in contreau…OMG it was amazing…i poured them over vanilla frozen yogurt and it was heavenlllyyyy
figs do taste like dessert to me too…as does most dried fruit! love it so much in salads!!
havea great day Jess
Ah! That sounds amazing Naomi!
Figggsssss…mmm. I love those. You are so creative with your meals, I’m jealous.
My oh my- I think I know what I’ll be doing with the rest of my strawberry stash! I think I thought of strawberries in a salad because of you and now I have an excuse to eat them every day for the rest of my life
That salad looks fabulous!
I was just telling Dave that I needed some fresh ideas for salads because I’m getting sick of mine and therefore sick of veggies. Then I saw this post!!!!
AWESOME SALAD! you’re such a creative cook and I love your food pictures
I have not tried Marinated Strawberries, must do it soon. This looks delicious!
I’ve always enjoyed balsamic marinated strawberries ontop of pancakes, give it a try sometime it’s heavenly!
Oh yeah, strawberries are so good with balsamic and sugar. So far I haven’t had any good strawberries. They sure look pretty, but they just taste like water. I love fruit and cheese in salads…so summery!
The simplicity of this salad makes the apperance so beautiful. Oh, and I can put money on the taste being pretty darn good, too!
i am def making that salad! best one i’ve seen yet! can’t wait to marinate strawberries! yum!
That looks almost like the salad I had for lunch today. I live for fresh mozzarella. Eating it is a religious experience
Haha
The bake sale will be so much fun! Enjoy!
Aww shoot, now I want that salad for lunch instead of the lunch I brought. Ahh… I’ll just have to buy more strawberries tonight and test it out. Looks yummy.
I love that salad! I keep seeing all these summery salads and can’t wait to create one of my own at home!
Beautiful salad! I like to throw a little of everything on mine, but yeah sweet AND savory always wins!
I would have taken it a step further and put some grilled salmon on it. And a side of bread LOL.
Jenn
I’ve never had a fresh or dried fig. It makes me weep.
Beautiful presentation! How do you even think to marinate strawberries?? yum, sounds so good! I also love any salad with walnuts and mozzarella.
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