I Smell Summer . . .

And with summer inevitably comes bathing suit, shorts, and sundress season. Despite this anxiousness some of us begin to feel around this point in the year (if we haven't felt it already), we nevertheless cannot wait to plant ourselves outdoors.
My mom and I spend everyday smothering each other with love via text message. Just around this time of the year our texts turn to messages like this:
Mom: "How much longer until we can sit outside for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
Me: "I can't wait."
Every text following this typical exchange involves some meal we'd like to cook on the grill, or enjoy with a fresh brewed iced tea while sitting by the pool. Although we love to eat during the summer, we especially love to eat light and healthy. My mom and I like to get creative and inventive with our meals, and the sunny weather can make us all a little adventurous. For my mom, that sometimes means trying something totally new. Exhibit A - Last summer I successfully convinced my mom to try sushi for the first time. I don't know if it was the beach weather, too much sun, or her gin and tonic, but she liked it.

What's most important about our meals is that we try to make them light and healthy, usually by involving summery foods like fruit, veggies, fish, or even a lean piece of meat. I hate the combination of feeling uncomfortably warm from the sun, while feeling too heavy or too full.


I threw this salad together one night purely because I had leftovers toppings from a few other recipes, has become my mom and my salad of choice for this upcoming summer. Don't judge me, but there IS blue cheese in it. (go figure i know) I had a package of it left over from the first time I made the turkey burger sliders and since it's rather expensive to buy, I tried to put it to good use. There are also sun-dried tomatoes. I swear that after this salad I'll cool it on those little sun dried jewels for a little while.
I like to use baby spinach because I think it gives it some elegance. Throw in some pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, and blue cheese. To make it even lighter I just used EVOO and a touch of garlic salt. Actually, if you don't want to use salt and pepper, buy a container of capers and toss a few in. That will give it a tasteful saltiness that won't be too overpowering, just smooth. This salad will make for a fantastic lunch or even a light dinner with an iced tea or lemonade. If you want to make it more of a heartier meal, I suggest grilling some chicken or shrimp in a balsamic marinate! Happy Summer!