Strawberry Salad and Raspberry Vinaigrette Recipe...Delicious and Light!!

My uncle gave me this pot of strawberry plants from his garden last spring.

I set it down in my little garden, and it literally took off like crazy. It began to grow over the pot's edges, and plants started popping up everywhere.

*One thing to keep in mind when growing strawberries is to not let the berries sit in the dirt because they will rot. Easy solution: lay some pine straw down under and around the leaves of the plant.

I don't have to worry about the birds ever getting these things, because I have two 5 year old boys who snatch and eat them as soon as they get red =)

Some of my favorite lettuce grown from seed...it's called "bronze arrow head".


My good friend, Lori, got me hooked on Strawberry Salads! I have been so eager to use my strawberries and lettuce from the garden. So, tonight,I decided to play around and make my own raspberry vinaigrette...I know I say this a lot, but this was REALLY GOOD!! I was so excited as to how tasty it was that I just had to share it. We invited our neighbors over for dinner, and we devoured it in just a few minutes! =)
Here's the recipe:
Strawberry Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
mixed greens
strawberries, sliced
feta cheese
handful chopped walnuts or pecans
few slices red onion
Raspberry Vinaigrette:
Whisk ingredients below and store in the fridge in a jar:
1/4-1/2 c. olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. pure apple juice
3oz. raspberry jelly
1/8 c. white sugar (can use a little less)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
I'm usually not a fan of the strong vinaigrette taste. This kind of masks it a bit with some different flavors.
Here's a tip (see picture below) if you harvest your lettuce in the heat of the day or if it's been in the fridge for a few days and it looks a little limp, throw it in a bowl of ice water for 15 minutes. It revives it and firms it up =)


Looking at this makes me wish I would have made more for tomorrow!