summer approaches!

Dallas weather is such a tease: it's been sunny, hot, and balmy, which makes me wish I didn't have a job and could lounge poolside all summer. Last weekend was A's birthday blowout, and I was inspired to make mojitos with fresh mint and lime. We also spent a morning at the Farmer's Market picking out gorgeous, huge, fragrant strawberries, then a decadent Sunday brunch. And, oh yeah, I went to the Radiohead concert, which was awesome and almost certainly gave me a secondhand high.

Skipping to today... what to do with the crate of berries? It felt so summery outside that I wanted to make a simple refreshing dinner. Thus, I present the following, which turned out way yummier than even I expected.

Strawberry-Spinach Salad (15 min)

6-8 strawberries, depending on size
2 cups baby leaf spinach, washed and dried
One chicken breast, salted and peppered on both sides
A handful of walnuts or pecans
4-5 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Drizzle of olive oil
Cracked black pepper, to taste

1. Grill the chicken breast and slice into strips. George Foreman makes life so much easier.
2. Wash, hull, and slice the strawberries. I prefer to slice lengthwise because heart-shaped slices look nicer than circular slices, but I'm just anal that way. It tastes the same.
3. Arrange spinach in a large bowl, with chicken, strawberries, and walnuts on top. I also happened to have some Gorgonzola already in the fridge and threw some of that in too.
4. Drizzle balsamic vinegar and olive oil on top. Sprinkle in plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Seriously, go nuts with the cracked pepper; it really makes a difference. And anyway, it's fun to keep grinding that pepper mill.
5. Toss and eat!!