July Meal: Strawberry Summer Salad

Clay and I are involved with a group called Journeymen. The men all lead community groups in LR and once a month, they, along with all the wives, come together to eat and engage in fellowship for the night. Whoever hosts makes the main dish and everyone else brings side dishes and dessert. It makes for easy clean up and keeps us in the budget. The meals are always great but the conversation is even better with this crew!

In August (I'm almost to the actual month for these meals!) we met at the home of Brett and Randy Likens. I brought my favorite summer salad my grandma always makes me. For the size group we had, I almost doubled the recipe, while keeping the dressing recipe the same (it makes a LOT of dressing!). I knew we would have leftovers but we didn't. Everyone loved it which means this will definitely make the rotation of meals! It really is the perfect summer salad.

Ingredients:
Dressing

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

Mix together and let sit overnight if possible.

Salad

• 1 head Roman lettuce (1 bag)
• Pint of strawberries sliced
• 1 cup Montery Jack cheese

Pecans

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves and be careful not to burn! Keep watching it and keep stirring. Let cool.

Layer lettuce, strawberries, pecans, cheese so that you don't have to mix so much and break the strawberries.
Leave the dressing to the side in a container so everyone can put as much or as little as they want!

(Mix everything together before serving)