Blue Cheese — Berry Tossed Salad — Something Cool and Bright for the Table Under the Magnolia Tree

Memorial Day weekend. Isaiah is home for the summer. Marcus is home for two weeks before starting a summer clinical placement in Birmingham. The house has five people plus Curtis and the noise is BACK — the ESPN, the basketball shoes, the refrigerator emptying at alarming speed. I missed the noise. The noise is the family. The silence was the waiting. The noise is the arriving.

Marcus brought Keisha's barbecue bean recipe — the full version, handwritten by Keisha's mother, with notes that say things like "add more brown sugar if your people like it sweet" and "the bacon is not optional even if Tamika says turkey." Keisha's mother has been following the cookbook conversation and has opinions. I love her already. I love any woman who writes recipes with personality and attitude. Mama would have loved her too. Mama would have said, "That woman knows what she's doing." And then she would have added more cayenne, because Mama always added more cayenne.

Derek grilled — first of the year, the Memorial Day ritual. Ribs, burgers, the usual. Isaiah manned the grill beside him — the father-son fire ritual, now in its third year. Curtis sat at the patio table in his wheelchair under the magnolia tree and the tree cast shade over him and the shade was green and dappled and he closed his eyes and for a moment — just a moment — he was sixty-nine years old in Cascade Heights, in the sun, under a tree, eating ribs made by his son-in-law and his grandson (because that's what Isaiah is — grandson, biology be damned), and the moment was enough. The moment is always enough. Mama said that. The moment is the meal. The meal is the moment. Both are enough.

Derek and Isaiah had the ribs and burgers handled, and Curtis was settled under the magnolia with a plate piled high — but I wanted something on that table that felt as bright and celebratory as the day itself felt. Something that said we are all here. This Blue Cheese ’n’ Berry Tossed Salad was exactly that — cool against the heat, sweet against the smoke, and colorful enough that even Keisha’s mother, if she had been sitting at that table, would have approved. Sometimes the salad is the thing that says summer has finally arrived.

Blue Cheese & Berry Tossed Salad

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 8 cups mixed salad greens (spring mix or romaine blend)
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 1/3 cup candied pecans or walnuts
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup raspberry vinaigrette dressing (store-bought or homemade)
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional, for dressing)
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Prep the greens. Wash and dry the salad greens thoroughly. Add them to a large serving bowl.
2. Prep the berries. Rinse the strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries gently and pat dry. Hull and slice the strawberries.
3. Assemble the salad. Scatter the strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries over the greens. Add the thinly sliced red onion and candied pecans or walnuts.
4. Add the cheese. Sprinkle the blue cheese crumbles evenly over the top of the salad.
5. Dress and season. Drizzle the raspberry vinaigrette over the salad just before serving. If desired, drizzle with honey for added sweetness. Season lightly with salt and cracked black pepper.
6. Toss and serve. Toss gently to combine, taking care not to crush the berries. Serve immediately alongside your grilled mains.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 280mg