By Week 321. Spring 2022. I am 39 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like fresh herbs and possibility and this is my life. This is the life I built.
Brett came Wednesday. We sat on the porch and talked about nothing, and the nothing was perfect, the way nothing between siblings is always perfect — full of history, empty of agenda, the purest form of company.
Mason is 11 and reading everything he can find and examining the world under a microscope with the intensity of a tenured researcher.
Lily is 9 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.
I made fresh pesto pasta this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.
The pesto pasta was already gone by the time I sat down to write this, but the feeling it left behind — that quiet, herb-scented sense that everything is exactly as it should be — sent me back into the kitchen for something just as fresh and unhurried. This blueberry salad with balsamic dressing is that kind of recipe: bright and simple, the sort of thing you make not because you planned it but because the ingredients are there and the afternoon is long and Mason is reading in the next room and Lily is somewhere outside, fearless as ever, and you just want to put something beautiful on the table. It’s a recipe that belongs to ordinary weeks, which are, I’ve learned, the best kind.
Blueberry Salad with Balsamic Dressing
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 5 oz baby spinach or mixed spring greens
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1/4 cup toasted pecans or walnuts
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, and Dijon mustard until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Prep the greens. Place the baby spinach or mixed greens in a large salad bowl. Scatter the red onion slices over the top.
- Add the toppings. Distribute the fresh blueberries, crumbled feta, and toasted pecans evenly over the greens.
- Dress and toss. Drizzle the balsamic dressing over the salad just before serving. Toss gently to coat, or serve dressing on the side. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serve immediately. Plate and serve right away for the best texture — the greens are at their brightest before the dressing softens them.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 185 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 14g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 210mg