By Mother's Day. Destiny and Travis came for brunch and CJ and Shanice drove down, which meant I was feeding four people for a meal I was also the honored guest of, which is a thing I have accepted as permanent and which I do not mind at all. Cooking for my children on Mother's Day is its own form of receiving. I made brunch because brunch is between a meal and a treat — quiche with the good cheddar and the ham from the butcher, fruit salad with the fresh strawberries that are right this moment perfect, biscuits made with buttermilk, and a coffee cake that I baked the night before because it is better the second day.
Shanice brought flowers and a card that she said she wrote five drafts of, which she mentioned because she wanted me to know the final version was not her first thought but her best one. The card said: some doors you walk through and realize on the other side that you were always meant to come here. Thank you for leaving this door open. I put it in the cedar box with Bernice's watch and Marcus's recipe cards. She is already in the box. She has been since October.
CJ gave me a framed photograph. I had not seen it before — it was taken at Destiny's wedding, without my knowing, a moment when I was standing in the receiving line and Destiny had just come through and we were both laughing at something I cannot even remember now. We are the same height when she has heels on and we were leaning toward each other and the light was the fall church light, warm through the stained glass. He said he'd been carrying it since November waiting for the right moment and decided Mother's Day was the right moment. He was right. I stood at the kitchen table holding that photograph and thought: this is what the last four years have been for. The continuation. The table. The children who are still here and still choosing to be here. This is the whole point.
The fruit salad that day was about the strawberries — I said so in the moment and I meant it, because there is a window every spring where they are exactly right and you have to use it. I kept the rest of the bowl simple on purpose, so nothing competed. The dressing is what ties it together without taking over, which is what a good dressing does. This is the one I’ve used for years, and it’s the reason people ask for the recipe when they’ve only come for the fruit.
Fruit Salad Dressing
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Combine ingredients. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the honey, lemon juice, orange juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and salt until the honey is fully dissolved and the dressing is smooth.
- Add poppy seeds. If using, stir in the poppy seeds. They add a gentle texture and a quiet visual that looks right in a spring bowl.
- Taste and adjust. Taste the dressing and adjust as needed — a little more honey if you want it sweeter, a little more lemon if you want it brighter.
- Dress the fruit. Pour over your prepared fruit salad just before serving, or pass it alongside so guests can dress their own portions. Toss gently to coat.
- Store leftovers. Any remaining dressing keeps well in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Shake or stir before using again.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 55 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 15g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 10mg