Make Cherry Spinach Salad for a Bright Meal

At this time last year, I was knee-deep in recipe testing for my upcoming book, which meant there was no way a summer vacation was going to happen. I wasnt all that grumpy about it; in fact, I was actually just super excited to cook every day and work through ideas that I had been holding onto for such a long time. But this year is different! My workload is considerably lighter which means Im currently thinking about what to do, where to go and what to eat.

There have been talks about going on a road trip through the south. There are also talks about maybe going to Peru to finally lay my eyes on Machu Picchu. The possibilities are exciting. Some say that planning a vacation actually contributes more happiness than going on the vacation itself. Im not sure I buy into that but I am having a lot of fun thinking of ideas as to where to go.

This salad is non-vacation related but it is an initial sign that summer is coming. Cherries showed up at the farmers markets last week and theyre beautiful this year. Bright red, perfectly sweet with a touch of tartness. I also scored this beautiful bloomsdale spinach; its sturdy and flavorful but of course can be substituted for plain or baby spinach. The bacon can be left out but its fat is a nice dressing base and the bacon adds a bit of crunch and saltiness to this salad. Its a great salad for those early summer days when anticipation is high but temperatures arentyet.

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. She's a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.