I'm one of those lucky people who doesn't have to work on Good Friday (first job in my life that considered it a holiday thanks to my good Catholic employers!) so I slept in, ran at the Back Bay, went to the beach, and had dinner with friends at BJ's Restaurant on Balboa Peninsula (and caught the second half of the Lakers game during dinner).
Saturday morning I went to the temple and then rode bikes to the beach. The water is still pretty cold (60 degrees!) but I got in waist-deep and Naco & Wendy went all the way in (and Ali put her feet in)! Saturday evening was Adrienne & Colton's wedding reception at The Cannery. It was a beautiful, relaxed dinner and so fun to see Adrienne glowing with happiness and love. At the end of the reception, we all held sparklers as Adrienne & Colton boated away.
Sunday morning I went to church. Sometimes I feel like we don't focus on Easter enough in our meetings but this Sunday was definitely not that way! As a choir, we sang several songs and there were two fantastic speakers who talked about our Savior's love for us and about the week leading to His crucifixion. The Spirit was so strong throughout the whole day. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such powerful influences of righteousness!
After church a small group of us headed to the beach to play bocce ball. This was my first attempt at bocce ball and it was lots of fun. I could use a little more practice, though... :) Then it was back home to get ready for Easter dinner. I was in charge of the salad so I found a recipe for Strawberry Spinach Salad, which I've eaten many times but don't remember making (hurray for another new recipe!). Dinner was at Wendy, Ali, & Jeanette's house. I think there were about 20 people there, wow! We had a great time and dinner was delicious! We had roasted pork, rosemary potatoes, salad, asparagus, rolls, coconut cake and cupcakes!
While I miss my family and would love to watch my nieces and nephews hunt Easter eggs, I had a great time celebrating Easter with my awesome friends. I am grateful for this time in my life!
Ok, onto the recipe. I didn't change anything when I made this recipe. BUT I only used half of the dressing for the amount of spinach, strawberries, and almonds they called for. It was a hit! We ate all of it and part of another batch.
allrecipes.com
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced onion
- 10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
- 1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
- 1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered
Directions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
- In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
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