Fresh Strawberry Salad with Homemade Lemon Poppyseed Dressing

Stop what you are doing right now and go make this salad.  I'm serious.  Put down the laptop and get into the kitchen.  It's like the start of summer dumped into a bowl and sprinkled with the sweetness that only this time of year can bring and you shouldn't wait a minute longer to have it.  (Pay no attention to the fact that it is only about 20 degrees outside right now. Thank you unpredictable Boston weather.)

It's very simple really, sweet strawberries sprinkled atop mache lettuce and dotted by smooth and tangy goat cheese and crunchy slivered almonds.  The entire salad is then lightly dressed by a homemade lemon poppyseed dressing.  Without a doubt, this is happiness in a bowl.

The real trick to finding the perfect strawberries is to pick the ones that are the most fragrant.  If they don't have a strong and sweet smell to them, they won't be the succulent strawberries we all know and love.  Same with the lemon that you select for the homemade lemon poppy seed dressing.  Make sure they have a great and strong lemony smell to them and your dressing will be that much tastier.

So what are you doing still reading my blog?  Get into the kitchen and make it already!

Strawberry Salad with Homemade Lemon Poppyseed Dressing
- A couple handfuls of mache lettuce (arugula or spinach would also be wonderful)
- 3-4 sliced strawberries
- A couple tablespoons of crumbled goat cheese
- A couple sprinkles of thinly sliced raw almonds

For the dressing:
- The juice of one lemon
- A couple generous pinches of poppyseeds
- A couple twists of fresh ground pepper
- A couple drops of extra virgin olive oil
- A few pinches of dried or fresh thyme
- About a tsp of honey

Combine all ingredients into a small container.  Tightly top the container with a lid and shake the dressing until well combined.  Lightly pour over the salad and serve immediately.