A Summer Watermelon Salad with a Warning June 21, 2013 • 0 Comments Last weekend, we were celebrating graduation, and since my dad was here, we wrapped it all together into a party to include Father’s Day. I don’t do much entertaining because it seems to require more concentrated effort than it used too and I get overwhelmed by the planning. Luckily, my darling friend stepped in to the rescue and organized the menu, bought some of the food, and came over the night before to prepare. She is a friend with perks. The entire menu was amazing, but I wanted to share the recipe for the Arugula, Feta & Watermelon Salad with Balsamic Reduction because I had a humorous run in with the vinegar. I love vinegar (I drink Kombucha for goodness sake, a beverage for vinegar lovin’ folk!), but I have never really liked the balsamic variety. The salad recipe calls for a reduction sauce of pure balsamic and I was skeptical, even contemplating a mutinous redo, but out of curiosity, I went ahead and made it. The vinegar was boiling away on the stove, throwing off a strange odor, and for some reason I decided to smell it up close. I have no idea why. The unfortunate result was that awful burning sensation when you get pool water up your nose. Then my son comes downstairs to investigate the odd smell, and I tell him it’s the vinegar but DON’T smell it, but he does it anyway too, and it gives him a bloody nose. We ended up in hysterical laughter because our behavior was just so ridiculous. I’m noticing a pattern here. I’m not sure if smelling it was morbid curiosity or a penchant for rebellion. Don’t follow our lead. When it is boiled down to its essence though, it becomes quite tame. A friendlier version of the raw material, smellable even, minus the punishment. It is a really delicious summer salad. Just watch out for the vinegar. -db Who is Dianna Bonny? Hi, my name is Dianna Bonny. It’s my mission to candidly share my journey with you. For me, it’s all about the healing: to create a radiant healing energy for others who have befallen a similar fate. Together, we can forge beautiful lives of belonging and connection. Thanks for joining me today! I look forward to hearing from you.