Spinach & Fruit Salad

This is my new favorite salad, and it's from my new favorite cookbook! It's called Country Home Cooking by Marjorie Anna Rohrer (a local in these parts); and it was one of the gifts Jeff gave me on Valentine's Day, so it's extra special to me. :) And, let's face it, you just gotta love a cookbook that includes recipes for:
~ Homemade "Fizzy" Root Beer
~ Farmer's Breakfast
~ Mollie's Squash Rolls
~ Great Grandma Knicely's Soft Sugar Cookies
~ Spring Tonic "Joggin' In a Jug"
~ Washday Dinner
~ "Old Lady on a Bus" Chicken
Looks like my family can look forward to sampling lots of fun, new recipes! :)

This particular salad caught my eye immediately and was the first thing I tried from the cookbook. Here is the recipe:
2 qts. fresh spinach, torn
1/4 small sweet onion, diced
1 qt. strawberries, sliced OR
2-3 cans mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 c. toasted, sliced almonds or pecans
1/2 c. feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing:
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. vinegar*
2 Tbsp. honey
1/2 c. oil

Mix together and pour over salad ingredients just before serving. Looks pretty and is delicious!
*I use red wine or raspberry vinegar. Purchased raspberry vinaigrette dressing is very good, too. 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds may be added to the dressing for variety.

When I made it, I used strawberries, not mandarin oranges (though I'd like to try it with the oranges sometime), and slivered almonds, not pecans. I used red wine vinegar and olive oil in the dressing.

It really was an easy salad to make, and I loved it. I always love fruited salads though (fruited anything, for that matter); but even Jeff who doesn't always care for fruit in salads, liked this one very much. My parents were here that evening for dinner, of course; and my dad's comment was, "It seems like something that would be served at the Joshua Wilton House!" (which is a fancy schmancy B&B here in our town). I took that as a high compliment. :)

One of the nice things about this cookbook is the poems and sayings scattered throughout. Some are funny, some are thought-provoking. The one at the bottom of the page where this recipe appears says this: Serving food is not about impressing people, it's about making them feel comfortable. Knowing the Mennonite heritage that Marjorie Rohrer comes from, I think it's safe to say that normally both goals are accomplished by these famous Mennonite cooks. They make you feel right at home, just like a part of the family; but along the way, we find ourselves impressed, to say the least!