Happy Friday! A day of rain and thunderstorms has left behind a cool, crisp morning with lots of sunshine and everything looking bright and green.

Green Smoothie

I mixed up my favorite green smoothie combo for breakfast. I just love this mix!

Green Smoothie 

Last night my book club met to discuss the book Wonder.

I read this book while I was at the beach and flew through it in just a day. We spent about an hour discussing the book which led to other very thought provoking topics about children, inclusion, disabilities, etc. The overall consensus of the group was that we all loved the book.

Book club was extra special last night because we had a mini bridal shower for one of our members. We usually just have light appetizers and drinks but in honor of her we all brought dishes and had a lovely little meal. These cupcakes were the highlight of my evening. They were cinnamon swirl flavored and so light and fluffy!

We stuck with a light but delicious spread that included a pear and avocado salad, grilled chicken and salmon, caprese salad, cheese and crackers, rolls and cupcakes. I decided the perfect addition to that would be some fresh berries so I whipped up a fruit salad that ended up being a hit so I want to share it with you here today.

Berries are such a nice change from your traditional fruit salad. It’s refreshing to get a fruit salad with no cantaloupe and melon and now is the perfect time of year to take advantage of that since berries are in season. I was able to make this salad very affordably because all the berries were on sale.

This fruit went very quickly and several went back for seconds. I kicked it up a notch by adding balsamic vinegar, fresh herbs and orange zest. It was so simple to rinse all the berries, dump them in a bowl, sprinkle them with herbs, orange zest, sugar and balsamic and then mix it all up. The key here is to use a high quality balsamic vinegar. It makes all the difference in the world in flavor. If you’ve never tried a good aged balsamic I encourage you to do so soon! You will not believe the difference in flavor.

Don’t skip sprinkling the berries with sugar because it macerates the berries and draws out their natural moisture which creates a flavorful syrup. It’s a very important step for maximum flavor!

The final product! Beautiful. I don’t think you can go wrong serving this to guests or taking this to spring get togethers.

Mixed Berries with Balsamic, Basil and Mint
(Recipe developed by Jen DeCurtins at Peanut Butter Runner)

Have a great Friday!