Strawberry Girl

How can I post about a strawberry recipe without some pictures of my strawberry girl?  Little turned THREE in February (maybe I haven't posted about her birthday because I'm in denial that my baby is so old!) and she is so sweet and good-natured.  If you remember, she was a strawberry for Halloween and has always loved strawberries - it's just one of the little special things about her.

Little and Middle also love cucumbers and I remembered this side dish to use up some extra berries that we had hanging around.  I was gifted this bottle of beautiful honey balsamic from Vom Fass in Claremont and it worked perfectly in this salad.

Strawberry & Cucumber Salad
from Trader Joe's Claremont

4 cups quartered strawberries
2 T thinly sliced basil
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
6 small persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss gently to coat and cover and chill for 1 hour.

Combine the cucumbers and lemon juice and toss to coat.  Add cucumber, salt & pepper to chilled strawberries and gently toss together.