Peach and Blackberry Summer Salad with Goat Cheese and Walnuts

Subtle blackberries and creamy goat cheese temper the sweet peaches in this cool and refreshing summer salad, with walnuts adding a little crunch.  This light and easy salad will serve as the perfect accompaniment to your warm-weather barbecues.

Peaches may be my favorite summer fruit.  Sometimes, it can be difficult to find good ones.  I got lucky this year and have been enjoying some pretty luscious, sweet peaches...just like those I remember from my childhood.  I'm going to assume they are local; however, even those aren't always perfect.  Nectarines would be a great substitute for peaches in this salad.  In fact, I often use nectarines if I can't find the peaches I want.  Pears, too, would be a good alternative to peaches in this recipe.

Whether you choose to enjoy this sweet and savory salad as a side or light entree, it's a marvelous way to enjoy the fruits of summer!

                                     Refreshing and A Little Sweet...

                                                Just Like You!

The Pompous Pomegranate

Well, I had to cut into it - it was perfectly ripe.  Now I feel pompous because I, upon my very first try, have successfully opened and extracted the seeds of a pomegranate.

It was ripe because it was a crimson color; the round shape changed to slightly square sides, and the petals on the crown turned inside. It also felt slightly heavy.

In order to get to these precious seeds, I cut off the flowery end of the pomegranate, scored the fruit into sections and soaked the fruit in a bowl of water for five minutes.  Then I broke the sections open in the bowl of water and gently pulled the seeds out with my fingers, letting the seeds sink to the bottom of the bowl.  I threw the rind and membrane away, and I drained the water from the seeds.

Aren't these beautiful seeds!  I would recommend sprinkling them over a bowl of vanilla ice cream or sliced pear. They're delicious in a bowl of cereal and also on a salad.  The possibilities are endless.  Or, you can just plain eat them as is - nothing wrong with that! The pomegranate isn't so intimidating after all!

This is just to keep you busy until I post the first recipe - it's coming soon, I promise!