Strawberry Panzanella

I was recently faced with a new predicament: finding ways to use up fresh produce from my garden. You see, we didn't have any fruits or veggies planted at our old home -- partly because I have a bit of a black thumb, and partly because our yard was so shady that there wasn't much I could grow.

But now I'm in my new home, which came complete with raised garden beds, a potting shed, and an antique water pump. I am feeling wholly incompetent at gardening but also blessed with the bounty that was left behind -- especially our current crop of ripe red strawberries, which I literally didn't touch but just came up in June like they're supposed to.

Don't worry, everyone who is gasping in shock at my incompetence: I ordered The Fruit Gardener's Bible and The Vegetable Gardener's Bible from Amazon and plan to spend the winter studying how to not be a total idiot when it comes to gardening.

Meanwhile, I (a strawberry lover) am having trouble coming up with enough uses for our berry crop; my husband recently discovered he's allergic. So when it came time to bring a dish to a Father's Day potluck, I decided to "think strawberry" and whipped up this "salad." (Who doesn't love a "salad" that's actually a dessert? Hello, "Snickers Salad." Amazeballs.) This dish is simple to make, and it was definitely a hit with my strawberry-friendly family members.

STRAWBERRY PANZANELLA SALAD

1 12" baguette (I like South Union), torn or cut into bite-sized pieces
1 to 2 pints of fresh hulled strawberries, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
olive oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
3 T. honey

Preheat oven to 350. Toss the torn bread in 3-4 T. olive oil and spread on rimmed baking sheet. Bake appx. 20 minutes or until croutons are almost completely golden brown. Allow croutons to cool completely.

In a small bowl, whisk together appx. 1/4 c. olive oil with the balsamic and honey. In a separate, large bowl, toss together the croutons, strawberries, and goat cheese. Top with dressing. Allow the salad to chill appx. 30 minutes before serving.