👩‍🍳 A Vibrant Strawberry Pico Wedge Salad

Imagine a crisp wedge of iceberg lettuce topped with vibrant strawberry pico vinaigrette—sweet strawberries, zesty lime, and a hint of jalapeño heat. Smoky bacon, cherry tomatoes, and fresh cilantro add crunch and bright flavor, while a sprinkle of sea salt and cracked pepper finishes this bold, refreshing twist on the classic wedge salad.

We frome own ten acres at the end of a gravel road—way out where Amazon delivery drivers fear to tread (I actually have a funny story about this that I will share sometime). For six years, we lived in a hundred-year-old farmhouse that had zero charm… and all the structural integrity of a house of cards.

It was dusty enough to qualify as an archaeological site, colder than a breakup text in winter, and, thanks to a foundation that had clearly given up on life, the walls leaned at angles that would make a drunk jealous. The master bedroom? Oh, it was red—not a cozy, romantic red, but an aggressively hideous rose hue that still haunts my nightmares.

But we didn’t fall in love with the house (obviously). What made us stay was the land—the big pond with a slide and dock, the woods where a little ravine turned into a bubbling creek when it rained, and the pastures covered in thick, rolling grass that moved like ocean waves in the wind. Summers were straight-up magical.

We practically lived outside—swimming, fishing, riding horses, and goofing off with Indy, our bottle calf who had a full-blown identity crisis and thought she was a dog-another story for another time. We never meant to stay in that wonky old house as long as we did, but then inflation came along, slapped us in the face, and made building a new house on that piece of land about as affordable as buying a small island.

Eventually, we did move into a brand-new house —in town, where the walls actually stood up straight—but we still own the farm. We left a bunch of stuff behind because, well, moving is exhausting, and we ran out of energy (and possibly willpower). The other day, I went back and stumbled upon a box of cookbooks I had once deemed “unnecessary.” In that stack? Reata, Legendary Texas Cuisine.

At the time when I had purchased it, the recipes all looked way too complicated (which is a nice way of saying I was lazy), so I never actually cooked from it. But flipping through this time, I found a recipe for a Texas wedge salad with a Spicy Pico Vinaigrette that used a traditional pico de gallo. Now, I love a good wedge salad—crisp, creamy, and absolutely drowning in delicious toppings but as a recipe creator I want to create recipes that belong to me even if they are inspired by others.

So, I got creative with this recipe inspiration. Enter: Strawberry Pico Vinaigrette. Think of it as a summer glow-up for your classic wedge salad—fresh, fruity, a little spicy, and downright addictive. Pair it with gorgonzola and crispy bacon, and you’ve got a wedge salad so good, you might actually forget you’re eating iceberg lettuce.

If you love fresh, vibrant salads, you’ll definitely want to try our Strawberry Balsamic Salad—a perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavors. Looking for the perfect dressing? Our Blackberry Vinaigrette or Lavender Honey Lemon Vinaigrette would both be delicious drizzled over crisp greens. And if you’re a fan of bold, creamy dressings, don’t miss our Zesty Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing—a healthier twist on a classic!