Salads

Spinach Salad With Poppy Seed Dressing, Citrus Berry Spritzer, and People We Meet on Vacation

June 12, 2025
editor
For a refreshing and nutrient-packed culinary experience, pair the delightful 'Spinach Salad With Poppy Seed Dressing' with Emily Henry’s 'People We Meet on Vacation'. This book offers a light-hearted exploration of friendship and love, perfectly aligning with the salad’s balance of flavors and vitality. To complement these two, a glass of 'Citrus Berry Spritzer' brings a vibrant blend of fruity flavors, enhancing the book's summer vibe and the salad's freshness. Together, the salad, book, and beverage create a delightful trifecta of flavors, narratives, and relaxation, bringing an invigorating twist to book club gatherings.
Spinach Salad With Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • 6 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1 cup sliced strawberries or mandarin oranges
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds or chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)

For the Poppy Seed Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Make the Poppy Seed Dressing:

  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, poppy seeds, salt, and pepper until smooth and well combined. Set aside.

Prepare the Salad:

  • In a large salad bowl, combine the baby spinach, sliced strawberries or mandarin oranges, red onion, crumbled cheese, and toasted almonds or pecans. Add dried cranberries if desired.

Toss and Serve:

  • Drizzle the poppy seed dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Serve immediately, garnishing with extra nuts or fruit on top if desired.

People We Meet on Vacation

People We Meet on Vacation

A heartwarming and humorous romance about two best friends who try to reconcile their differences during consecutive summer vacations, ultimately leading them to reconsider their feelings for each other.
Emily Henry’s dazzling New York Times bestselling novel now in this special hardcover collector’s edition with: • A gleaming redesigned cover • Stunning illustrated endpapers and matching sprayed edges that will take you poolside in sunny Palm Springs • A copper foil–stamped case, and… • A new letter from the author and exclusive postcard art Two best friends. Ten summer trips. One last chance to fall in love. Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together. Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven't spoken since. Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees. Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?

Discussion Questions

  • How does the author use travel as a metaphor for personal growth and change?
  • In what ways do Poppy and Alex complement each other as friends and possibly as romantic partners?
  • Discuss the role of family in both Poppy's and Alex's lives. How do their family backgrounds influence their decisions?
  • Consider the significance of the different vacation settings. How do they serve as backdrops to Poppy and Alex’s evolving relationship?
  • Explore how humor is used in the novel to address emotional depth and character development.
  • How does the narrative structure, flipping between past and present, impact reader engagement with the storyline?
  • What are some pivotal shifts in Poppy's perspective throughout the novel?
  • Discuss the theme of escapism and its dual nature as both a relief and a barrier for Poppy and Alex.
  • In what ways does the novel challenge or reinforce traditional gender roles within romantic relationships?
  • How do Poppy’s career aspirations influence her personal life, and vice versa?
Authors: Emily Henry
ISBN: 9781984806758
Publisher: Penguin Group
Published Date: 2025-10-07

Citrus Berry Spritzer

Citrus Berry Spritzer
A bubbly, refreshing drink that combines fresh citrus juices, muddled berries, and a splash of soda water, perfect for pairing with a vibrant salad or a lighthearted summer read.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup cranberry juice
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup mixed berries (such as strawberries and blueberries), muddled
  • 2 cups soda water
  • Ice cubes
  • Mint leaves for garnish

Instructions

  • In a large pitcher, combine the orange juice, cranberry juice, and lemon juice.
  • Add the muddled berries and mix well.
  • Pour in the soda water and stir gently to combine.
  • Serve over ice and garnish with mint leaves.