Strawberry Balsamic Wedge Salad
Well, I'm here. But I lost a whole entire day.
Let's talk about what happens to a food blog when the internet dies.
Actually... let's talk about what happens to ME when the internet dies.
I'll just let you know ahead of time: I'm pathetic.
I didn't realize it until yesterday, but my entire household is wi-fi driven. So while I was working yesterday, my modem quit. This happens a lot. It is supremely annoying if I don't have my current work saved, but I was in a pretty good place when it flaked out so I patiently went to re-boot it.
But nothing happened.
So I tried again.
Annnd... nothing happened.
Anyone that knows me (or has been reading Sugar Dish Me for any length of time) knows that I am the opposite of patient.
I rebooted the modem AGAIN while dialing my service providers technical support department.
And then the worst thing in the world happened (dramatic much? Maybe.).
A ROBOT ANSWERED THE PHONE.
I have a zero-tolerance-machine-talking policy. They fall into the self-checkout grocery store category. "I'm sorry. I did not understand you. " "Please put the item back in the bag."
These phrases make my blood boil.
I can scan items or speak clearly and slowly with the best of them, but the machines have it out for me. They hate me. They never understand me. They act like I'm trying to steal lip gloss when ACTUALLY it's been in the bag, Robot Lady. So there.
Anyway, Robot Lady answered my phone call and asked me a series of ridiculous questions such as "What is your account number?" and "What did you have for breakfast last Thursday?" You know. Basically she asked me a bunch of things that NO ONE knows the answers to. And she did not understand me when I tried to tell her that I have already re-booted my modem 34 times and can I please just talk to a human and stop all this trouble-shooting foolishness.
It. Was. Awful. Then I realized that I couldn't even turn on the music and work it out because... Pandora is on the internet.
I finally managed to get it fixed.
And I'm giving you this Strawberry Balsamic Wedge Salad a day late.
Blame the robots.
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, washed, hulled, and chopped into ½" pieces
- 4 slices of lean bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 4 ounces crumbly blue cheese (feta is delicious here, too)
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Bonk the head of lettuce on the cutting board, core-side down to loosen the core. Flip it over and remove it. Place the head of lettuce under cold running water for about 3 minutes, letting the water flow in through where you removed the core and out between the leaves. Turn the head over, run water over the outer leaves, and then leave it to drain the excess water for a few minutes.
- Turn the lettuce back over (removed core-side up) and cut it into quarters. Place each quarter on a plate.
- Cover each lettuce wedge with strawberries, bacon, blue cheese (or feta), and pecans.
- In a small bowl whisk together the honey and olive oil. Add the balsamic vinegar and whisk until it's combined. Stir in the pinch of salt.
- Drizzle the dressing over each wedge and serve.
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iRobots? Say what? lol I hate calls like those!!! I'm sorry your computer died on you...you seriously need to get a new one!!! That one took a beating and needs to be retired haha
The computer is fine! It's the stupid internet! I think it's fixed now, though. Fingers crossed.
I too have zero tolerance for robots on the phone. I just keep saying Operator / Agent / Help until they transfer me to a person. So frustrating.
Glad you had an amazing salad to make things a bit better Heather!
PS: If we lived near each other? I think we'd be GREAT friends. Love the sarcasm.
I have to seriously restrain myself from yelling obscenities at the robots.
And P.S. : I completely agree 🙂
I hate all robots answering services. I've learned to hit 0 right off the bat or say "operator" when they give you options. 50% of the time it works to actually speak to someone. SO ANNOYING!! But this salad looks amazing! I love a new take on the wedge. 🙂
Before I bought my newest phone, the phone I had was an automatron disaster. None of the auto services recognized the keypad tones. It made me CRAZY!!!
But wedge salad: Yes. 🙂
Honestly it's terminator all over again! My dAd gets so frustrated with those 'people'!
Your wedge salad looks lovely and it really reminds me of modern family 😛
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Okay I watch Modern Family religiously but that reference was lost on me. EXPLAIN!!! And then I'll have to go watch 🙂
I'm the SAME WAY when the Internet is down! I never realize how dependent I am on it, and then the customer service is always horribleeeeeee. But on a happy note, this salad looks so fabulous! I love a wedge salad and am crazy about the flavors of this one!
Thanks, Marie!
It's totally depressing how dependent we are on something that's actually not even tangible-- I can't survive without the internet!! Maybe I should invest in an old school radio to supplement my music vice.
Right there with you, I have no patience, NONE for customer service robots! So annoying. Well, this recipe was worth the wait, love this strawberry salad!!!
Thanks so much, Sandra!!!
Glad I'm not alone on this. We need to rally.
No internet = no music, tv or actual internet here too, so I sympathise! Glad you got it sorted in the end! Totally get you on those self-service checkouts too - how can they make me feel so guilty when I've scanned the stupid things!
Right? It makes me feel stressed and paranoid. I'm in my own head screaming, "I'm paying for this! It's in the bag! I promise!"
Better a day late than never as this salad rocks. There is only one thing worse than having an English speaking robot ask you a bunch of stupid questions to try to fix your internet is having a Chinese speaking robot ask them... LOL I hope you feel my pain of living abroad in Asia...Take care, BAM
Oh my gosh, Bam. I would die. Or break all the telephones.
Welcome Back! This seems wierd for me with the strawberries, but I have a feeling if I gave it a chance I would love it. I also hate the self checkout at the grocery store. I usually end up making my hubby do the order if that is all that is available. ---Rachel
I think you would really like it! It's sweet and a little salty (from the bacon). I wanted to do a kind of California salad twist on the classic wedge salad (which is obviously always a winner). I'm so glad I'm not alone on my self-checkout problems. They seriously make me crazy.