A Homemade Life: Bread Salad with Cherries, Arugula and Goat Cheese

I have such fond memories of summers growing up.  Not that they were terribly different than the school year.  My parents taught year-round, so daycamp took the place of school.

But the long days meant dinners outside on the picnic table in our backyard, and not having to go to bed quite as early.  And once, because it was still light, we headed to the movies AFTER dinner.  Since our bedtimes were usually around 8pm, this summer reprieve left a lasting memory for me.

I've been anxious to give Thatkid similar memories.  Especially since nowadays summers means movies in the park, which is way better than going to a theater.  But he's never been old enough to stay up late and sit through a movie.  Until this summer.  We've been taking advantage of both movies in the park as well as the drive in.

The first movie in the park we brought our chairs and blankets and watched The Box Trolls.  Which was fabulous and dark.  I love dark cartoons.  I could definitely add this to our Coraline and Nightmare Before Christmas collection.  Because it was free, it was our test run before shelling out money for a late night (8:30) movie.  Thatkid did great!

Thatkid has been asking to see The Minions movie for the past month.  But going to the theater doesn't really work for us right now with an infant.  The drive-in is definitely our solution.  Thatbaby slept the entire time, and Thatkid laughed his little butt off.

Our next stop is another movie in the park.  Big Hero 6.  Which would not be my pick given that Thatkid owns the movie and watches it nonstop at home.  But he really wants to see it in the park, and it does provide a nice family outing for us.  Plus, I do love picnics in the summer. Spread out on the blanket, easy cold dinners in the warm weather.  This bread salad is the perfect accompaniment to a summer picnic.  The toasted bread gives a little more bulk than your average salad, and the cherries celebrate all the best flavors of summer. 

Bread Salad with Cherries, Arugula, and Goat Cheese (From A Homemade Life)

6 oz rustic white bread

olive oil

1/2 lb cherries, halved and pitted, preferably Bing

1/8 tsp pressed garlic

balsamic vinegar

salt

arugula

goat cheese, crumbled

black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400. Trim the crusts from the bread with a sharp knife.  Tear the bread into rough, bite sized pieces.
2. Dump bread onto rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss to coat. Bake 8-10 minutes.
3. Put 1/3 of the cherries in a small bowl and crush them lightly with a fork.
4. Turn the bread into a large bowl and while it's still hot, toss with the garlic. Set aside to cool.
5. Add the smashed and unsmashed cherries and toss.
6. Add 2 tsp balsamic vinaigrette and toss.
7. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and a pinch or two of salt and toss again.
8. Add 2 handfuls of arugula and toss one last time.
9. Finish with crumbled goat cheese and a few grinds of the pepper mill.