Winter Pomegranate Salad and DIY XO Salad Spoons

February is here, whether we are ready of not. This short month always seems to fly by, but one thing I love to do is plan a Valentine's Dinner for my family. This year I have a light, but really colorful salad on the menu. If you add cheese, fruit and nuts to a salad, it's guaranteed to be a winner.  This Winter Pomegranate Salad is loaded with all the yummy things.  And to give this salad a little extra love, I made some fun DIY XO Salad Spoons to serve it with. Keep reading for the recipe and DIY instructions below. 

Winter Pomegranate Salad

6 - 8 cups spring greens mix or baby spinach

2 oranges

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

1/2 cup cinnamon sugared pecans (see instructions below)

1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles

pomegranate poppy seed dressing (see recipe below)

To candy the pecans, pour 1/4 sugar in a not stick frying pan and sprinkle with 1/4 cinnamon. Put on high heat and heat until the sugar just starts to turn to a liquid.  Add the pecans and toss to coat all of them.  Remove from the heat and pour the pecans onto a piece of parchment paper to cool. Break apart any nuts that are stuck together. 

Pomegranate Poppy Seed Dressing

1/4 cup pomegranate juice

1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar

zest of one orange

3 tbsp. honey

salt and pepper

1 tbsp. poppy seeds

1/2 cup olive oil

Mix the first 6 ingredients in a large mason jar or in a bowl with a whisk. Add the olive oil and whisk or shake vigorously. Store in the fridge in an air tight container.  Allow the dressing to come to room temperature before serving, if the olive oil is too cold it will become a solid.  

What's a dinner party without pretty dishes? Just like the adorable coasters I made with Shutterfly, I took some of my favorite Valentine's designs and had them printed on plates. These are going to be fun plates to pull out every Valentine's Day.  

Shutterfly is so much more then just prints and photobooks. You can add your favorite pictures or illustrations to their plates for a one of a kind look. Or maybe you just like these plates I designed, if so, you can download the images HERE and make a set for yourself.  

DIY XO Salad Spoons

Here's what you'll need:

2 wooden spoons with round handles
2 2' wood balls with flat bottoms (found at the craft store)
E6000 Glue
drill and drill bit the size of the spoon handles
white and black craft paint
paint brush

Start with a drill bit the same size as the handle of the wooden spoons. on the flat side of the wooden ball drill in about 1/2" deep.

Using the E6000 glue, attach the spoons to the wooden balls.  Allow to dry for at least 1 hour.

Paint the wooden ball and part way down the handle with the white paint.  You may need to give them 2 coats of paint.  

When they are completely dry, you can paint on the X and the O with a small paint brush and black paint.  I practiced on a piece of paper first to get an idea of the shape and size of the letters I wanted to paint.  And then, just go for it! 

Be sure to check out Shutterfly's Design Studio for inspiration and lots of great DIYs and downloadables. This coffee table and this living wall are pretty cool. 

This post is sponsored by Shutterfly.  Thank you for supporting the companies that help make this blog possible.