Once upon a time in Belgium, my boyfriend (now husband) and I went on a date to an amazing greek restaurant. It was shortly after we met while walking across the country and it was our second official date. He first asked me out on the bridge into Washington D.C. after we had walked 3,200 miles with a group of friends and our first official date was at a lake in D.C. with views overlooking several memorials.

What does that have to do with salad dressing you may ask? I’m a firm believer in the power of smells and tastes to solidify memories, and whenever I eat Greek food, I remember that delicious Greek restaurant and the joy of being newly in love. Needless to say, those are memories I don’t mind remembering often, so I’ve tried to recreate the dishes we had at that restaurant at various anniversaries since then.

This salad dressing is one of those creations. That night, I had an incredible salad with this dressing, olives, feta, tomato, cucumber, lamb and chicken. We also had some roasted vegetables that had similar flavors.

I love making this as a marinade or a topping for salads or any fresh or roasted vegetables. It is also a great alternative marinade for cucumber onion salad. I often pair this dressing on a cucumber salad with my homemade Greek Meatballs (which were also inspired by that date).

If you are a fan of Greek food (or second dates), try this recipe!