Friday, October 21, 2011

Autumn Chopped Salad

Hello, I am Denise.  I met Stina, Carissa, Kelli and Celeste at my most bragged about Job…telemarketing!  It was a fun Job because of the people we worked with and I did love it at the time.   Stina had me over to her apartment for fun activities and I knew I wanted her as a roommate!  I moved in with Stina and a few other awesome girls.  I had a blast!  I married my hubby, Josh, in 2002 and moved right to Oregon to work in the family business.  I am a stay at home mom of 3 very active and crazy girls.  Life is crazy, entertaining, stressful, but always fun!   I am in love with new recipes, especially when they turn out to look like the pictureJ   Baking is my true passion, although I am always trying to lose weight!  Ughh, they don’t mix well ;)  Oh and I am a vegetarian…although my family LOVES meat!  I do post recipes of meat after having my hubby and a few honest friends taste test the recipes.  I cook meat (mostly chicken) each night.  I need recipes and hate using the same ones each week.  I also like to stalk cooking blogs and am obsessed with restaurant knock off recipes!  I cannot think of embarrassing stories…just the pictures below!!!  Good times…Good times!

Okay, to me recipe.  I never thought I would fall in love with a tossed green salad until Carissa posted Janean's salad.  I make that salad all the time, love it!  My hubby and family are pretty sick of it though :(  I found this salad on pinterest and it made my mouth water.  I tried it and love it!  I have made it 5 times and managed to forget to take a picture.  We eat it too fast!  Try this baby, you and your hubby will love it (it has bacon in it)!
Autumn Chopped Salad


(Photo Courtesy of Richard Swearinger)

6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce

2 medium pears, chopped

1 cup dried cranberries

1 cup chopped pecans ( I had candied ones in my pantry that we used...yum!)

8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled (do I need to add that I had this on the side!)

4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

Poppy seed Salad Dressing (I used Newman's Own)

Balsamic Vinaigrette (I used Newman's Own Light)

Instructions

On a large platter, combine the lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta cheese. Drizzle generously with poppy seed dressing, followed by some of the balsamic vinaigrette. (I would estimate that I used about a cup of dressing: 70 percent poppy seed dressing and 30 percent balsamic vinaigrette) If you prefer your salad to have more dressing, feel free to experiment with the combination.

**half the recipe if you are not making for a crowd

4 comments:

Stina said...

You can tell we're real grownups when salads make our mouths water. This one looks fantastic! Chopped salads are the best and easy for kids to eat. I know mine will munch this one down. Thanks!

(And I'm glad you can't remember any embarrassing stories...the Hjelm girls seem to have no problems with that!)

Sheral Wilson said...

Oh my!! I can't wait to try this salad! It looks so yummy!!!

Kristi Adams said...

I fell in love with chopped salads a few years ago in Vegas. They are so easy to eat! This looks amazing! Can't wait to give it a go!

Kristi Adams said...

Made this for our Halloween dinner with the Pearsons and it is soooo good! I loved the mixture of the dressings on it and the pecans and pears and feta.... I devoured the left overs!!