Posts Tagged ‘make it do’

Well, I’m driving to Disneyland as we speak, but lucky for me, some mighty talented ladies have kindly consented to fill in for me while I’m away.  And you are all in for a treat.

Here to kick start my vacation is Kami from no biggie.   If you’ve never dropped by her blog, you must and right away… well right after you read about her unbelievably delicious salad.  It’s Gorgonzola Pear Salad… and Kami, you had me at Gorgonzola.

It’s the perfect salad to make this weekend.  Thanks, Kami!

Hi there! Kami here. I’m the thrifty maven who runs the blog: no biggie – a montage of all my favorite things, including: crafting, cooking, and thrifting. I’m happy to be a guest here on Make it do!

You know this is going to be a killer salad with a title like that one. This recipe is a family favorite.

Here it is in a nutshell: The ingredients: green leaf lettuce, pears, avocado, gorgonzola cheese crumbles, purple onion and pecan pieces.

slice, dice, rinse, spin and repeat

Carmelized Pecans: This is the tricky part. You place the pecans in a hot pan on high heat and you have to stay with it, constantly turning them around. Once you start to smell the pecans (you are going to love this smell), then you add the 1/4 cup sugar. Constantly stirring once again. Watch the sugar turn to a liquid state and toss the pecans all around in the syrupy goodness, until they are all coated. Then remove them from the hot pan and let them cool. Keep them at room temp and then add them in at the very end, just right before tossing.

Here are the dressing ingredients all lined up, they are all listed below.

You can make this ahead of time (maybe a few hours) I would not refrigerate the dressing.

Toss everything together just right before serving, and ENJOY! It’s a good one.

The Recipe:

Gorgonzola Pear Salad
1 head red leaf or green leaf lettuce (preferably red leaf if it’s available)
3-4 pears sliced (and peeled – optional)
1 pkg gorgonzola crumbles
1 avocado sliced
1 purple onion sliced thin

Carmelize together:
1 pkg pecan pieces
1/4 cup sugar

The Dressing:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbl. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1 1/4 tsp. mustard
1 clove garlic (or garlic powder)
1/2 tsp salt & pepper

Image via Martha Stewart

10 to 12 hours in the car is going to be a long trip for my kids.  It’s the longest drive we’ve ever made in one day.  To help pass the time,  I am putting together a travel car kit for each of them.

Luckily for me, Martha Stewart created a very stylish and free Travel Bingo game.  It’s a very fun little template for up to four players that I printed out.  I think I’ll laminate the cards so I can reuse them again for other vacations.

I also love her idea of including copy of the road map for the kids to follow.  That way they can get a sense of distance and direction as we travel.  I somehow don’t think that will stop them from asking, “Are we there yet?”  But at least I can say, “Who can find Cedar City on your map?  That’s where we are.” I simply went to Google Maps, typed our destination, and printed the map.  Each of the kids gets their own copy.

Also in the boxes, I’m including a sketch and activity pad, our 50 states license plate game, colored pencils and sharpener, a book to read, an embroidery, and a few small toys.

I’m also bringing along large envelopes for the kid’s to keep their postcards and memento’s in.  That way they can put it all together into a scrapbook of our trip when we get home.  My mom suggested taking a small essay book for the kids to keep a journal during the trip.  I kept a journal of my trip to Disneyland as a kid, and it will be fun to compare them when we’re done.  And I won’t forget to bring small jars for the kids to collect a bit of sand and hopefully a few shells in.  It’s their first time to the beach and I know that’s something they’ll love to keep.  With a little label saying the name of the beach and the date, it will make a nice souvenir of the trip.