it's no biggie in the kitchen

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