Salad On Tuesday: Week 12 {Autumn Chopped Salad}

Today's post is the last one in my series on summer salads. 

But wait!  Did I really sneak in an autumn salad here at the end?  You bet I did!  (And I'll bet you're not even surprised.)

Saturday was one of those days that portended fall.  It was dark and rainy all day long and, inside my air conditioned home, I could pretend that it was cool and that the air was crisp. Stepping outside would have ruined the illusion, so I just didn't.  It was the perfect day to be inside anyway.  

So we did indoor things and baked and cleaned and got ready for Sunday's birthday bash.  When the dinner hour approached, I lit a crème brûlée candle, put pecan chicken in the oven, and the girls and I prepared this Autumn Chopped Salad.  I must say that it was a hit...even with the Salad Skeptic (whose identity I will protect, although you can probably guess who he is). Hooray!

If you want to pretend it's fall, try this salad.  Or if you're still eking out the last bit of summer, try it just because it's good!

Ingredients: 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce 3 red pears, cored and chopped 1 cup dried cranberries 1 cup chopped pecans 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 6 oz. crumbled blue cheese Dressing Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons sour cream 1 tablespoon sugar salt and pepper to taste Directions: Toss together the lettuce, pears, dried cranberries, pecans, bacon, and blue cheese* in a large serving bowl.   Whisk together dressing ingredients.  Pour desired amount over salad mixture and toss to coat.** * Because not everyone cares for blue cheese, I omitted it from the salad mixture, then served it separately to add as desired. ** When I make this salad again, I will not pour the dressing over the whole salad, but will let each person add it to their own serving.  Otherwise, the leftovers are soggy.  Believe it or not, there were leftovers, even though each of us ate a healthy portion.  You might want to consider halving this recipe if you are serving it to a small number of people.  (On the other hand, you might want leftovers!)

And now, on to autumn!  (If only the weather would cooperate with me!)

Looking for a recipe from another week?

Week 1:   BLT Macaroni Salad

Week 2:   Pesto Pasta Salad

Week 3:   Layered Caribbean Chicken Salad

Week 4:   Chicken Salad Deluxe
Week 5:   Cheeseburger Salad
Week 6:   Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
Week 7:   Chicken BLT Salad 
Week 8:   Broccoli Salad à l'Orange
Week 9:   Greek Pasta Salad
Week 10: Caprese Salad
Week 11: Asian Chicken Salad