My husband came home from Costco with a case of very green pears last week.  Despite the fact that everyone in our house enjoys pears, the reality is that pears seem to go from “crunchy and flavorless” to “over ripe disaster” in warp speed. There is nothing worse that going to bed with a beautiful both of fruit and waking up to a “fruit fly frenzy”.  I always find it difficult to buy pears and eat them within that window of time when they are perfectly ripened, juicy and truly delicious. What concerned me was that we would now have an entire case of pears to devour within those few “peak” days of perfection.  So…. I was on the hunt for a new salad recipe that would capitalize on the great flavour and use up some of our supply.  I can’t believe I found a winner on the first crack!  I found this recipe on “Espresso and Cream“.  The taste was incredible and I will definitely be making this salad again. However,  I made the salad as our main course and found it a bit sweet for an entrée.  I think I would reserve this delicious recipe for a side dish or “potluck” dinner.  Enjoy!

Autumn Chopped Salad

Ingredients:

• 6 to 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 2 medium pears, chopped
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 8 slices thick-cut bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
• 4 to 6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
• Poppy seed Salad Dressing
• Balsamic Vinaigrette

Original 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.

What I Did:

I simply placed all of the ingredients in a large bowl, tossed and served.  I let each person add their own dressing as my kids can be fussy about dressing (Eden generally will not eat any dressing at all.) I really enjoyed the 70/30 ratio suggested in the original blog, but used only a small amount.  I would not recommend using as much as is suggested.  If serving at a potluck, I might toss it lightly and then have extra dressing on the side. (I just used Kraft dressings).  Absolutely delicious!

Have you ever considered working from home? A revolutionary blogging system has hit the market.  If you are interested in learning how to blog and earn money from home, you need to click this link.