Mom's Favorite Salad

The past few weeks my husband and I have been planning our summer trip with the kids. We will be passing through several southern states to visit old friends, taking the kids to camp, and then off to TX to visit family. As I was thinking about our past summer trips to my parents’ home - hot summer days, sitting in the rocking chairs on the back porch, watching thunderstorms roll in, trips to my Mom's kitchen and coming back with lots of goodies, the kids hanging out with Papa D and Cookie (my parents), and my Mom and I whipping up something in the kitchen at the end of the day - the taste of my Mom's salad inevitably came to mind. It would take me days to tell you of all of the many fabulous and labor intensive meals that come out of her kitchen, but one dish that my Mom could eat almost every day is what we call "Mom's favorite Salad". There hasn't been a visit to my parent's house that I can remember where she didn't make it. It is extremely simple to prepare, as a dish in the heat of summer should be. I can almost taste the sweet burst of cranberry and the creaminess of the Roquefort now. Ok, now I’m hungry.

Mom's Favorite Salad
Serves 6
Make sure to look at the ingredient list on your dried cranberries because many dried cranberries that are sold have sugar and hydrogenated oils added to them. Try to find organic cranberries without any additives.

1 bag mixed baby greens
1/2 cup pecans toasted
1/2 cup dried cranberries
4 ounces Roquefort, crumbled
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup olive oil
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

In a large bowl, combine greens, pecans, cranberries and Gorgonzola cheese. In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar and olive oil. Pour half of the dressing over the salad, toss and taste. Adjust seasonings and add more dressing if needed.

For those of you who don't know, my Mom is one of the leading caterers in Dallas. I urge you to take a few minutes to look at her website. http://www.festivekitchen.com/