Not much to say; how about a recipe?

There are dry spells in my life. Nothing interesting to report on at all. The holidays are done (and were very nice), and the kids are tired and trying to get back on schedule. So that means they are not being interesting at all, the little stinkers. But, I feel honor-bound to post something. Especially since I just included the blog address on all my holiday cards. Hello to any new readers! So, I will play to all those New Year's resolutions to lose weight and post my favorite salad recipe. A careful reader will note that it is not necessarily the most healthy, but I said it was my favorite, so there you go.

Inspired by Panera's Fuji Chicken Salad of which I can no longer purchase because I don't have Panera in Michigan. That really needs to be remedied. This is not so much a recipe as a guide.

Apple, Blue Cheese, Pecan Salad

(amounts are just to your personal liking, number of people serving, etc.)

• chop some lettuce, whatever is on hand (I am often stuck with iceberg, but Romaine is very nice for this too)
• chop one apple to bite size pieces, sweeter apples work better for this, I prefer to leave the skin on, sprinkle on salad
• roughly chop a handful of pecans, again sprinkle on salad
• sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese (I like a lot, but it would be healthier with a little)
• finally, drizzle with Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette (I found it at Walmart.)

Now it's amazing as it is, but here are some other possibilities: when I have cooked chicken on hand, I toss that in too, but really that just makes it more filling, it does nothing for flavor. Also the Panera version uses an apple vinaigrette, but I have never found one in the stores. I think a white wine vinaigrette would be nice too, but again, good luck finding a commercial brand. But DO NOT, unless you are allergic, leave out the pecans. They seriously make the salad.