Roquefort Pear Salad

Now that Thanksgiving is coming upon us, planning is in order for the menu! I absolutely love cooking for Thanksgiving and enjoy being in charge of the whole menu for my family. I feel like a caterer because I refuse to let anyone help me. I want them out of the kitchen so I don't hear "that's weird, you're not supposed to put chipotles in sweet potatoes" or "why aren't you using StoveTop stuffing?" and "I don't want garlic in my potatoes." The kitchen is my domain and I want to experiment with new recipes and help my family veer off the path of "normal" Thanksgiving foods.

This salad is one of those experiments that I heard moans about while I was making it, but everyone ended up loving it. If people would only trust me and just blindly eat my food without objection! =)

ROQUEFORT PEAR SALAD

adapted from a recipe I found on AllRecipes.com

• 1 bag of romaine lettuce
• 3 pears - peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 container (4-ounces) Roquefort cheese crumbles ( or bleu cheese)
• 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/2 - 1 cup of chopped pecans

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the salad contents in a large bowl. Blend the dressing ingredients together. Drizzle the dressing over the salad.