Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

I’m finally starting to feel like my self again after a pretty fun weekend away with some couple friends. We really showed the world we can still throw them back even though some of our members now come with babies. Even if some of us (me) fell asleep at seven-thirty in the evening on Saturday.  We also proved we are WAY too old to hang.

A really wonderful weekend culminated in me getting on the only freeway that was jam packed coming home early Monday morning on a holiday that I did not have off from work. Then getting lost after getting off said freeway and then proceeding to irrationally losing it on Wes.

Real nice Ange. Real nice.

But all is right with the world again. I’m home and back in the kitchen. Where I belong.

When I wanted to do a little remix on a night at a steakhouse for mom and pop, I was SHOCKED that I had never made one of my all time favorite indulgences. The wedge salad.

How have I not made myself some of this blue cheese and bacony goodness?

Well don’t worry. I made up for it. This thing was decadently delicious.

You will need…

1 head iceberg lettuce

1 shallot, halved and thinly sliced

3 slices of your favorite thick cut bacon

8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

¼ cup buttermilk

¼ cup Greek yogurt

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

½ lemon, juiced

Start by cooking your bacon over medium heat in a large pan until crispy. About 7 minutes a side. 

Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to remove the grease.

Roughly chop the bacon and set aside.

Removing the more damaged outer leaves, quarter the head of lettuce  and lay it on the platter.

Top the lettuce with the shallots, ½ the blue cheese and the bacon.

In a mason jar or food processor, combine the remaining blue cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, vinegar, salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Blend or shake until completely combined.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela  

Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

1 head iceberg lettuce

1 shallot, halved and thinly sliced

3 slices of your favorite thick cut bacon

8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

¼ cup buttermilk

¼ cup Greek yogurt

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

½ lemon, juiced

Start by cooking your bacon over medium heat in a large pan until crispy. About 7 minutes a side. Remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate to remove the grease.

Roughly chop the bacon and set aside.

Removing the more damaged outer leaves, quarter the head of lettuce  and lay it on the platter.

Top the lettuce with the shallots, ½ the blue cheese and the bacon.

In a mason jar or food processor, combine the remaining blue cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, vinegar, salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Blend or shake until completely combined.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve. 

Heirloom Wedge Salad

So, I am pretty much allergic to everything that runs around on four legs. Dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, & chinchillas. My inability to be around friends of the fury persuasion really kept me from what I view as my true calling.

I was meant to be a cowgirl. If it weren’t for my deadly allergies to all the fun animals, I would have been a horse riding, cow roping, hog-tying cowgirl.

But, alas, I am not. So instead, I indulge my inner horse lover by dressing like a cross between a cowgirl and a hipster.

Which I was able to totally embrace this weekend at a fancy line dancing bar for my friends Shireen and Brady’s engagement celebration.

It was an amazing time complete with tequila shots for the men and line dancing lessons for the ladies.

Here is an awesome appetizer salad to serve at your next celebration.

You will need…

4 heirloom tomatoes

1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded

3 slices crispy bacon, crumbled

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

Pepper to taste

Start by combining your olive oil, vinegar, mustard, blue cheese, chive and ½ teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl or jar.

Shake or whisk until your dressing is completely combined.

Then, thinly slice your heirloom tomato into 5 different slices of equal size.

One tomato at a time, create layers by drizzling the dressing on a tomato slice. Then top the dressing with a little bacon and a small handful of lettuce. Add on another slice of tomato and continue the layering process until you put your 4 tomatoes back together.

Add any remaining bacon of lettuce to the plate. Drizzle with remaining dressing and sprinkle with fresh pepper.

Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Heirloom Wedge Salad

4 heirloom tomatoes

1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded

3 slices crispy bacon, crumbled

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

Pepper to taste

Start by combining your olive oil, vinegar, mustard, blue cheese, chive and ½ teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl or jar.

Shake or whisk until your dressing is completely combined.

Then, thinly slice your heirloom tomato into 5 different slices of equal size.

One tomato at a time, create layers by drizzling the dressing on a tomato slice. Then top the dressing with a little bacon and a small handful of lettuce. Add on another slice of tomato and continue the layering process until you put your 4 tomatoes back together.

Add any remaining bacon of lettuce to the plate. Drizzle with remaining dressing and sprinkle with fresh pepper.

Serve chilled or at room temperature. 

"Corner Bakery" Chopped Salad

A couple of weeks ago, Wes and I discovered that our local movie theater has four-dollar movie nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Suddenly the idea of seeing movies in the theater became much more appealing.

So we made a deal. I got to choose the movie last week, and he got to choose the movie this week.

Well, we just got back and definitely got the shit end of the stick on this one.

I picked an action packed romantic comedy that we both enjoyed.

He picked a very serious, very intense, tear jerker about the Navy seals.

While I have no problem with such movies, I am a big baby and that stuff scares the poop out of me.

Instead of freaking myself out that a suicide bomber might blow me up the next time I take a girls weekend to Vegas, I’m going to stare at pictures of this salad and mark my calendar for the next time I can make it.

You will need…

2 hearts of romaine, chopped into tiny pieces

1 head of iceberg lettuce, chopped into tiny pieces

3 green onions, chopped

2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped

3 slices crisp bacon, chopped

2 tomatoes, diced

½ cup blue cheese crumbled

1 avocado, sliced into cubes

¼ cup “Corner Bakery” house dressing

In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine and iceberg and toss them well.

Add in the chicken, tomato, avocado, green onions and blue cheese.

Drizzle with the dressing.

Toss well and serve with some tasty crusty bread.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

2 hearts of romaine, chopped into tiny pieces

1 head of iceberg lettuce, chopped into tiny pieces

3 green onions, chopped

2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped

4 slices crisp bacon, chopped

½ cup blue cheese crumbled

1 avocado, sliced into cubes

¼ cup “Corner Bakery” house dressing

In a large salad bowl, combine the romaine and iceberg and toss well. 

Add in the chicken, tomato, avocado, green onions and blue cheese.

Drizzle with the dressing.

Toss well and serve with some tasty crusty bread.