Pear and Gorgonzola Salad

The other day I was shopping at Trader Joe's.  Don't you just love that store?  If you've never been and have one in the neighborhood high tail it right over there and take a look at all the fabulous food they have.

One of my favorite items there is a Pear and Gorgonzola salad that I grab at lunch time.  this salad has just the right balance of sweet and salty/tart.  The cheese goes perfectly with the mild sweetness of the pears. I'm just in love with this salad.

I recall MGG and I have a good version of this salad down on Coronado Island, San Diego last spring.

Here is it.

So when I saw some beautiful fresh pears at the store the other day I decided to make my own version of this delicious salad.

Easy to make with a few ingredients.  I added come toasted walnuts, a little Gorgonzola and pears, all served over some green leaf lettuce.  Add a olive oil dressing and you are set!

Try this wonderful salad.  It's easy to make, perfect with the ripe pears right now, and tastes fabulous!

Pear and Gorgonzola Salad

Serves 4

4 c Green leaf lettuce, torn

2 pears, cored and sliced

1/3 c walnuts, toasted

1/3 c Gorgonzola crumbled

Olive oil vinaigrette (I used Newman’s)

Directions:

Wash and dry your lettuce, tearing into bite sized pieces.  In a skillet over low heat add your walnuts, and toast for 3 min. 

In a large bowl add your lettuce, pears, walnuts, and Gorgonzola.

Toss with a light amount of salad dressing.  Serve.

Autumn recipes from Williams-Sonoma

Images and/or other value provided by our partner, Williams-Sonoma.

I wanted to share some great recipes with you that are perfect for this time of year.

They come from one of my favorite stores, Williams-Sonoma.  Their store is full of items you dream about and their food is top notch.

I think you will enjoy these.

Braised Beef with Autumn Vegetables  (click for the recipe)

Images and/or other value provided by our partner, Williams-Sonoma.

Pumpkin Soup

Images and/or other value provided by our partner, Williams-Sonoma.

Enjoy the Autumn!

Grilled Teriyaki Steaks with Peppers and Mushrooms

It's funny where you get inspiration from, or what may trigger and old memory.

The other day MGG and I were driving around enjoying the nice weather and the pretty scenery.  We often like to drive along the coastline from Santa Monica up to Malibu, have a little coffee or a snack, maybe dinner, and then head home.

On this day there happened to be a LOT of "traffic" on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway).  I mean we were stopped and not moving.  Okay a little exaggeration, we were moving...slowly.  Not enough to catch the wind in your hair!  So I happened to look over and saw the Chart House restaurant.  A beautiful restaurant, all dark and moody inside, right above the water.  Very romantic.

Well, it brought back so many memories.  I used to celebrate my birthday there each year with my parents when I was in my teens.  I used to always get Teriyaki Steak and a virgin Pina Colada.  YUM!  I was in paradise, my own private Hawaii!  Later this restaurant became a go to place for special occasions.  We don't tend to go much any more.  I think MGG and I have only gone there once or twice.  (Note to self:  go to dinner at the Chart House!)

So I started longing for Teriyaki Steak and decided to pick up some NY strips steaks at the store and make my version of their wonderful dish at home.

I took a short cut by using a low sodium bottled Teriyaki sauce from Kikkoman's line. (Sorry, I do have a good homemade recipe but sometimes time is a consideration!)  It's nice and thick.  The one thing with Teriyaki sauce is you have to be careful and baste it on the steaks toward the end.  The high sugar content will have a tendency to burn on your food quickly.  If you do use it as a marinade, choose thin cuts of meat that don't require long cooking times.

I added red bell peppers and mushrooms as a topping to our dish.  MGG loves the veggies and it's a great way to get more in your diet.  This can be whipped up in under 30 minutes.  It's a great family dinner, special occasion, company's coming or weeknight treat.

So I must say, my steaks were fabulous!  I'm just a home cook, but they were darn good!  One bite and I was right back at the Chart House, 18 years old, having dinner.  Only thing missing was the Pina Colada!

Enjoy!

Grilled Teriyaki Steaks with Peppers and Mushrooms

serves 4

4 boneless New York strip steaks (1 inch thick)
Canola oil
3/4 cup low sodium teriyaki marinade and sauce (Such as Kikkoman)
2 tablespoons butter
10 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 large red or yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips　

Allow steaks to come to room temperature. Heat grill or grill pan to medium high.

Oil your grate or the indoor grill pan with canola oil. Allow to heat up. Cook steaks, turning once, about 15 minutes for medium doneness, or until your preferred temperature. Baste with teriyaki sauce during the last 5 minutes of cooking to avoid burning. Place steaks on a cutting board tented with foil to rest.

Meanwhile in a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown. Add peppers and cook another 5 minutes until crisp tender. Add remaining teriyaki sauce to the skillet and stir to combine, cook 1 minute until sauce is heated through.  Plate steaks and spoon mushrooms and peppers with sauce over the steaks.