Next Top Chef

So here's a lovely story: I woke up this morning with my eye crusted shut. I was officially a cyclops as I stumbled to a mirror to inspect the damage. It was around seven a.m. Surprisingly, it's hard to sleep when one of your eyelids feels superglued shut. So an appointment was scheduled for the eye doctor and I chose to wear sunglasses for most of the morning. Especially inside the elevator.

Around lunch, with the eye feeling better, I made lunch for my mother and I. :) Perfection in the form of fluffy scrambled eggs. On this culinary high, my mom announced a need to restock the pantry at Central Market. Time to continue this trend of succulent dishes. So I scoured the world wide web and decided to make. . .

Missy's Candied Walnut Gorgonzola Salad

Ingredients
* 1/2 cup walnut halves
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 3 cups mixed greens
* 1/2 cup dried cranberries
* 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
* 1 tablespoon raspberry vinaigrette
* 1 tablespoon white vinegar
* 1 tablespoon olive oil


Directions
1. Place walnuts and sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves into a light brown liquid and coats the walnuts. Remove walnuts from skillet, and spread them out on a sheet of aluminum foil to cool.
2. Place in a large salad bowl the mixed greens, cranberries, cheese, vinaigrette, vinegar, and olive oil. Toss gently; add candied walnuts, and toss again.


I added sliced green apples and mushrooms to the salad, as well as, produced twice as much dressing. A lovely last minute surprise was the attendance of my aunt and nana, making a well balanced table of four. My nana brought a jello & pineapple dessert, and my aunt shared a video of us all fly fishing in Colorado. There was some modeling and story sharing that helped the hours just slip away. Overall, the salad & the day were both a huge success & I think I'm ready to audition for the next season of Top Chef