The Holiday Food Orgy Aftermath-- Eat more salads like this!

I feel as though I am still digesting the Salmon En Croute, with Duxelles, that I made for our Christmas Eve Dinner. I must not forget the Beurre Blanc sauce that I made, to go with this! Of course, I served fresh green beans, with a little butter sauce-- oh, and my brother made mashed potatoes with scallions and a touch of herbs to go with it.  For dessert, I made Ina Garten's Creme Brulee'.  Why haven't I posted this yet, some of you may wonder?

I will!  But I need to focus my time and energy on more vegetables and salads.  I assume that many of you have viewed enough of those recipes, and we are all seeing the newspaper ads for gym membership.  I'm expecting the Weight Watchers Police to come pounding at my door, any minute. 

 Flickr Photo Source

This salad is inspired by a restaurant, at Lover's Point , in the world famous area of Pacific Grove, California that we feel so blessed to live in. "The Old Bath House" carries a lot of fond memories for Craig and me.. It was my son's first job, as a busboy, when he turned 16. Many birthdays, anniversaries and special date nights were spent here. I became friends with "Dorothy", who played a large part in the smooth operation of that restaurant. My handsome cousin (who passed away at a very young age) was the Maitre d' and very knowledgeable wine sommelier.  Sadly, the restaurant closed two months before our planned wedding, that was scheduled for New Year's Day of 2004.  The Old Bath House fell victim to politics with the city of Pacific Grove and an ADA lawsuit settlement. The cost of remodeling, to meet the compliance laws was so costly,  that the owner closed the restaurant. The restaurant, to this day, sits empty against the spectaclar backdrop of Lover's Point. It has been a loss to so many loyal customers of this fine establishment.  My friends, Dorothy, plans to write a cookbook with the recipes that we loved so much-- their Lobster Bisque Soup (I know the "secret" ingredient) and this salad.

I don't have the "official recipe, but this is my take on it-- it's simple and it was the perfect starter to any meal. I serve it when we have company, and it's always a big hit! You need candied pecans.  Dorothy gave me the original recipe-- Blanche the pecans, then coat with powdered sugar. Fry in oil and then sprinkle with cayenne pepper. "Dot" used to give me a  bag of these addicting pecans, as a parting gift, after we indulged in a meal a the Old Bath House.  I have, since, found a different way of making these candied pecans-- that  I blogged about here.  You need pears and Blue Cheese (or Gorgonzola).

Fortunately, I can buy beautiful Spring Mix salads at Costco, that is locally grown.   The dressing is a simple Balsamic Vinaigrette-- my favorite. To make it, just remember that the ratio of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar.  To bind the dressing, I use a little Dijon mustard. That's it!

We love this salad! 

Doesn't this look healthy? (Well, the candied pecans are a small stretch, but just a few are okay by me.) I am submitting this recipe to Souper Sundays-- Deb's weekly roundup of Soups, Salads, Stews and Sandwiches.

I have one more dinner to make, that isn't going to be low-fat. For New Year's Eve, Craig and I like to celebrate at home. I like to make a fancy dinner, build a fire and drink champagne. This year, I bought a beautiful duck breast, from Whole Foods.  I am leaning towards a cherry-port wine reduction sauce. Come to think of that, I recall the "The Old Bath House" used to serve that-- along with a Grand Marnier Souffle' that was exqusite!  I wish my friend, Dorothy, would hurry up and write that cookbook!

 Just a few of my brother's beautiful photography.

Craig and I are on Day #4 of our vacation.  We're headed to Santa Cruz, to take my brother (Fred) out to lunch, for his birthday. He chose the local Fisherman's Wharf, which is a good choice. I see fresh fish and vegetables on my lunch plate. Thank goodness!

As always, the recipes are at the very bottom of this post. If you are receiving this via email or RSS feed, please JUMP to my blog to print/view the recipes.

Counting down to the end of 2009,