Saturday Cooking Extravaganza Part 5: Walnut-Romaine Salad

Aren't you tired of the everyday lettuce with ranch?  Maybe a carrot or two?  This twist on salad is so simple and good that I've made it twice in one week.  Adapted from Family Circle Magazine:

Walnut-Romaine Salad

Makes 8 servings

• 2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 5 tbsp. olive oil
• 3 hearts of Romaine lettuce heads (12 cups chopped)
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds, raisins or other dried fruit
• 1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped

Saturday Cooking Extravaganza Part 4: Pear Galette

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I made a dessert!  That's highly unusual for me because my only defense against not over indulging in sweets is simply not making them.  This Pear Galette from Family Circle magazine was fun to make and we are still enjoying it today warmed in the microwave and with some honey flavored Greek yogurt and fresh blueberries on the side.

Pear Galette
Serves 8

Dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 12 tsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 7 to 9 tbsp. ice water
• Flour, for dusting

Pear Filling:

• 4 medium-size ripe Bartlett pears (about 2 lbs.)  (I substituted D'anjou.)
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tbsp. apricot preserves