Spinach Salad with Cranberries, Pecans and Blue Cheese

Yes, I've been posting lots of recipes lately but that's because that's what I've been doing - cooking :-)  This week, life gets back into "normal" and I have crafts to make and show off, organizing projects to share, home updates to blog about and more.  I took a break yesterday and didn't post anything but wanted to post this today :-)  Not sure if I'll get the craft started today that I wanted to share so . . ..this is my "craft" :-)  I have also started posting my weekly menu on the right side of the blog - just scroll down.  I'm still working on it but would like to post links to any recipes that appear on the blog.  I do have more to post from the last few weeks too.  If you haven't guessed, I like to cook :-)

I love Blue Cheese.  I made this recently to go with Sunday dinner despite the fact that I knew my husband wouldn't like it.  Why, you might ask?  He doesn't like salad with "stuff" in it :-(  So I made it more for me and it was SOOO good - I think I'll be planning this one for lunch soon.

This recipe comes from Food Network.

This picture doesn't really do it justice - it tastes so much better!

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound hickory smoked bacon slices, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
• 2 (6-ounce) containers baby spinach
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup Danish blue cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Fry chopped bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel-lined 1/4-sheet tray to drain.
Toast pecans in the oven on a 1/4-sheet tray until lightly golden and fragrant, about 6 minutes.
In a medium bowl mash the blue cheese with a fork. Mix in the buttermilk, sour cream, sugar, salt and pepper, to taste.
Combine baby spinach, red onion, pecans, dried cranberries and bacon in large bowl. Toss with the dressing immediately before serving

Notes:
*I did not put the dressing on the salad at all - that way, what ever was left, I could save (which I did) and eat for lunch the following day (which I did!).