Pear Salad

(similar to my salad, a little prettier, courtesy of Food Network)

I spent Thanksgiving with my boyfriend's family this year. We had seven people in total and most were contributing dishes. I don't have anything that is really my "specialty" so I was flexible to fill in gaps where items were needed. It was requested that I bring something "light" to offset all the heaviness of fried turkey, potatoes in several forms, and decadent desserts. "Light" sounded a little boring and contradictory to all the things Thanksgiving food stands for, but I was able to come up with this salad and it was a huge hit! We made it three nights in a row! 

My jumping off point was this recipe from Rachael Ray, but I made several tweaks to meet my tastes. It ended up being super easy and quick. There was no measuring involved (unless you count handfuls as units of measure) and only minimal chopping.

Pear Salad
Salad greens (I used baby spinach and a Mediterranean mix but Arugula complements the citrus well too)
Pear(s) (I used Anjou but pick your favorite), cored and chopped into approx. 1" pieces
Dried cranberries
Chopped walnuts
Crumbled feta cheese
Lemon(s)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Squeeze the lemon into a small bowl and pick out all the seeds. Pour about an equal amount of olive oil into the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with all the other ingredients in a larger bowl until well coated. Enjoy!

*I'm convinced the dressing is still a little too tart, so I am searching for a way to tone it down. Suggestions welcome!