I Like These Cravings!

Every once in a while, I'll get a real craving for a salad. Totally weird, but I'm not going to complain. (I probably crave it because my body is getting dangerously low on nutrients from vegetables - something we don't eat nearly enough of.)
All this week, even though I had a weird stomach/intestinal thing on Tuesday, I've been thinking how great this salad sounds.
Now, normally, I'm not one for "hoity-toity" foods. Bleu cheese? I'll settle for cheddar. Spring greens? I'll take a head of plain ol' lettuce. But when Paul's cousin Amy fixed this salad for us last year, I knew I'd never be happy with plain ol' again. (However, plain ol' is what we usually have. Because I'm lazy. And my husband likes it better.)
I don't know what to call it, so I'll just call it this:

Fancy Salad

• 1 bag Spring Greens (or Field Greens, depends on the brand) salad mix
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
• crumbled bleu cheese
• candied pecans (I use plain, because they're easier to find)
• olives
• 1 pear, finely sliced
• dressing: equal amounts balsamic vinegar and olive oil

I also add some plain lettuce (not iceberg) to make it go further. I usually make the "salad" part (green stuff) and store it in the fridge, then add the rest whenever I'm ready to eat, since Paul's not particularly fond of this recipe (he fixes his own salad, his own way). You just toss the ingredients all together and enjoy!
Today, I forgot to get the pear at the store, so I used an apple instead. It's not bad, but the pear is definitely better. And if the dressing is too strong, add a little water to tone down the vinegar.
It may not sound good in writing, but you have to try it. It's the perfect blend of tangy and sweet. It's a great "company salad" - the type you may not fix every day, but it will impress the guests. In fact, I'm making it for our church potluck on Sunday.
My only complaint is that I can't seem to keep the toppings evenly distributed as I eat the salad, and I get to the bottom of the bowl, and there's a pile of blue cheese, pecans, and olives. But I have this trouble on any type of salad, so maybe it's just my eating technique.