Spicy Steak and Gorgonzola Salad

Bob Ross painted a smear of titanium white across the pretty blue and pink brushed Minnesota sky, and then dotted the green trees with yellow to signify the beginning of autumn. This time of the year the suburban streets of the twin cities begin to take on a vermont like quality. Each box-shaped, shingled house embodies the charm of a little red barn. I imagined Bob Ross in his jumpsuit and afro rolling paint onto his palate knife and teaching with the high notes and hushed calm of a nursery school teacher. I turned my attention to the pavement ahead as the early morning traffic sporadically zoomed by.

The streets were a runway with neat rows of streetlamps reflecting off of glassy asphault, still wet from a midnight rain.It seemed that me eyes were not quiet done sleeping when I hauled them out of bed and forced them to help me find my running sneakers. Now they were resentfully swollen, and drooping shut, causing the gas stations, street lights, and coffee shops to blend into a streak of neon. I quickened my pace and laughed internally at my luck of having found such a positive way of relieving stress and seeking adventure.

The darkness lifted at about the time that the homeless people began their short walk from the night shelter to the day shelter. The same cast of characters have been walking this strip since I moved here in 2003. A one- toothed, old man stopped to deliver me a thumbs up and a wide smile as I went by. It was a small gesture of encouragement, but it ignited my spirit for the final mile home.

Spicy Steak and Gorgonzola Salad
Mix together:
1 bunch watercress (for the spice. My father always put horseradish on his steak, I find that watercress gives steak a similar kick)
1-2 cups frisee
10 cherry tomatoes, sliced
1/2 large zucchini, cubed
top with sliced pan seared strip steak, cut into strips(I marinated a strip steak in yogurt, garlic and rosemary before cooking on the stove top. Yogurt is an easy way to soften meat)

Dress with:
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp grape seed oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
1-2 Tbsp gorgonzola cheese, mixed in well
chopped rosemary, salt, and ground black pepper to taste

Christina's vote: "This salad made me want to darn an old shirt."