Autumn Chopped Salad with Bacon, Pear and Cranberries

There was once a time when I thought that the annual fixation with pumpkin that I developed in September was unique.

Then, the internet happened and Pinterest soon followed and suddenly, the idea of seasonal cooking and baking seemed as cliched as the pumpkin spice latte.

While I do love shopping locally from farmer’s markets and supporting the vendors in my region, Chicago weather really isn’t the most conducive to seasonal produce.

It’s not because it’s cold all year round , but because the weather can be unpredictable. Here we are on the brink of May, but the weather has been more conducive to a pot of Italian beef stew than it has to strawberry sangria. 

Despite the fact that the calendar says spring, everything else about my life says winter.

Even when I wear flats with no socks, even though my heavy North Face jacket has been filed away in the closet with no plans to emerge until next November, the weather is, unfortunately, undoubtedly, not spring-like.

So, neither are my salads.