The Wedge is BACK!

Y'all, I am loving a Wedge...of course the shoe but more importantly, THE SALAD!  Most lettuce lovers know of the classic steakhouse wedge.  A big slice of iceberg lettuce covered in a creamy dressing starting out a meal of steak and potatoes.  This American creation started sometime back in the 60's and lately has made a great comeback!  It can now be seen on many high end restaurant menus as well as some of the chain joints. Now...there are some folks who would turn up their nose at iceberg lettuce.  "No taste" or "too bland" yet, this veggie has character - it's cool, crunchy and stands up to great "accessories."  So, I thought I would try out The Wedge on my family.  It was met with RAVE reviews. Here's the story...

Get the best looking head of iceberg you can find at the grocery.  A tip from my mom...if the head is too hard, then the leaves will be very tight and the flavor bitter.  Try to find one that is light and a little pliable.  When you get your treasure home, unwrap, take out the core, rinse, shake off the excess water and store with a paper towel wrapped around it in a zip lock bag, a salad crisper works well too.  Next, make the dressing.  I changed it up a little - I had no blue cheese but did have a large piece of Parmesan, which I processed into small bits of goodness. Then, I made a creamy dressing that my boys are now eating with their veggies!  Check out the recipe below.  About 15 minutes before dinner was to be served, I cut the iceberg into wedges, sprinkled on salt, cracked plenty of fresh black pepper on top then drizzled on the homemade Parmesan dressing.  To put a little "southern" on it, I broke up piece of divine swine (bacon) on top with a few chives from my garden. YUM!  Welcome back old friend......I think you are here to stay!

Creamy Parm Dressing

• 1 cup of mayo - not salad dressing
• 1/2 cup of Parm cheese - freshly grated (the store bought stuff loses it's flavor really fast)
• 1/2 cup of Half and Half
• 2 Tablespoons of sour cream
• 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice (more if you like a lively taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• Fresh cracked pepper taste - I use about 4 to 5 turns of the pepper mill