Blue Cheese and Pear Mousse

Okay, at first glance this may not seem too exciting, but let me give you a little context. Moo would often make a quick salad for dinner consisting of cold, canned pear halves covered with a little blue cheese dressing and a little crumbled blue cheese sprinkled on top. It's a terrific combination. Also Moo was an active cook during the hayday of gelatin mold salads. My sister, brother and I grew up on those things. And while I was never a big fan of the molded salad in general, I do have some favorites. This is one. Personaly I think the gelatin mold is about due to make a great reappearance on the cooking scene...everything old is new again. This one is worth trying...a real palate pleaser. Enjoy!

Lightly oil and chill a 5 cup ring or mold
1 envelope gelatin
1 1 lb. can of pears
6 oz. Blue cheese, room temperature
3 oz. Cream cheese, room temperature
Pinch of salt
Reserved gelatin
½ cup sugar
1 cup cream, whipped

Soften the gelatin for 5 minutes in the liquid from the pears. Then dissolve it over simmering water. Set aside for the moment. Drain pears, pat dry, dice and set aside.
In a bowl, beat blue and cream cheese, salt, and gelatin. Whip until light. Gradually add the sugar so you can control sweetness to your taste. Continue beating until the sugar is dissolved. Chill until it just begins to set. Whip cream, then fold into cheese mixture. Mix thoroughly. Arrange diced pears in the bottom of the chilled mold. Then transfer the cheese mixture to mold, covering pears. Chill thoroughly.

Moo's Taco Salad

Want a fast way to make tacos for a crowd? So did Moo. She developed her own version of the taco salad. This is a palate pleaser every time.

1 head lettuce, chopped
2-3 tomatoes, diced
1 cup Longhorn or cheddar cheese, grated
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 avocado, sliced
1 lb. ground round
1 onion, sliced
Medium bag of Fritos or other tortilla chips

Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
¾ cup chili sauce
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
2 Mexican chili pepper (clean out seeds first)
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt, pepper and garlic pepper to taste

Brown and cook ground beef with onions until fully cooked and onion soft. Add the beans. Set aside to cool. Cut up lettuce, dice tomatoes, add cheese. Pour on the warm meat mixture. Break up the chips and add. Pour on the dressing. Toss and serve.