Cravings Cookbook - Butter Lettuce with Blue Cheese and Cayenne-Candied Walnuts

For an easy dinner we bought a roasted chicken from the supermarket and a potato salad.  I bought most of the ingredients for the Cravings Cookbook Butter Lettuce with Blue Cheese and Cayenne-Candied Walnuts, okay, I didn't buy blue cheese because I didn't want to pay $6 for a block of blue cheese when I only needed a few crumbles.  I substituted feta cheese that I already had at home instead.  When I got home I also realized that I didn't have cayenne pepper so instead I used paprika to spice up the walnuts.

This salad gave our dinner some colour and it was a beautiful addition to the chicken dinner.  It was easy just like all of the other recipes I've tried so far in the Chrissy Teigen's Cravings Cookbook.

I just washed the lettuce, sliced half an apple, crumbled a bit of feta, and then tended to the main attraction, the candied walnuts.  The candied walnuts makes this salad stand out.  The combination of candied walnuts and apples with fresh leafy greens is perfect!  My husband kept asking me if I made the walnuts, I guess, this salad looks so gourmet that no one would believe that it is possible to whip it up in your kitchen.  

Seriously I just followed Chrissy's simple instructions which was to heat up a pan with 1 tablespoon of butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 cup walnut halves.  Stir until the walnuts are roasted on medium heat.  What happens is that the sugar and butter carmelize the walnuts.  Then you add the secret ingredient of paprika (which should be cayenne) to spice it up.  Toss it on top of the butter lettuce salad.  WOW!  This is the star of the meal!