Strawberry Spinach Salad

1 bag baby spinach
10 strawberries, hulled, cut into slices
1 can mandarin oranges drained
half a small/medium sized red onion, sliced
1/2 c. oil
1/4 c. vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1/4 tsp paprika
2 tbs. sesame seeds
1 tsp. poppy seeds
1 tbs. raspberry jam

toss first 4 ingredients together in bowl. combine rest of ingredients in a mason jar and shake it up, refrigerate at least 15 minutes, then pour to taste over salad.

April Fool Jell-O Salad

This isn’t hard to make, you just need to be home for an afternoon to be able to make it…

You need 6 small boxes of jello. (You want a nice variety of colors. You can use any flavors, but here are the suggested ones:)

1. Lime
2. Lemon
3. Orange
4. Strawberry
5. Raspberry
6. Black Cherry

Dissolve the lime jello in 1 cup boiling water.

Remove 1/2 cup of jello and to that 1/2 cup, mix in 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt or sour cream (I like the yogurt best). Skim off the bubbles and pour into a lightly greased glass 9x13 pan or tall bowl. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour (or the layers won’t stick together.) **When I did this one in the 9 x 13 pan, it was ready after 15 minutes in the fridge, so I did the rotations every 15 minutes.

To the remaining 1/2 cup jello still in your sauce pan, add 3 Tblspns ice water and leave on the counter. At the end of the 1/2 hour, pour this over the 1st layer. (Just leave the pan or bowl that you’re pouring into right in the fridge so you don’t make it wiggle up the sides. It’s easiest that way.)

Wait another 1/2 hour *I only had to wait 15 minutes with the 9 x 13*.

Repeat with all flavors in the order shown, putting in the half with the yogurt first. Top it all off with Cool Whip, serve, and enjoy!

Smooth Jello Salad

1 sm. box strawberry jello
1 sm. box cook n serve vanilla pudding
1 sm. box cook n serve tapioca pudding

Mix with 2 2/3 cups water, bring to boil, stirring, boil for 1 minute.
Pour into container, let cool room temp 1-2 hours, then refrigerate overnight.

Before serving, stir in

1 8 oz. cool whip
1 pint strawberries

**You can mix up the recipe to make different flavors if you want: orange jello with mandarin oranges, raspberry jello with frozen raspberries, or even double the recipe and mix jellos.

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients
    •    1 large head fresh broccoli
    •    1 large head cauliflower
    •    2 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
    •    1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
    •    1/3 cup sunflower seeds
    •    1 (16 ounce) bottle Catalina salad dressing

Directions
    1.    Cut broccoli and cauliflower into small to medium florets; combine with apples and oranges.
    2.    Pour enough dressing over ingredients to coat; toss and sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Serve immediately or allow to chill and flavors to blend.

Serves 6

Pasta Salad with Pinenuts and Sundried Tomatoes

I am sorry this took so long. It has been a crazy month!

4 half chicken breasts
Lawry's Season Salt
Cajon Seasoning (I use a burbon rub from Cabellas)
1/4 to 1/2 cup Hienz 57 Sauce
16 oz. bag of pasta (I use Farfalle)
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 jar sundried tomatoes cut julienn style and drained
1 red onion chopped
1/2 bottle Cardini's Ceasar Salad Dressing (I use low fat)
1/4 bottle Newman's Own Vinaigrette (I use low fat)
1/2 to 1 cup pinenuts

Cut up chicken breasts sprinkle with Lawry's Season Salt and grill in frying pan. Once cooked sprinkle with Cajon seasoning and coat with Hienz 57 sauce. Cool. Cook the pasta, cool and place in a large bowl. Add peppers cut into strips. Add sundried tomatoes and red onion. Add chicken mixture. Mix all together and add the dressings. Add pinenuts just before serving.

Cranberry Blue Cheese Salad

Put a bunch of lettuce in a bowl.

Sprinkle with dried cranberries.

Sprinkle with blue cheese.

Sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Add dressing.  I used a raspberry vinaigrette.

Bet you needed the "recipe" for that!  I feel like I'm insulting your intelligence by even posting about it!   ;)

BROCCOLI SLAW

2 pkg. broccoli slaw Diced green onion (optional)

Mix slaw with dressing and allow to refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

DRESSING:
¾ c. canola oil ¼ c. brown sugar
¼ c. apple cider vinegar 1 season packet oriental Ramon noodles

TOPPING:
2 pkg. Ramon noodles, crunched
¼ c. slivered almonds

¾ stick butter

Melt together in sauce pan until noodles are coated and begin to toast. Add to slaw before serving.

Gingered Fruit Salad

This is from Marlana's house that I made for October. In my opinion you could use any fruit you like or have on hand... Mine had apple, peach, nectarine, banana, mandarin oranges, grapes, and strawberries. I used strawberry-mango yogurt in my dressing.

Ingredients:
2 cups cubed cantaloupe
1 medium orange, peeled and sectioned
1 medium apple, cored and coarsely chopped
1 medium peach, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1 8 oz carton fruit-flavored or vanilla yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
lettuce leaves (optional)

In large bowl combine the cantaloupe, orange, apple, peach, blueberries, and strawberries. For dressing, stir together yogurt, mayonnaise, brown sugar, and ginger. If desired, line 4 salad plates with lettuce leaves. Divide the fruit among plates, Top each serving with dressing.

Cabbage Crunch Salad

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Flavor packet from ramen noodles

1/2 head of cabbage, shredded

4 green onions chopped

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

1 package ramen noodles, broken and uncooked

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Red seedless grapes, as desired

In a blend or food processor combine vegetable oil, sugar, vinegar, salt and flavor packet from ramen noodles. Pour over shredded cabbage. Add green onions and sesame seeds. Toss together. Just before serving add ramen noodles, almonds and red grapes.

Note: I don't usually put in the sesame seeds and I usually put in Craisins instead of grapes. Whatever I don't have to go to the store for.

Lemon Lettuce (from last month)

This is an old family recipe from Switzerland.

Garden lettuce or romaine or leaf lettuce. Not iceberg. Around 1 lb. or 1 1/2 lbs.

Mixed together

3 chopped green onions

1 juice of a lemon

2 T oil

Pour on lettuce just before serving.

Caprese Salad

4-6 roma tomatoes, sliced or 1-2 pints grape tomatoes
1 8 oz container mozzarella balls Ciliegine(cherry sized) are the ones I used
sea salt
cracked black pepper
fresh basil
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar (optional)

Arrange tomatoes and mozzarella on a platter, drizzle olive oil (1-2 tablespoons) and balsamic vinegar over top. Salt and pepper to taste. Chop basil and sprinkle over top, arrange a few whole basil leaves for garnish. Serve immediately.

Fall fruit salad

I have to admit I wasn't sure if I would like this... but it's actually pretty good, and since you don't put the vinegar all over the salad (just everything but the greens) it keeps pretty well in the fridge and doesn't wilt.

Fall Fruit Salad
Ingredients:

* 1 Large Apple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I didn't peel it-I used Granny Smith)
* 1 Ripe Pear, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
* 1/4 Cup Dried Cranberries (I used about a half cup)
* 1/4 Cup Walnuts
* 4 Ounces Firm Blue Cheese, crumbled (I used feta)
* 1/2 Red Onion, sliced thin (I used a little less)
* 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
* Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
* Mixed greens-optional (I used baby spinach + red leaf lettuce)

Preparation:
Place the walnuts on a cookie sheet and toast in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove, let cool, and roughly chop. In a large bowl, toss together all the ingredients. Serve plain or on a bed of mixed greens.