Green Fruit Salad

This recipe is to celebrate St Patricks Day. It is cool, refreshing and green! It makes me smile because it reminds me of Spring!  Feel free to add any fruits you want.  My mom makes a weight watchers version of this and uses sugar free pudding mix, cool whip, and adds a light vanilla yogurt. Then for the fruits just use a can that has no syrup and is in its "own juice."
Green Fruit Salad
1tub cool whip(can use light or sugar free)
1small pkg instant pistachio pudding
1 20oz can crushed pineapple, undrained
1can pears, drained, cut up
You can also add 1C mini marshmallows, the spring colored ones would be cute!
Mix the pineapple with juice with the pears and add the pudding and mix until thickened. Add cool whip and stir and refrigerate until serving.

Snickers Apple Salad

There are many recipes out there for this salad, but I thought how convenient it would be to use up some of that leftover Halloween candy! I forgot about this recipe until I needed to make something for a potluck and didn't know what to bring....sometimes that happens when a person has toooooo many recipes! LOL  I realized I had all the ingredients on hand and it used up some Halloween candy too! The recipe calls for snickers, but you could use any chocolate candy bar. Enjoy!
Snickers Apple Salad
3 tart apples, like granny smith, peel,core, chop small
3 full size candy bars, like snickers, chop fine (can also use the mini candy bars, like 9)
1 (8oz)tub cool whip...I use light  (you need every bit of help on this recipe, right?!)
1 or 2 small packages of instant vanilla pudding
I like to chop up the candy first and place it in the freezer while doing the rest of the salad. Mix cool whip and pudding together and then add the chopped apple and then the candy bar pieces. Stir well. Refrigerate for a good hour or two before serving. I was afraid the apples would turn brown before leaving for the potluck, but they did fine and they were even good the next day! Since I was bringing this to a potluck I doubled the cool whip amount and it worked great.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

There are many versions of this salad. Just throw in what sounds good to you and toss with your favorite dressing.  I like the Litehouse Raspberry Walnut Vinegarette dressing, it goes well with the stawberries! You can find it in the store over by the prepackaged salads and refrigerated produce.
Strawberry Spinach Salad
1pkg(6oz) fresh baby spinach
2C sliced, fresh strawberries
1C fresh sugar snap peas(you can find packages of this by the salad kits)
1small red onion, optional
1/2C pecan halves, toasted
Toss all the ingredients and serve with dressing. Add any ingredients you want to, you can even add grilled chicken and/or tortellini!

Cookie Salad

This is a fun recipe that I adapted from the cute blog, Chef In Training.  I already make a fruit salad similar to this, but this recipe has the addition of cookies! YUM!
Cookie Salad
2pkgs instant vanilla pudding(I only used one and it was fine)
2C buttermilk, I used 2% and it was great
2(11oz)cans mandarin oranges, drained
1(20oz)can pineapple tidbits, drained(I used crushed pineapple,drained)
1 tub cool whip (light)
I also added a can of drained fruit cocktail
1package fudge striped cookies

Mix buttermilk and puddings together. Fold in cool whip. Add drained fruit. Crush up cookies, not too small. Mix all together and refrigerate for several hours. Really, any fruit combo would work for this. Adding fresh cherries and strawberries would be good.

There just wasn't a good way to take a picture of the finished product!

Macaroni Salad

I love macaroni salads, they are so fun to play around with and add different things each time.  It usually depends on what I have in my fridge at the time as to what all I add in when I make it.  To me summer time equals salads, any kind!
Macaroni Salad
3C uncooked elbow or rotini pasta
6-8 eggs, cooked, chopped
3/4-1C real mayo
1/2C sweet pickle relish, or dill pickle relish
1/2C onion, I like half white, half green onion
1tsp black pepper
salt to taste
Add ins, optional:1/2C finely chopped celery, 1/2C green peas, cubed ham
Cook pasta and rinse and drain with cold water. Mix pasta, mayo, relish, onion, pepper, salt, and any add-ins together. Then add in chopped eggs and stir gently. Refrigerate for atleast a few hours, overnight is better. Stir well before serving.

Tomato Spinach Pasta Salad

I wait to make this pasta dish when my garden is just right. It is hard because the spinach is about over as the temps rise, but the tomatoes are just starting.  This is wonderful and very adjustable to your own add ins.
Tomato Spinach Pasta Salad
3C uncooked rainbow rotini
3C chopped fresh spinach
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1(8oz)bottle ranch salad dressing
1C(I use one small can)sliced black olives
2C shredded cheddar cheese, sometimes I use cubed cheese
3T milk
3/4C sliced green onion, I use less
Cook pasta.  In medium bowl, combine ranch and milk and stir well.  Drain pasta; rinse with cold water to cool. In large bowl, combine cooked pasta, spinach, olives, onions, tomatoes and cheese.  Pour dressing mixture over salad and mix well.  Refrigerate until serving.
I add fresh ground pepper and I also think it needs crunch, so I use almost a whole bottle of McCormicks Salad toppings.

Garden Fresh Pasta Salad

I get such gratification from going outside to my garden and picking fresh produce to create meals with to feed my family.  It's like going waaaaay back in history and living like people use to, before there were Walmarts. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy today's modern conveniences, but I also enjoy not having to depend on any. Plus with a garden, I control, for the most part, what goes into my food. No pesticides and no chemicals.  This is a fun recipe to use all of that seasonal produce during the summer months. You can sub any veggies for the ones listed.
Garden Fresh Pasta Salad-recipe from my wonderful mother-n-law
1 large bottle italian dressing
1 whole bottle of McCormicks Salad Supreme
1/2 onion, red is best, diced small
11/2green peppers, diced small, I use less, or use a combo of red,yellow,orange,green
2 cucumbers, diced small
2 tomatoes, I use lots of cherry tomatoes,cut up small
11/2small pkg extra thin spaghetti, cooked, I have used just one package and it works fine
Cook spaghetti and rinse and drain with cold water. Chop all veggies and add to the pasta, along with the dressing and salad supreme. Refrigerate atleast a couple of hours. Stir before serving.
*if you don't serve this right away, add 1/2 the dressing before refrigerating and then the rest of the dressing before serving
*this is also good served warm

Peachy Fruit Salad

I actually got to sit a bit yesterday and catch up on my food blogging! I love when that happens. Although the reason I got to sit was because I was under the weather, but atleast something good came out of it and I got to browse through tons of recipes and catch up on some of my favorite food blogs.  I got this easy and delicious recipe from a very wonderful blog, Real Mom Kitchen.  Laura has the best pictures and recipes and even has a cookbook out...my pictures on my blog are terrible and when you visit this blog you will know just what to compare them with..oh, to have a nice camera and be able to take pictures like this gal does....and to have a cookbook! To have my own cookbook, well, that would just be a dream of mine, how fun and exciting!  This fruit salad is just perfect for hot summer days and the pie filling makes a wonderful sauce for the fruits, yum!
Peachy Fruit Salad-Real Mom Kitchen
1 (21oz)can peach pie filling
1 (20oz)can pineapple chunks, drained
1 (11oz)can mandarin oranges, drained
2 firm bananas, sliced
1C mini marshmallows
1C sliced grapes(I didn't use grapes)
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix and refrigerate until serving.

Fresh Green Bean Pasta Salad

This recipe comes from Kraft foods, but I switched it up a bit.  Use those garden fresh green beans and tomatoes! Nothing better than that!  This is so simple to throw together and light and full of flavor and the colors are beautiful too!
Fresh Green Bean Pasta Salad
1C penne pasta, uncooked
1/2pound fresh green beans, cut into 1inch pieces
1medium tomato, chopped
1/4C zesty italian dressing
1/4C parmesan cheese
cubed cheese
Cook pasta and add beans to the pasta cooking water for the last two minutes.  Drain; rinse with cold water.  Place in medium serving bowl.  Add rest of the ingredients and mix lightly.  Serve right away, or cover and refrigerate.  If refrigerating, add more italian dressing before serving because the pasta tends to soak up the dressing.

Dreamsicle Salad

This is a lot like my Orange Fluff Jello that I have on this blog, but this is even quicker to make.  You can use any combo of fruit and jello. I got this quick recipe from a very cute blog, One Crazy Cookie.  Tiffanee has some wonderful recipes on her blog and she is so nice!
Dreamsicle Salad
1large box, or 2small boxes, instant vanilla pudding
1small box strawberry jello
13/4C water
2C strawberries, cut up
8oz cool whip light
Boil the water. In a large bowl add pudding and jello mixes and stir to combine.  Add boiling water and mix well.  Add fruit and stir and then cool a bit.  Add cool whip and stir well and refrigerate.
You can use raspberries with raspberry jello, mandarin oranges with orange jello, etc etc

I think this is my worst picture yet! LOL We had bad lighting and I just couldn't get a good one...sorry!
It tastes MUCH better than this looks! I'm hoping someone will feel sorry enough for me for the camera that I own
and send me a nice one!

Tortellini Pasta Salad

I love tortellini in pasta salads, yummy! This is refreshing and cool and colorful, perfect for a summer dish! And healthy to boot!
Tortellini Pasta Salad-Taste of Home(adapted)
1pkg(9oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini
1pkg(16oz) frozen corn
2C cherry tomatoes, quartered or halved
1/4C finely chopped green onions
1/4C finely chopped fresh basil
2T grated parmesan cheese-use fresh
4tsp olive oil
1/4tsp garlic powder
1/8tsp pepper
Cook tortellini according to package directions and add the corn to cook the last five minutes, drain and rinse under cold water.  In a large bowl,  combine the tortellini mixture and the remaining ingredients and toss to coat and refrigerate.

Irma's Macaroni Pasta Salad

Irma is a dear elderly neighbor, who over the last four years I have become good friends with.  My daughter and I always go visit her and we have wonderful talks.  Since I had to move away from my own grandparents, Irma has been a blessing to me in adjusting to not visiting my own grandparents 3-5 times a week like I use to.  I miss them SO much!    Irma had this pasta salad last summer and sent some home with me and my son and I went crazy over it and I had to have the recipe! My daughter and husband do not like it, they think it is too sweet, but my son and I think it is perfect. On a hot day it is refreshing and cool. It makes a huge amount, so it is great for potlucks and picnics.
Irma's Macaroni Pasta Salad
1pd shell or elbow macaroni, cook and drain and cool
1medium onion, grated
4 carrots, grated
1C shredded cheddar cheese
*instead of the carrot and onion, I just buy a bag of prepared coleslaw
Mix 11/2C mayo, 1/2C vinegar, 1small can sweetened condensed milk.  Blend with the cooked macaroni, carrot, onion and cheese. Refrigerate for one hour.
I also like to add 2-3 green onion and 2 celery to the bag of coleslaw...green pepper would be great too

Fiesta Pasta Salad

This recipe makes a bunch and I am planning on making it this weekend while family is in town for Memorial Day.  This is a tough Memorial Day having lost my brother and sister-n-law this year, but with family gathered together this weekend, we will share memories and celebrate their lives.  And of course, pray for those in the military and also ponder and thank those whom lost their lives while fighting for our freedoms.  What an amazing nation we live in. Freedom is never free and Memorial weekend is a special time to remember the enormous sacrifices our military men and women, and their families, make for each one of us.  I am so proud of my ancestors who fought so long ago for my freedoms and I am so proud of my sister-n-law who is an officer in the Navy and my brother who was a sargeant in the Marines and my friend Scott who is now on his fourth tour in Iraq right now.  I have watched the sacrifices these people make with their families, so that they can defend our country and work many long hours and be gone for months at a time and it is just amazing to me.  It isn't just the person in the military making the sacrifice, but their families as well. Their spouse and their children are just as much to thank for our freedoms.  Our present government is not one I agree upon, but it is still our nation and I am blessed to live in this beautiful land.  This nation was founded upon Christian principles and the more God gets pushed to the side, the more chaos we will see. 
On to the recipe!
Fiesta Pasta Salad-adapted from allrecipes
1(16oz)pkg rotini pasta
11/2C salsa
1C mayo
1/2C sour cream, I use light
1can black beans, rinsed and drained(or use chili beans)
1can corn, drained(I use frozen)
1/2C chopped red bell pepper(optional)
2 green onions, sliced thin
1small can sliced olives, drained
1/2tsp each garlic powder, cumin, cilantro (I use fresh cilantro...big difference!)
1tsp salt
pepper to taste
Cook rotini and drain under cold water, set aside. Mix the rest of the ingredients together well and add cooked pasta and mix. Refrigerate atleast 2 hours, or overnight, before serving.
To make this a main meal, add fajita chicken, or cooked ground beef!

Next time I am going to add cubed cheese and grilled chicken!
This recipe is linked to Potluck Sunday at the blog Mommy's Kitchen, come join the fun!

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I love these sandwiches! I started eating them back when Arby's came out with them a few years ago and just make my own version at home.  You don't have to heat up the house and they are quick and versatile, I just throw in whatever ingredients I happen to have. 
The base is cooked chicken. Use your own that you've precooked, use rotiserrie, or use canned.  This time I used one can of chicken and shredded it good. Then I added around 1/2C mayo. I used 1 green onion, finely chopped and 1 celery stalk, finely chopped.  Add in as many grapes as you like and cut them in halves, I used around 1C of grapes. If you don't want grapes, you could use craisins or raisins.  I diced up an apple and threw it in. I like walnuts on my sandwich, but no one else does, so I throw some walnuts on mine at the end.  Mix everything well and spread onto a croissant, or bread, or a tortilla.
Easy! and very Good!

The kids loved these wrapped in tortillas! I wrapped them in foil and they were perfect for our picnic!

Chicken Poppyseed Pasta Salad

I LOVE pasta salads! They are perfect for hot weather and summer picnics and potlucks and quick suppers! And when the garden is in full bloom it is so fun to go pick half the ingredients and throw them in a bowl and make pasta!  I got this recipe off of allrecipes.com, but like all other recipes,  I change it up a bit to fit what I have in the fridge(or garden) and what our family prefers.  Have fun with it!
Chicken Poppyseed Pasta Salad
1pkg(16oz) penne pasta
11/2C cooked cut up chicken(I use rotisserie, or grilled, or fajita chicken)
2 stalks celery, finely cut up
1C dried cranberries
4 green onions, finely cut up
11/2C creamy poppyseed dressing
2tsp lemon juice(I omit this)
crushed walnuts(optional)
Cook pasta until al dente, about 8-10minutes and drain and cool under cold water and drain very well. Place the pasta, chicken, celery, green onion, cranberries into a large bowl and pour in the dressing and lemon juice and stir evenly. Stir in walnuts if desired. YUMMO!

Potato Salad

This is a yummy recipe from the wonderful blog Mennonite Girls Can Cook.  This is a wonderful site full of great recipes! The version below serves 10, but visit their site for another version that serves 50!
Potato Salad
7-8C potatoes, peeled, cooked, cubed(I used 8medium yukon gold and boiled them whole for 13-15min)
10hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1/2C celery, finely chopped(I used 4stalks)
1/3C green onions, finely chopped(I used 3)
11/2C Miracle Whip
1T prepared mustard
1/2T salt
1/4tsp pepper
1T vinegar
Combine potatoes, eggs, celery, and green onions in a large mixing bowl.  Mix rest of the ingredients together well and pour over potato mixture, stir until combined.  Cover and chill until serving.

Cloudy day+ old camera= Bad picture!

Spinach and Tortellini Salad

Are you ready to try the best pasta salad you will ever have? We love this stuff and it is a perfect summer salad! Especially when my garden has some of the ingredients!  I love to try new pasta salads and potato and jello and really any kind of salad.  This is full of color and flavor and it is good for you too!  It would be easy to change it up if you don't like one of the ingredients.  Each time I make this I have to write the recipe out for someone, I hope you enjoy it!
Spinach and Tortellini Salad
1(19oz)bag frozen cheese filled tortellini
1pkg fresh baby spinach, or around 4-6Cups(really just eyeball it!)
2C cherry tomatoes, halved
(you can use big tomatoes, but they are almost too juicy, so the cherry tomatoes work better)
1(2oz)can sliced black olives, drain well
1(16oz) bottle italian-style salad dressing
1/3C grated parmesan cheese, optional
1small pkg medium or sharp cheddar cheese, cubed
red onion, diced very tiny, optional

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook tortellini per pkg directions and drain well and rinse under cold water.  In a large bowl, combine the tortellini, spinach, tomatoes, olives, cubed cheese, and parmesan cheese and red onion(if using).  Add half the bottle of dressing and stir well to combine.  Cover and refrigerate for atleast one hour.  Before serving add the rest of the bottle of dressing and stir well.  It seems like this salad tastes better if you add half the bottle of dressing and let it marinate in the fridge for an hour and then before serving add the rest of the bottle. But, if you are in a hurry, just make it and add the whole bottle at once and make sure to stir often because it will settle at the bottom.



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