Spiced Pecan Strawberry Salad

This salad is so major yummy!  I could eat my weight it in I often say!  You may feel like making this up for a side or often times I just have it for lunch! 

Spiced Pecans:
1/4 cup Sugar
1 cup warm water
1 cup pecans

soak for 10 minutes

Drain and Discard Syrup

Combine:
2 T Sugar
1 T Chili Powder
1/8 t. ground red pepper

toss with nuts.
Bake 30 minutes at 350- turning very often.

Serve with Green leaf Lettuce or your choice of baby greens, thinly sliced red onions (optional), sliced strawberries, and balsamic vinaigrette.

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
1 pkg of Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
Follow Pkg instructions replacing the regular vinegar for balsamic.
Then add at least 1/4 cup of honey and vigorously shake to combine!

Grandma Branham's Cole Slaw

3 Cups finely shredded crisp cold cabbage
green onions, diced fine
(Can add chopped bell pepper and chopped parsley)
3 Tbs. Sugar
1 1/2 teas. salt
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbs. salad oil

1. Combine vegetables, tossing lightly.
2. Just before serving, combine sugar, salt, vinegar and oil, and shake or stir until sugar is dissolved and pour over vegetables.
Grandma would sometimes place the cabbage mixture in the freezer for 15-30 minute before we were to eat, so it would be super cold and crisp! Yum!

Grandma Branham's Potato Salad

Grandma's Potato Salad

Boil potatoes and mash and season with milk, butter, salt and pepper like you would make regular mashed potatoes.
Boil 5 eggs, and grate (save a slice or two to garnish the top)
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1/4 teas. tumeric
paprika sprinkled on top
2 Tbs. sugar
4 big blobs mayonnaise
5 heaping Tbs. sweet pickle relish.
2 Tbs. vinegar

Mix all up and ENJOY!

Wilted Spinach Salad

Serve this dish with Peggys Pasta! They marry quite well!
1/4 cup oil
1Tbs. Sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup water
Heat till boiling and sugar dissolves
Pour over spinach with crumbled bacon and purple onion slices over top.
Delicious & Simple

California Sisters Salad

I promised you that I would bring you this amazing salad recipe, and here it is.  While spending time with my parents this weekend they have taken the Spiced Pecan Strawberry Salad to an amazing place.  While in California they were served this amazing version. The dressing  It is actually completely different except for the greens, strawberries & spiced  pecans!
So here is is the totally kicked up version!

For your salad greens, do a rough chop of Boston Lettuce and combine with a container of Baby Greens.
Thinly slice some red onion, paper thin if possible.
Slice up a fresh Pineapple, Several Kiwi's, and a pint of Strawberries. (not pictured here but also a part of this salad are Fresh Blueberries).
Make up a triple batch of Spiced Pecans.



Now for the dressing:
Combine 1 Cup Mayonaise
1/2 cup Sugar
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Poppyseeds
1/4 cup of Strawberry Preserves (or simply fruit strawberry's)
Mix all these together very well and refrigerate before serving!

Caprese Salad

This is one of my favorite appetizers to eat and to make. It is always a hit with my girlfriends and as impressive as it looks, it is so easy.  My first time to eat this was at a restaurant down the road from my house in Iowa.  I was immediately hooked, and when I went back within just a few days to have this yummy deliciousness again - they had removed all fresh mozzarella from  their menu.  I was so desperate - it sent me on a mission to recreate the dish at home.

Here is how you make this -
Slice fresh mozzarella into thin slices.  (Its easy to find at Costco.) 
Slice Roma tomatoes into thin slices.
Using fresh Basil, break off several of the leaves and roll them up, then do a thin slice of these and set aside.
Taking a french baguette, cut it on the diagonal and brush with melted butter.  Sprinkle with Garlic Salt. DONT WALK AWAY - it toast very quickly.  Now repeat on the opposite side of the bread.

Dressing: Using a Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix and Cruet is your bouncing off spot!  Taking the Cruet that often comes with these dressing packets, fill to the V line - with Balsamic Vinegar.  Fill to the W line with Water. Fill to the O line with Olive oil, then fill on up to about 1/2 inch from the top with HONEY!

Assemble the toast onto a large tray - stack with a slice of cheese, & then tomato. Sprinkle your Chopped basil all over the top. Drizzle the dressing on and you have one Happy, no longer Hungry Momma!

Spiced Pecans

This is the recipe I use for the Pecans I put on my Strawberry salad!
These have a kick but my 10 yr old daughter can't keep her hands off of them!


Spiced Pecans:
1/4 cup Sugar
1 cup warm water
1 cup pecans

soak for 10 minutes

Drain and Discard Syrup

Combine:
2 T Sugar
1 T Chili Powder
1/8 t. ground red pepper

toss with nuts.
Bake 30 minutes at 350- turning very often. ( I tend to turn these every 7 minutes - this insures that I don't overcook them, because no one likes them burnt!)

Maple - Balsamic Dressing

Submitted by Dara Singleton
found in Cooking Light Magazine

Maple-Balsamic Dressing

The sweet, tangy dressing is ideal for peppery greens, such as arugula, or bitter greens like radicchio or endive. It also compliments rich meats, such as pork or dark-meat chicken.

1/2 cup tomato jucie
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 T minced fresh rosemary
2 tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 T extra virgin olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients except oil, stirring well. Gradually add oil, stirring constantly with a whisk until well combined. Yield: about 1 cup (serving size: 1 Tablespoon)

Bella Pepper Dressing

submitted by Dara Singleton

given to me by Sherry Jackson - This is her take on one of my favorite restaurant salad dressings. Unlike the Tipton Ford Recipe - we do not have the exact recipe, but this is pretty close to Bella Pepper.

Bring to a Boil:
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup vinegar

After boiling add very tiny slices of red bell peppers, and 1/2 cup of sugar. After the sugar is all melted and the peppers have become translucent - remove and store in the refrigerator.

Spaghetti Salad

Submitted by Dara Singleton

(from Landmark Tabernacle, Tulsa, OK)

1 12 oz pkg spaghetti
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup green onions
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped radishes
1/2 jar salad supreme (found in the spice section)
1/2 bottle Italian Dressing

Cook spaghetti according to directions on pkg. Drain and rinse in cold water. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cool in refrigerator.


This is a delicious recipe - the Salad Supreme makes this, it is a special seasoning that is a McCormick brand spice.

Creamy Parmesean Dressing

submitted by Dara Singleton
received from Gil Meier


1 qt mayonnaise
2/3 - 3/4 cup orange french dressing
3/4 oz. minced garlic
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 T sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. white pepper

Mix and let stand in refrigerator for 3 days to mix flavors!

Tipton Ford Cafe's Salad Dressing

Submitted by Dara Singleton

(This recipe comes from a restaurant that we visited many times as a kid. They were famous for their fried chicken that was AMAZING, and their house dressing was a SECRET for FOREVER - We got ahold of it from a new owner, after the business was no longer around. Juanita would turn over in her grave if she knew that it was out! It is especially good when you dip your fried chicken in it! My mouth is currently watering...)

1 26 oz. Can of Campbells Tomatoe Soup
1 1/3 c. Sugar
1 T., plus 1 t. Pepper
3 T. granulated garlic
1 T. Worcestershire Sauce
6 oz. water
6 oz. vinegar
1 T. Salt
1 T. Finely (and we do mean very finely) chopped onion with juice.


This is my all time favorite dressing. I give this 5 stars.

Slaw Salad

Submitted by Dara Singleton

1 and 3/4 pkg slaw
1 cup sunflower seeds
8-12 green onions - chopped
2-3 pkgs of ramen noodles (uncooked)
slivered almonds

Dressing:
4 T sugar
1 t salt
3/4 cup olive oil (or salad oil of your choice)
4 T rice vinegar

Combine:
Slaw, sunflower seeds, green onions, in a large bowl.
Crush the Ramen Noodles into bite sized pieces and discard the flavor packets.
In an extra tablespoon or so of olive oil saute the slivered almonds until just golden brown.
Combine all the ingredients together, then pour on the dressing just before serving and toss together!
DELICIOUS!

Grape Salad

submitted by Dara Singleton

2 lbs. of green grapes
2 lbs. of red grapes

Mix together:
1 8oz. pkg of cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 8oz. sour cream

Add grapes to cream cheese mixture and put in a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of pecans over the top. Refrigerate at least 6 hours.

Drew's Secret Ingredient Chicken Salad

submitted by Drew Stinson

2 Pounds of Cooked/Diced Chicken
Red Grapes halved
Diced Red Onion
Diced Celery
1 cup of Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon of Secret Ingredient (Ranch Dressing!)
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Pepper
¼ tsp Celery Seed
¼ tsp Granulated Garlic
Sliced Almonds (if you wish!)

Combine together in large mixing bowl, mayonnaise, secret ingredient, salt, pepper, celery seed, & garlic. Pour in chicken, grapes, onion, & celery and mix together. Top with sliced almonds if you desire.

~Serve on wheat rolls or bread and enjoy!~

Dara's Notes: Drew is the Head Chef who just opened up the new Market at Jordan Creek. We are the fortunate people who go to church with him and if your lucky enough to pick the life group he visits you just may get to sample his famous BBQ sauce - that is probably at the market now too - but this is the Chicken salad that you have all heard me go on and on about. It is very good! Thanks for sharing this with us. To all the rest of the guys - come on bring on the recipes! We're waiting!!!

Apple Snicker Salad

submitted by Adrian Stinson

3 Granny Smith Apples

3 Red Delicious Apples

(any kind of variety of apples will do)

3 Full size Snickers Candy Bars

1 Regular Size Package of Jell-O Vanilla Pudding
1 cup of milk

1 Container of Cool Whip

Slice apples into small pieces, cut candy bars into small pieces and combine together in a large bowl. Prepare pudding according to instructions on package. DO NOT LET IT SET UP COMPLETELY. While pudding is still a little runny, fold in cool whip, pour mixture over apples and candy pieces and mix everything together. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

~Enjoy!~

dara's notes - any salad that has the word snicker in it has to be delicious and I like the way it makes you feel about what your eating - by calling it a salad - so clever! It is so good too- Adrian has brought this to life group - it is Yummy!