Pepe Salad

This fruit and pasta salad is one of my favorite side dishes from my childhood. It is always a crowd pleaser and is simple and easy to make. If you need a dish for a potluck or a side for a family dinner, try Pepe Salad.

Pepe is pronounced with two short E's like the e in "egg." When you go to buy it, it can be found in the grocery store's pasta section. Look for Acine de Pepe no. 44. It comes in a one pound box. The original recipe called for 1/2 lb of Pepe but I usually double the recipe and use the full box. The recipe below has been doubled and makes a enough to feed a crowd. If you are cooking for a small family, you might want to halve the recipe.

Cook and drain 1 lb of Acine de Pepe Macaroni. Wash in cold water and set aside.

Sauce
2/3 cup sugar
6 Tbsp flour
4 beaten eggs
Fruit juice from 6 cans of canned fruit (see below)

Drain and save juices of, set fruit aside
2 cans chunk or tidbit pineapple
2 cans of mandarin oranges
2 cans of fruit cocktail (I don't like the fruit cocktail so I usually add 1 extra can of mandarin oranges and 1 extra can of pineapple)

In a medium sized saucepan, mix the sugar and flour first with a whisk. This helps prevent clumps. Then add fruit juices and beaten eggs. Mix well and cook until thick over medium heat. Cool slightly and then poor over cooked macaroni in a large bowl with a lid. Add drained fruit. Mix and chill overnight.

Add 1 extra large container of cool whip (I think it's the 32 oz size). Mix thoroughly. Serve.


Regular Recipe (not doubled)

1/2 lb box of Acine de Pepe

Sauce:
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
2 beaten eggs
Fruit juice from canned fruit

Drain and save juices of, set fruit aside
1 can chunk or tidbit pineapple
1 can of mandarin oranges
1 can of fruit cocktail (I don't like the fruit cocktail so I use 1 can of mandarin oranges)

Add 1 small container of cool whip. Mix thoroughly. Serve.

Spinach Salad

A number of years ago, I went to a baby shower for my friend Kristal and a lady from our Sunday School class, Kathy, made this salad as part of the main course. It was delicious and I made sure to get the recipe. I've been thinking about making it all summer and I finally bought all the ingredients this week so it's what we're having tonight and I'm excited! It's delicious, fresh and full of flavor! Try some tonight!

Spinach Salad

Use mostly spinach and a little spring lettuce
Garlic herb feta cheese
Chopped Kalamata olives (these are very strong but work really well in this salad)
Grilled chicken
Grape Tomatoes

For the dressing, infuse (blend in a food processor) equal parts of olive oil and balsamic vinegar with a dash of black pepper. Toss all together just before serving. This is a very flavorful, delicious salad!

Corn Edamame Salad

In the words of my friend Jen, this "tastes like summer". It came from Parents magazine, as a way to try to get kids to eat veggies. They might try it if they like corn. But adults love it, too!!

3 ears corn
2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame, cooked and drained
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 slivered green sweet pepper, or your favorite color
2 Tbs. red-wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Husk corn and brush with 1 tsp. oil. Grill on medium heat about 15 minutes, or until tender, turning occasionally to brown evenly. Remove and let cool.

2. Cut kernels from the corncobs into a large bowl. Add edamame, tomato and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir dressing into corn mixture. Serve at room temperature or cover and chill for up to 3 days. Makes about 6 cups.

Note: I also have subbed 1 can corn, drained, rather than grilling the corn.

Apple-Feta Tossed Salad

Delicious! Perfect for winter when it's hard to find veggies for your salad. From Taste of Home magazine.

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup walnut halves
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon pepper
5 cups torn romaine
5 cups torn red leaf lettuce
1 medium red apple, chopped
1 medium green apple, chopped
1/2 to 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

DRESSING: (I added a little olive oil to help tone down the vinegar)
6 tablespoons white wine or rice vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the walnuts; sprinkle with sugar and pepper. Stir until well coated. Spread onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. (I just used candied walnuts which I bought to save a few minutes)

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the romaine, red lettuce, apples and feta cheese; set aside. In a blender, combine the dressing ingredients; cover and process until blended. Drizzle over salad; toss to coat. Sprinkle with sugared walnuts. Yield: 12 servings.

Grandma Della’s Potato Salad

This is a delicious potato salad. I really don't like potato salads usually but I love this one because the flavor is so great. In the summer time, my favorite meal involves this salad, BBQ chicken with homemade BBQ sauce, homemade biscuits and homemade strawberry jam. You just can't get a better summer meal.

Combine in saucepan and heat to boiling:

2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. Dry mustard

Beat in bowl:
1 egg
2 tbsp flour 

Add small amount of hot mix to egg mix and keep adding until hot and incorporated, then add all to hot mixture and cook over low heat until thickened. Cool in fridge. 

Add 1-2 tbsp or so of turmeric, salt and pepper to taste, and combine vinegar sauce with equal parts mayo to make dressing. I usually start with about ½ cup of each and keep adding whichever it needs until it’s a little tangy but not overpowering.

Pour over cooked potatoes, hard boiled eggs, celery, pepper, relish, onion and anything else that sounds good.

*I usually just make a half recipe of the vinegar sauce because I typically only use half in a very large recipe (about 12 potatoes & 12 eggs).

I’m a little weird when it comes to potato salad. I don’t like crunchy things in it so I only do the sauce with potatoes and eggs. It’s delicious but if you’re more adventurous, add the additional ingredients.

Winter Chopped Salad

Our friend, Dina Jones, brought this salad to our Harvest Party a week ago. I enjoyed it SO much and have been thinking about it ever since I ate it, wanting more! Yes, it's THAT good! The recipe is from the book, Seriously Simple Holidays by Diane Rossen Worthington. This would be a great dish to take to a party, serve your family for dinner or as a first course at a big family dinner. The flavors mesh so well together and the dressing is subtle but delicious. This salad makes quite a bit so you might need to adjust the size if you have a smaller group to feed.

Serves 6 as a first course or 8 as a main course (I think it really serves much more than that!)

Ingredients:

Dressing:
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt & freshly ground black pepper


1 head radicchio, cored and finely chopped (the red lettuce)
2 heads romaine lettuce, light green and white leaves only, finely chopped
1 1/4 pounds cooked chicken breasts, skin & bones removed and cut into 1-inch dice (about 3 cups)
1 Fuji, Gala, or Pink Lady apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup candied pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup crumbled blue or fresh goat cheese
Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

1. Make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, honey, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Taste and adjust seasonings.

2. Place the radicchio, romaine, chicken, apple, cranberries, nuts and cheese in a large salad bowl.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with pepper (if desired) and serve.

Advance preparation:
Make the dressing up to 2 days ahead, cover, and keep at room temperature. Whisk well before using. Make the salad up to 4 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate.

The Clever Cook Could:
* Substitute 3 cups diced cooked turkey for the chicken
* Add 6 strips of bacon, fried until crisp and crumbled.
* Omit the chicken and serve the salad as a first course
* If you're not a fan of chopped salad, tear the leaves into bite-size pieces instead of finely chopping them.

Russian Cucumber/Tomato Salad

6 Tomatoes
2 Cucumbers
1/2 C Sour cream
3 Green onions, finely chopped
Salt & black pepper (to taste)
1 sprig fresh Dill, finely chopped

Cut tomatoes and cucumbers into large bite-sized pieces. Mix in remaining ingredients. (If preparing in advance, don't mix in the sour cream until ready to serve.)

Source: Kate & Elena

This is a great dish for a hot summer day.

Asian Chicken Salad

When I was pregnant, we had a Christmas party and one of the women brought this dish. I know I had seconds, maybe even thirds...it was SOOO YUMMY! It didn't have chicken in it but I added the chicken and changed the name. (It makes a lot so I would recommend halving it unless you're feeding a lot of people).

Chinese Salad

From the kitchen of Becca Reeder

2 heads chinese (napa) cabbage (bite size pieces)
6 green onions, sliced
2 packages roman noodles ( broken and w/out seasoning)
4-6 oz. sliced almonds
1 stick butter

DRESSING

1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbls soy sauce
1/4 tsp.cayenne pepper


Brown noodles & almonds in butter, drain well in paper towels.
Slice onions, mix with cold cabbage
Mix all and pour dressing over all.
Enjoy!!!!!

Strawberry Salad

This simple summer salad is perfect when you're in the mood for a light meal and you can't bear the thought of turning on the oven.

The orginal recipe calls for raspberries, but since my husband greatly prefers strawberries, I modified it. If you like raspberries, feel free to substitute! I also use sugar-free jam (made with Splenda), but any variety will work.

original recipe by Dr. Arthur Agatston

Serves: 4 (or 2 with lunch-sized leftovers)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup strawberry jam

3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 pound boneless smoked chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces (Tyson's honey roasted or grilled chicken strips are fantastic)

6 cups mesclun mix

2 cups fresh sliced strawberries

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds (try Sunkist's Almond Accents if you don't have time to toast your own)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together jam, oil, and vinegar until combined.

2. Gently toss the chicken with the dressing.

3. Divide greens among 4 plates and top with chicken mixture, strawberries, and almonds.

4. Enjoy!

Simple Layered Fiesta Salad

This recipe is actually starlight11500's. I am just posting it for her.

Makes 4 servings of 2 cups each

6 cups torn romaine lettuce
1 can (15 oz.) drained black beans
1 cup frozen corn rinsed and thawed
1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa
1 cup KRAFT Natural Three Cheese Crumbles
1/2 cup KRAFT Ranch Dressing
1 cup broken tortilla chips