Super Secret Poppy Seed Dressing

2 c. salad oil

¾ c. apple cider vinegar

1 medium brown onion

1 c. sugar

2 T. poppy seeds

2 T. mustard

1 t. salt

Put all ingredients in blender and let ‘er rip!  Makes 2 quarts!  Two very yum-e quarts!

From whence it came:  I can't tell you.  It's a secret!  I can't tell you and you can't make me!  There is literally nothing you can do to get me to divulge this info.  Well, almost nothing.  Any and all bribes involving Tim McGraw will be considered.  Other than that, there is nothing you can do to make me divulge the secret behind from whence this yum-e recipe came!

Why it's blogable:  This recipe is so much better than anything you can buy in a bottle at the store.  And healthier, too.  No preservatives or weird ingredients that you can't pronounce.  It couldn't be easier to make and it is a crowd pleaser every time!

You simply must:  Make this salad dressing recipe and then make this salad and these nuts!  Then wait for people to bow down and kiss your toes!  They will!  That's what this recipe will do for you.  It will make you more popular than you ever dreamed possible. 

Here's the printable:

Poppy Seed Dressing

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Fresh Cranberry Salad

1 qt. (24 oz.) fresh cranberries  (2 - 12 oz. bags)

2 cups sugar

1 ½ lb. red seedless grapes 

1 pt. heavy whipping cream
1/2 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla

1 cup chopped pecans, or more if desired

Grind cranberries in blender or food processor on medium.  (You don't want it in large chunks.)  Add sugar and stir well.  Place mixture in colander and drain overnight in refrigerator. 

In the morning, clean and dry grapes.  Cut in half and add to the cranberries.  Mix well.  Refrigerate at least two hours.  

Whip the cream until it is almost butter, very very stiff.  Slowly add 1/2 c. sugar and 1 t. vanilla to cream while whipping.  Add the whipped cream and nuts about an hour and a half before serving and keep in refrigerator so it gets cold. 

From whence it came:  One of the nicest, kindest, most generous people I have ever known shared this fabulous recipe with me.  Patty Sandner is the great gal who gets credit for this one.  Patty is twin sisters with another lady who is also one of the best people I know, Peggy Masterson.  Patty and Peggy are simply the best.  They are so much fun, and they have hearts the size of the great state of Texas.  They are always looking for ways to brighten the lives of others.  And they are both a huge bright spot in my life!  I can't say enough about these girls, or this salad!

Why it's blogable:  I tried this last week at a ladies Christmas dinner and I nearly passed out with delight.  It's just so fabulous, I don't really have the words to describe it.  It's pretty, it's got a crunch, it's sweet (and you know I'm all about sweet) and it's amazing.  Make this and you will become instantly popular.  More popular than you have ever imagined.  Possibly as popular as Patty and Peggy.  But don't become so popular that you no longer have time to stalk my little blog!

Click here to get the printable:

Fresh Cranberry Salad

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Pauli's Taco Salad

Large can pinto beans

Taco Seasoning - 1 packet

Onion

Avocados

Tomatoes

Lettuce

Cheese

Chips

Drain beans; marinate in taco seasoning (with 1/2 c. vinegar & 1/2 c. oil).  Marinate a day or so.  Drain beans, but save marinade.

Layer salad:

Beans

Onions

Tomatoes

Avocados

Lettuce

Cheese

Pour rest of marinade on top.  Serve with chips.

From whence it came:  Another doozie from my friend Kerinda.  But really, her mom, Pauli, gets credit for this one.  Pauli was just one of those people who could do everything and anything and did it all oh so well.  She passed away last November, and her presence is truly missed by so many people.  Thanks for this great recipe, Pauli, and thanks for a life and legacy that truly lives on.

Why it's blogable:  This recipe is light and really flavorful.  You can eat quite a pile of this yummy salad and not feel like you stuffed yourself like a Thanksgiving Turkey.  I guess you could add chicken if you wanted to, but without the chicken it's super good.  Labor Day is just around the corner and this would be a great salad to make for whatever you're doing to celebrate.

Why I've been such a lazy blogger lately:  First we went on vacation, and then I came home and decided to get sick.  Really sick.  So sick, in fact, that I ended up in the hospital for a couple of days.  Now you know why I've been such a lazy blogger.  I'm feeling a little bit better each day and sometime this week I will share some of the funnier moments of my hospitalization with y'all.  The things that go on in hospitals are astounding.  I'll fill you in on all the nitty-gritty soon.  Til then, enjoy this great salad.  It's pretty healthy, and at this particular time in my life, I'm all about healthy.  I don't want to find myself staring at a hospital ceiling anytime soon!

Click here to get the printable:

Pauli's Taco Salad

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Taco Salad

The other night I used leftover taco meat to make a yum-e taco salad.  The Spy Who Loves Me loved it!  This is what I did:

I had leftover taco meat, but if you don't, brown 1 lb. ground beef and add 1 package taco seasoning and about 3/4 c. water.  Simmer until water is absorbed.  Us Andersons are a taco lovin' family so I always buy the big container of seasoning at Costco.  Much cheaper!

 

Also, I like the meat to be cold or room temp in the salad.  Warm meat makes wilted lettuce.  Yuck!

I used the following ingredients in the salad I made.  You can use as much or as little of the following as suits your fancy:

Romain lettuce

Taco Meat

Tomatoes

Cheddar Cheese

Chopped yellow, orange and red peppers

Fresh white corn, cut right off the cob, not even cooked

Avocado, the more the better

Tortilla chips, crushed just a little bit

For the dressing I mixed ranch salad dressing and salsa.  Then I tossed the salad, sprinkled on crushed tortilla chips and served it up.  The Spy said the words "tasty" and "great" while eating the salad, and he said thank you more than once.  

You should toss up one of these delicious salads this summer. 

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Strawberry Pecan Green Salad

Slice and set aside:
        1 pint washed and hulled strawberries

Place in large bowl:
        2 bunches washed and torn spinach
        Romaine lettece
        1/2 thinly sliced red onion
        Feta cheese

Make coated pecans and poppy seed dressing

Coated Pecans
See recipe for glazed nuts

Poppy Seed Dressing

Toss salad with a little dressing.  Serve the salad in individual portions.  Place a few strawberry slices and a handful of pecans and a sprinkling of poppy seeds on each serving.  Drizzle with a little more dressing.

From whence it came:  Guys, I'm getting old.  Soon...very soon...I'll be half a century.  I'm no longer buying green bananas.  It's just too risky.  My point?  I can't remember where I got this recipe.  I wish I could, 'cause it's really good. 

Why it's blogable:  A few days back I posted the recipe for glazed nuts and kind of sort of told you how to use them in a salad.  Then today I ran across this good ol' recipe and I immediately remembered it was blog worthy.  If I've told you once, I've told you a million times, The Spy Who Loves Me doesn't always love fruity stuff.  And this is a fruity salad.  A girly salad.  And you know what?  The Spy really likes this salad.  A lot!  That's another reason it's blogable.  It's perfect for summer.  Heck, it's just plain ol' perfect!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Glazed Nuts

4 cups nuts (whichever you choose: pecans, walnuts or almonds etc.)
1 egg white
1/3 cup white granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350. Spread nuts in pan and bake 8-10 minutes until lightly toasted. Remove and cool for 30 minutes. Reduce oven to 300 degrees.

Grease baking pan.  (You can use two 9x13 pans or one half sheet pan.)  In a bowl, whisk egg white until foamy. Whisk in sugars, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Stir in nuts until well coated. Spread nuts into baking pan(s) in a single layer.

Bake for 10 minutes, remove and stir to separate if nuts are stuck together. Return to oven for another 10-12 minutes until they are a pale golden brown and appear dry. Remove and let sit for 3-5 minutes.

When nuts begin to harden, quickly loosen from pan and spread on wax paper to cool. Nuts can be frozen for storage. Enjoy! The smell is terrific!

From whence it came:  A wonderful gal named Katrina Preece shared this recipe with me.  And now I'm sharing it with y'all.  And you need to get ready to say "Thank you, Katrina and Pam."  "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!"  "How can we every properly thank you?"  Mostly you should thank Katrina because she is the genius who found this recipe.  But you can thank me if you must, because now I'm sharing it with you.  And you're welcome!

Why it's blogable:  If someone told me that I could only post my top ten favorite recipes on this little blog, I would have to put this one on the list.  Seriously.  That's how good this recipe is, and that's how much I love it.  First of all, the aroma that will fill your home as they cook will make you drool.  I'm not kidding.  You should wear a bib while they cook because those drool marks can be embarrassing.  I'm speaking from experience.  Then, as if smelling them wasn't enough, wait until you taste them.  Brace yourself.  Sit yourself down on a chair because your knees will weaken when the first nut makes contact with your taste buds.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

What to do with 'em:  There are a few options.  The first is to sit down on the couch and eat the whole batch.  If you have the strength to avoid option one, you can put them in a salad.  That's my favorite thing to do with them.  Here's whatcha do...use fresh cut Romaine lettuce, baked and chopped chicken that you've seasoned with a little bit of salt and pepper, fresh strawberries cut in quarters, a few very thin slices of red onion and some feta cheese.  Oh baby!  Plop these nuts on top and drizzle with a sweet poppy seed dressing, or a raspberry vinaigrette.  Or just go back to option one and sit on the couch and eat all the nuts.  Either way, you're taste buds will do the happy dance!

Click here to get the printable:
Glazed Nuts

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Pork Salad

Dressing:
Throw all of these into the blender:
1pkg ranch dressing mix - mix according to package directions –
  Do not use low fat, be sure to use regular mayo
2 large tomatillos rinse and throw in blender –
  They look like green tomatoes with a skin on them
Cut off stem and add two whole jalapeno peppers –
  Use only one if you don't like it too spicy
1 bunch cilantro-
Just cut off part of the stems and throw the whole thing in the blender
Juice of one small lime

Rice:
For every three cups of rice, add one small can of diced green chilies and about 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon

Meat:
Buy a nice pork shoulder roast, cook in the crock pot for a few hours, then drain a little and shred. Add one large can of green Enchilada sauce and equal part of brown sugar (just fill the empty sauce can with brown sugar to measure) Let the meat simmer in this for a little while.

Layer:
Rice, meat, black beans, Romaine lettuce, chopped green onions and top with dressing.  You can squeeze some fresh lime on top, too!

From whence it came: A really wonderful gal named Maria Hudson published this fabulous recipe in a church newsletter. She served it at her daughter's wedding and then was kind enough to share the recipe with everyone. Recently, my friend Shannon, made it for her son's wedding reception and it was a huge hit! Thanks for sharing this recipe with all of us, Maria! It's as sweet as you are!

Why it's blogable: Just make it and you'll see why. It is such a great recipe. The pork is really sweet, which might sound weird, but it's not weird at all! It's good! The rice has a great flavor when you add the green chilies. I am a huge fan of green chilies! Love them! And let's take a minute to discuss this salad dressing. Guys, this is truly truly delicious stuff. If you've ever eaten at Cafe Rio, this is very similar to their house salad dressing. And if you've never eaten at Cafe Rio, run! Run to Cafe Rio right now! It's my favorite Mexican Food in the whole wide world!

One word of warning:  Unless your mouth is made of steel, you might want to use just one jalapeno in the dressing.  And because I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to spicy stuff, I remove the seeds.  Did you know that most of the heat is in the seeds?  I learned that watching the Food Network.  And I was kind enough to pass that info along to y'all so you don't scorch your insides.  Remember how I told you that my friend, Shannon, made this for her son's wedding?  Well, I made 12 batches of this salad dressing for her and when I was done my hands were actually burned from the peppers.  I never knew that could happen, but now I know.  And don't you ever ever ever rub your eyes when you've been dealing with peppers.  That, my friends, is a huge mistake that you only make once!  Oh, and one more thing...I've told you more than once that I'm not a fan of cilantro.  And I'm still not, but I have to admit, it is really good in this dressing.  I only use half a bunch instead of a whole, but even with a whole bunch it's really good.  The Spy Who Loves Me has been known to overdose on this dressing. 

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Chicken Bow Tie Pasta Salad

5-6 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 16 oz. box bow-tie pasta, cooked and rinsed
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 c. red grapes, cut in half
1 red apple, chopped
1 green apple, chopped
1 large can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 small bag slivered almonds

Dressing:
1 16 oz. bottle Kraft Coleslaw Dressing
1 1/2 c. mayo
1 1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
4 chopped green onions

Combine all ingredients for dressing. Toss with all other ingredients. Chill and serve.
From whence it came: Another winner from my dear friend, JoDee Glazier. She was the kind soul who shared her Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe, too. She is also responsible for the Strawberry Layered Dessert. Are you seeing a pattern of yum-e-ness here? I am, and we have JoDee to thank!

Why it's blogable: This is my favorite pasta salad in the whole wide world! I know the ingredients sound a little weird...onions and fruit don't normally go together, but in this salad they do, and they do it well! My married daughter goes crazy for this salad! I know I gave you the recipe for The World's Best Pasta Salad, and that one is truly good, also, but if I had to pick one (and I'm so happy I don't) I'd pick this one. It's kind of a girlie salad. To tell you the truth, The Spy Who Loves Me doesn't love this salad. He is a huge fan of The World's Best Pasta Salad, but I've told you before he's not a fruity guy, and this salad is fruity. But The Spy Who Loves Me is wrong on this...and so many other...issues! This salad is oh so good! I promise!

FYI: If you can't find pineapple tidbits, just buy the chunks and cut them in half. It'll be just the same. And you don't have to use Kraft Coleslaw Dressing. Any coleslaw dressing will do just fine.

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

Barbecue Chicken Salad

How silly! This really isn't a recipe, it's more of an idea or a suggestion. A really good idea and a really good suggestion. Have you ever made barbecue chicken salad? Well, if not, the time has come! It's one of my favorite things to order at a restaurant, but making it at home is just as good...maybe better...'cause it's cheaper...and you can totally pig out on it without people staring.

Here's whatcha do:

Mix as much or little of the following ingredients as you want to:

Lettuce

Tomatoes (I like the to use the grape ones because some of my family members don't like tomatoes and they can easily pick those little ones out)

Jack cheese (or any kind you like)

Avocado (I like lots, The Spy likes none...he's weird)

Jiciama (Makes a great crunch in the salad)

Black beans

Cilantro (It's yucky, but you can add it if you want to)

Diced red or green or yellow or orange peppers

Chopped purple or green onions

Corn (I like to cut it right off the cob without even cooking it! Yum! You can use frozen if you want to be lazy, you have my permission. You're welcome!)

Tortilla chips (Crunch 'em up a little bit)

Barbecued chicken (What I like to do is make BBQ chicken for dinner one night and make extra, then save it for a couple of days and serve it up in the salad. A big time saver!)

For the dressing you just mix your favorite ranch dressing and your favorite BBQ sauce. My favorite BBQ sauce is KC Masterpiece, original flavor. I seriously think it's the best! If you like the dressing more ranch-e, just add more ranch. If you like it more BBQ-e, just add more BBQ sauce. It's not rocket science, people. Just mix it up, stick your finger in it, give it a lick and see how it tastes. Add more ranch or add more sauce if you think it needs it.

From whence it came: My brain! I just ordered it enough times at restaurants that I decided to make my own. Like I said, it's not rocket science.

Why it's blogable: Because it's good. My teen daughter loves this salad. She gets so happy and nice when I make it for dinner. I love it when she's nice. Not to say that she isn't always nice, because she always is, except when I'm on her nerves, which is a fair amount of the time. But I'm never on her nerves when I make this salad. And even The Spy and the teen son love this. I'm pretty sure your family will, too!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!

World's Best Pasta Salad

12 oz. cooked rottini noodles (rinse well)
1 c. grated cheddar cheese
2 c. finely chopped broccoli
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 can black olives, cut in half
1 lb. cooked bacon, cooked well and crumbled

Layer all in a large salad bowl. Toss with dressing just before serving.

Dressing:

Mix the following:
1 1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. sugar
3 T. vinegar

From whence it came: This super yum-e recipe came from a super great friend, Shelley Dahlin. You're gonna love me for sharing this with you, just like I love Shelley for sharing it with me. I remember the first time I tried it, in Shelley's beautiful kitchen in Springville, Utah. I've known Shelley for a long time and she and her family mean so much to us Andersons. Thanks for your friendship, Shelley, and for the yum-e pasta salad recipe. It's always a hit!

Why it's blogable: Because it is a 10 on the yum-e scale! It really is one of the very best pasta salads I've ever had, and whenever I make it people always ask for the recipe. And, like so many of my recipes, it's easy!

FYI: We love this recipe so much that I even made it to serve at my daughter's wedding luncheon last summer. That'll tell ya how good it is!

Hope you enjoy stirring it up!