A MUST have with Salads: Homemade Croutons

EASY EASY EASY! And they MAKE the salad!

• 4 slices of bread
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp. butter
• salt and pepper
• Parsley flakes

Cut crust off bread and cut into cubes. Melt butter and add garlic. Toss bread into butter mix and stir till bread is coated evenly. Sprinkle with S&P and parsley.
BAKE at 350 for 15 min. Turn once, half way through.

Top on your favorite salad

Olive Garden Salad Dressing

I have tried a few recipes that "claim" the Olive Garden status but THIS one has been the most dead on!

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/3 cup veg. oil
• 2 tbsp corn syrup
  
• 2 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp. Romano cheese
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. parsley flakes
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

Mix in a blender and pour over a yummy green salad!
Make this with your homemade croutons, so yummy!!!

Confetti Macaroni Salad

1/2 box or bag elbow macaroni
1 cucumber, chopped
1/2 bag frozen green peas, thawed
1 large tomato, diced
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 sticks mozzarella string cheese, chopped

Dressing:
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1-2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp sugar
1-2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp black pepper

Boil noodles in water until softened and then drain. Place into a large bowl and combine with other ingredients. In a smaller bowl make dressing and then combine with noodles. Coat evenly and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Caesar Pasta Salad

1 bag store bought Caesar Salad kit
1 box Suddenly Pasta Salad -Classic style
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 large tomato, chopped or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup olives, halved
4 sticks of mozzarella string cheese, chopped

Boil and drain pasta. Set aside.

Combine the seasoning packet from the pasta and the dressing packet from your Caesar salad with the ranch dressing together in a small bowl.

Combine the salad lettuce and the pasta together in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, olives and cheese. Pour dressing mix over top, turning to coat evenly.

If your Caesar salad kit comes with cheeses and croutons and can add that as well.

Chicken salad sandwiches

This is a family favorite. I like to make this for almost any occasion. Lunch, dinner, showers, luncheons, picnics etc. It is oh so yummy!


2 large or 3 medium chicken breasts; cooked and cubed. (I think this way tastes much better than the canned chicken!)
1 cup red grapes, cut if half
1 cup chopped celery
*1/2- 3/4 cup toasted slivered almonds (opt.)
1 cup Craisens
1- 1 1/2 cups mayo (or enough to coat)

Mix all together in a bowl and refrigerate 2-3 hours. Serve on butter croissants, rolls or your favorite sandwich bread.

*To toast your almonds place them in a small pan with 1 tbsp. sugar on medium heat. Stir continuously until golden brown. Remove immediately and let them cool on a paper towel.

Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

Spinach leaves

Romaine leaves

Grilled chicken, sliced (grill with lots of lemon pepper seasoning) [I just used the frozen pre-grilled bag of chicken strips, warmed them in the microwave and added seasoning. Worked great!]

Red onion, sliced thinly

Crispy bacon, crumbled

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Toasted almonds (or you can sugar the almonds. Put sliced almonds in a pan with lots of granulated sugar (about equal amounts). Cook on medium heat until sugar melts, coating the almonds as they brown.)

Dressing:
1 1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp dry mustard

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

3 Tb Maui or Vidalia onion, chopped (I just used the remainder of my red onion)

2 cups canola oil

3 Tb poppy seeds

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a blender, then slowly add the oil, blending until thick. Stir in poppy seeds. Toss all ingredients together with generous amount of dressing before serving.

This makes alot of dressing, so I halved mine and it made it the perfect amount.


*This recipe was found here.

Cool Ranch Salad

This is one of those recipes that comes from a friend of a friend. My good friend, Corey brought this to a shower and everyone inhaled it. It was sooo yummy. I made it the following Sunday to go with my Mexican menu. I just omitted the chicken when I served it, since I already had meat as a main dish. It is good either way. This one is a MUST try!!



1 green pepper diced
1 yellow pepper diced
1 red pepper diced
diced chicken
1 Can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2-1 red onion-diced
1 can jolly green giant white shoe peg corn
1 cucumber diced
2-3 limes
1-2 T rice vinegar
lettuce
tomatoes
1 Avocado (optional)
Cheese (Optional)
One bag cool ranch Doritos

Dressing for salad

1 pkg. dry hidden valley ranch
1 cup mayo
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic
3 tomatillos
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 t cayenne pepper

Directions:
Mix peppers, onion, cucumber, black beans, and corn. Squeeze limes over the top. Add the rice vinegar and chill. Chop up lettuce and tomatoes,and chicken and mix with the chilled mixture. Serve on the side Avocado, cheese, and Chips.

For the dressing just put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

"Tookie" Salad

The real name for this salad is Cookie Salad, but my little boy used to not be able to say it. So, in our family we call it "Tookie" Salad. This is a family favorite that everyone loves!!!

2 small boxes INSTANT vanilla pudding

1 pint (2 cups) buttermilk

- whisk together and refrigerate for about 20 minutes or until thickened.

Fold in:

12 oz. Cool Whip

1 small can pineapple tidbits, drained

1 small can mandarin oranges, drained

Refrigerate until ready to eat.

Just before serving add:

1 pkg. Fudge-striped cookies, crunched up

Banana Cream Pie Salad

This one is for all of you that like EASY!!

1 box JELLO instant banana cream pudding

Graham cracker crumbs ( you can buy these in box)

Cool whip

bananas

make your jello pudding and let set up for an hour or so. Then layer banana pudding, bananas, cool whip and then graham cracker crumbs. Can do one layer of each or several layers. Easy and yummy!!

BY: MEG

Layered Pasta Salad

3 Cups medium shell pasta, cooked and drained
1 lg. red onion, sliced
1 pkg. frozen peas, thawed, drained
1 pkg. ham, chopped
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
1/2 Cup Ranch dressing
1 cup Kraft Three Cheese Crumbles
1 Cup halved grape tomatoes

Layer pasta, onions, peas and ham in 3 qt. clear serving bowl; set aside.
Mix mayo and dressing; spread over salad to seal. Top with cheese and tomatoes; cover.
Refrigerate several hours or until chilled. Toss gently before serving.

submitted by Jamie