Sweet Amish Macaroni Salad

I'm fascinated with the Amish.  I'm pretty sure I could live the Amish lifestyle without any problems.  Since my family wouldn't be so willing to change lifestyles, I guess I'll just have to stick with trying out a few recipes.  Not sure if this Sweet Amish Macaroni Salad is an authentic recipe, but it sure is tasty.  The first time I made it I shared it with a couple neighbors (it makes a ton!) and they told me it was the best macaroni salad they have ever eaten!

1 pound salad macaroni
4 hard cooked eggs, diced
1 small onion, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
1 small red pepper, diced

Dressing:

2 cups light mayonnaise (do not use Miracle Whip)
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup yellow mustard
2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon salt
paprika for garnish

Cook the macaroni according to package directions, drain well and place in a large bowl to cool. Combine dressing ingredients and mix well.  Add eggs, pepper, onion and celery to the macaroni.  Stir in dressing and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Recipe from Food.

Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad

This Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad is my husbands all time favorite salad to eat in the summer.  Being the best. Wife. Ever.  That I am, I decided to make if for him a little earlier in the year than I usually do.  He sure was pleased when he walked in to Creamy Cucumber Dill Salad on the table at dinner.  Now if I could only I could get him to tell me I'm as wonderful as I tell him I am. :)

1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced thin
1 small sweet onion, sliced thin
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dill

Place onion and cucumber slices in a medium sized bowl.  Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl and mix well.  Pour the dressing over the cucumbers and mix until coated.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe from Mom, Mommy, Mama, Granny.

Bacon, Avocado and Basil Pasta Salad

This Bacon, Avocado and Basil Pasta Salad is so tasty!  The hubs and I loved it and the kids even all ate it without any complaints.  If you ask me, you really can't go wrong when bacon is involved. :)  The avocado and basil don't hurt a bit, either.

1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta, cooked according to package directions
8 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
3 avocados, diced small
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Place diced avocado in a large bowl and pour lemon juice over the top; stir to coat.  Add pasta, bacon, and basil; stir to combine.  Pour olive oil in a small pan and heat over medium heat.  Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant; about 30 seconds.  Pour over the pasta mixture and sprinkle with salt and Parmesan cheese; mix well.

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Linked on Pinworthy Projects and Sweet & Savory Saturdays.

Sourdough Croutons

Oh my!  These Sourdough Croutons are SO delicious!  I couldn't stop eating them.  I think I (with a little help from the kids) ate almost half of them before dinner even started!  I had to threaten them to get them to stay out and then decided I need to stay out, too, if we were actually going to have any at dinner time.  Self control has never been one of my strong suits.  Good thing they're so darn easy to make!

1 loaf sour dough bread, cut bread into 1/2 to 1-inch cubes (about 8 to 10 cups)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place bread cubes on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with butter, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Toss bread cubes with your hands (or a spoon) to coat well with butter.  Bake at 400 for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes. 

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Linked on Pinworthy Projects, Best of the Weekend, The Weekend re-Treat, Party in Polka Dots, Strut Your Stuff Saturday and Sweet & Savory Saturdays.

Warm Spaghetti Salad

I've had lots of pasta salads, but never a warm pasta salad, and never one with spaghetti.  This one was fantastic!  It is quick to put together and the kids even enjoyed it.  Some of them picked out the tomatoes, but still enjoyed it.  They even liked the feta cheese.  It got warm and soft and was delicious.

This Warm Spaghetti Salad makes a fantastic meal, or side.  We ate it as a meal.

1 (14.5 ounce) box spaghetti, cooked according to package directions
1 (6 ounce) can black olives, (I will cut the olives in half next time)
1 (6 to 8 ounce) container grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 (4 ounce) package feta cheese crumbles
1 tablespoon parsley
1/3 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Pour olive oil into a large pan and heat over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 to 60 seconds.  Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients.  Mix well and serve immediately. 

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Linked on Weekend re-Treat, Strut Your Stuff, Tatertots & Jello, Pinworthy Projects, Party in Polka Dots and Manic Monday.

Berry and Feta Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

I woke up to snow this morning.  Snow!  I'm not ready for snow.  If you ask me, snow is a 4-letter word.  You know, the bad kind of word Mama would wash your (or your brother's) mouth out with soap for using.

The snow had me contemplating a nice hot cup of Double Chocolate Hot Chocolate, but as I was out shopping this morning, I saw some beautiful raspberries and black berries that made me think of summer.   Thoughts of summer on a cold fall day was just what I needed, so I bought some berries.  To make them last a little longer than just eating them alone, I made this amazing Berry and Feta Salad with Lime Vinaigrette.  It made the perfect lunch along with my turkey sandwich.

1 (5 ounce) bag sweet baby lettuce mix - spring mix would also work well
1 head romaine lettuce, torn or chopped into large bite sized pieces - a 5(ish) ounce bag would work well
1 (12 ounce) container raspberries
1 (12 ounce) container black berries
1 (4 ounce) container feta cheese crumbles
1 cup sugared pecans

Dressing:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil (I prefer extra virgin)
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Combine all dressing ingredients and mix well with a whisk; set aside.  Combine lettuces and toss to combine.  Just before serving add berries, feta cheese crumbles and sugared pecans; toss lightly.  Serve drizzled with a small amount of dressing.  Dressing could also be mixed into the salad.  Just add to taste.

Recipe from The Royal Cook, an original!

Linked on Tatertots and Jello.

Creamy Orange Pineapple Salad

Do you want a real crowd pleasing salad.  Well, this, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly that.  A real crowd pleaser.   It had my sweet little 2 year old licking it of Daddy's plate before we even sat down to dinner.  And that was after he had already licked his sweet little plate clean.  Sneaky little bugger! :) The little guy managed to down 3 servings of this amazing Creamy Orange Pineapple Salad.  3!  And he's only 2!  I think everyone had at least seconds. Somehow about a cup survived until the next day.  I thought I was being sneaky when I pulled it out of the fridge to finish up.  Either I wasn't very sneaky, or the kids could smell it.  Either way, they came running.  I ended up having to relinquish the bowl to a 2 year old and a 4 year old.  I think that alone qualifies me for the Mom of the Year award. :)

It might not look too pretty, but it is fantastic!!

2 (3 ounce) packages orange gelatin
2 (3 ounce) packages tapioca
4 cups water
2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (8 ounce) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

Combine water, gelatin, and tapioca in a large sauce pan.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often.  Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium and boil for 3 minutes.  Pour into a large bowl or 9x13 inch pan.  Refrigerate until cool, about 1 to 2 hours.  Stir in fruit and whipped topping.

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Susan's Quinoa Salad

I think I'm in love.  With this salad.  It's easy, it's yummy, and it's healthy.  About the only thing that would make it better would be if someone else made it for me.  Since that's not likely to happen, at least not anytime soon, I guess it doesn't get any better than this.

For some reason my garden isn't producing too well this year.  There is one thing I can grown without a problem, and that would be weeds.  Yep.  I have growing weeds down to a science.  If only I could get them to die and my garden (and grass) to grow as well as my weeds.  I have only picked 2 zucchinis this year.  Not day, week, or even month.  Year.  How does that happen?  Earlier this week I noticed a little red poking out from the middle of one of my tomato plants.  I finally picked it today and what better way to use it (my very first tomato of the season!) than in this amazingly delicious Quinoa Salad. 

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
1 tomato, diced
1 avocado, diced
1/2 bell pepper, diced (I used a yellow bell pepper this time)
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped (I LOVE cilantro!!)
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine quinoa and chicken broth in a medium sized sauce pan and place on the stove over high heat.  Once it starts to boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cover.  Simmer for 15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.  Pour quinoa into a large bowl and let cool while you cut the veggies and cilantro.  Add olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, and veggies.  Stir until well mixed.  Can be served warm or cold.

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Linked on Tatertots and Jello.

Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad

I don't know about you, but I like LOVE Pinterest.  There's all kinds of good stuff on there.  This Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad is just one of the many treasures I've found.  Some people like thrifts store, yard sales, clearance sales (I'm quite the fan of clearance sales, too), for the treasures they can find.  I think pinterest is right there with them - full of treasures waiting to be found.

This Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad is so easy to put together if you can use a can opener and a sharp knife.  Just chop up everything and put in in a big bowl, then toss with the tasty dressing. The salad is perfect for the warm weather and was a hit with the family.  My hubby and I loved it and kids loved it after they picked out the things they didn't like.  Seriously, who doesn't like avocados?  That's okay, the ones that didn't like them gave them to me.  I guess that's still a win win.

2 cups diced or shredded chicken (cook your own or use a rotisserie chicken from the store)
1 bell pepper, diced (I used red)
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can sweet yellow corn (or 1 cup frozen corn, thawed)
2 tomatoes, diced
4 green onions, sliced
1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2 ripe avocados, diced
1 cup crushed tortilla chips, optional

Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon ranch seasoning
1 tablespoon taco seasoning

In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients together, excluding the tortilla chips.  In a small bowl combine all dressing ingredients and mix together.  Pour dressing over salad and stir to combine.  Top with tortilla chips, if desired.  Serve immediately.

Recipe from Greens and Chocolate.

Linked on Tatertots and Jello.

Easy Summer Pasta Salad

I love easy!  It's right up there with delicious.  Throw them both together and you have a sure winner.  This Easy Summer Pasta Salad is both easy and delicious.  It only takes about 15 minutes to put together and is quickly devoured.

1 (12 ounce) box pasta, cooked according to package directions (Any pasta works.  This time I used a box of mixed shapes.
1 (6 ounce) can olives, sliced
1 tomato, diced
1 cucumber, sliced and then quartered
1 cup Italian salad dressing

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving and stir well just before serving.

This salad is super versatile.  I sometimes add half of a chopped bell pepper, 1/4 cup green onions, and/or 1 cup diced pepperoni.

Recipe from The Royal Cook - an original!

Garden Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

Growing up we always had a large garden.  One of the most dreaded chores was weeding.  Kneeling on the hard ground in the hot sun getting my hands dirty was not my idea of a fun time.  I swore I would never have a garden.  No more weeding for me.  And then I grew up and moved out.  One of the first things I did when I bought my first house was plant a garden.  I couldn't wait for all the yummy, fresh produce I would grow.

This Garden Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing is a great way to use some of the yummy garden tomatoes (okay, I'll admit, my tomatoes are still green and I am still buying tomatoes.  But not for long!) and cilantro from my garden.  With 2 of my favorite ingredients, cilantro and avocado, I couldn't pass this one up.  Its light and refreshing, a great addition to any summer meal.  Or as a nice light lunch all by its self.

1 head lettuce (I used romaine) cut or torn into large bite-sized pieces
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 avocado, sliced
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped small
2 limes, juiced
2 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

To make the dressing, combine cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  In a large bowl, place lettuce and top with onion, tomatoes and avocado.  Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Laylita's Recipes.

Caramel Apple Salad

Snickers in a salad? Yes please! When I made this Caramel Apple Salad, I told my sweet hubby it was going to be his favorite salad. It would be his favorite because Snickers is his favorite candy bar. The kids were sure excited watching me make it. They couldn't believe I was actually putting candy in the salad and going to let the eat it at dinner time. At dinner, not after dinner (although, it would make a nice dessert as well). That's another thing that makes me such a cool mom. :)

6 Granny Smith apples
1 bag snack size snickers
1 small package vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1 (8 oz) tub whipped topping

Cut the apples and snickers into bite sized pieces. Combine pudding mix with milk and whisk until smooth. Add whipped topping and whisk until well combined. Add chopped snickers and apples and stir. Refrigerate leftovers.

Adapted from Ericas Bloggity Blog.

Linked on Sweets for a Saturday.

Olive Garden Salad Dressing

This isn't an exact match, but it's still super tasty! The hubs and I both really enjoyed it on our salads. For some reason, it had a bit of a kick. I can't seem to figure out what in the world gave it the bit of spice it had - none of the spices used are spicy. Maybe, just maybe, I accidentally put something extra in there (I wouldn't put it past me.....). Looks like I have a mystery on my hands. And some pretty tasty dressing!

1/2 C mayonnaise
1/3 C white vinegar
1 t Canola oil
2 T corn syrup
4 T Parmesan cheese
1 t minced garlic
1/2 t Italian Seasoning
1/2 t parsley, dried
1 T lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender or small food processor and mix until well combined.

Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up!

Quinoa Salad

I am a fairly plain and simple gal when it comes to cooking. I'm getting a little more adventurous all the time, but still fairly plain and simple. It's just the way I was raised. We ate what we grew in the garden and raised on the farm for the most part. Mama would still buy some things at the store, but they were still fairly plain and simple. I didn't grow up eating quinoa, couscous, tofu, asparagus or a lot of other good stuff.

I got brave a while back and cooked up some quinoa. Just plain, nothing added, and fed it to the family. The kids were super excited about it at first (they thought it was rice - they love that stuff!) and then figured out it wasn't rice. But what in the heck was it?!? I told them to put a little butter, S&P on it and eat. They quite enjoyed it. I wanted to try quinoa again, only make it into something. I happened across a blog by a friend of mine (Really, I have a friend! When I see her at church or really out in public, she doesn't pretend I don't exist. At least not all of the time.....) and she had this recipe on there. When I saw the avocados in there, I was in love. I bought what I didn't have on hand the next time I went to the store, went home and started making the salad. I was almost finished when I realized.....I forgot the avocados!! How in the world do you forget the best part (oh, and the cilantro. Mmmmmm But I didn't forget that). I pulled out the emergency "Phone-a-friend" card and called my sweet hubby (he is my most favorite friend in the world. Most of the time...). He was almost home but was nice enough to turn around and go back to the store to shop for avocados for me. He must really, REALLY love me to go into a store for me.

Anyway, the salad is delicious! Hubby and I both loved how fresh it tasted.

2 cups uncooked quinoa
1/2 green/red/or yellow pepper, diced
1 can black beans
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
salt
pepper
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 or 2 avocados, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Dressing
5 tablespoons lime juice (fresh is best)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4teaspoon cumin
1/3 cup olive oil

Cook the quinoa according to package directions. While it is cooking soak the beans (rinse them first) in the vinegar with salt and pepper to taste. Mix dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. When quinoa is cooked, mix it with salad ingredients. Pour dressing over and mix well.

Recipe from Kristi at Lemon Glaze

Creamy Orange Salad

This Creamy Orange Salad is similar to Pineapple Lime Sunday Salad. This is also one of those salads that, when my cute little 2 year old has eaten all of her salad, she will climb on my lap and tell me "Some yours" until she has successfully eaten all of mine as well. I will go back for seconds (or, I guess you could even call it firsts...), and she will continue to sit on my lap until it is gone again. The kids all love this stuff!

Linked on Market Yourself Monday.

1 (8 oz) tub frozen whipped topping ,thawed
2 (11 oz) cans Mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup cottage cheese
1 (3 oz) package orange gelatin

Combine whipped topping, cottage cheese and gelatin. Mix well, then fold in oranges.

Fantastic Tuna Salad

Growing up, my mom would make us tuna fish sandwiches for lunch. She made them with just a little Miracle Whip......they were quite dry..... Needless to say, I was not a fan of tuna growing up, and I still can't stand Miracle Whip. I think the reason that the revolting stuff is called "Miracle" Whip, is because it is a miracle anyone likes it. Just my own personal opinion. When I married my sweet husband, for some strange reason, he liked that nasty stuff. *Shudder* I can proudly say that I have never purchased any and my hubby is still alive and thriving without it.

Anyway, I got to the point that I would rather starve than eat a tuna sandwich. Then one day it happened. I ate one. You see, my mom didn't make it. A friends mom did. I decided to be a good guest and eat the smelly thing. Well, as luck would have it, it was rather delicious! It wasn't dry, didn't have ANY Miracle Whip in it, and I didn't even have to gag it down. That's when I realized (I was in the 7th grade) that tuna was not all bad, just Mom's (sorry Mom, I still love you and will be down to visit next week - if you will still let me....). I decided to take what I could from that sandwich and make my own. To this day I still love a good tuna salad sandwich, or just plain old tuna salad (very tasty with buttery crackers).

2 (5 oz) cans tuna (I prefer Albacore in water)
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mustard
2 tablespoons sweet relish
1/4 cup celery, chopped small
1 tablespoon onion, finely chopped

Put the tuna in a bowl and break up with a fork. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

This is what we made with the tuna salad.

It's a fish!! I found the idea in my Family Fun magazine this month. To make it, all you need is a heart cookie cutter and a circle cookie cutter. Stack 2 pieces of bread and place them on the counter. Cut out a circle with the round cookie cutter (If you have wide bread, you will only need 2 pieces of bread. Make the round cut on one side. If you have regular bread, you will need 4 pieces. Make the cut in the center). Next, use the heart cookie cutter to cut out a heart (if you are using the wide bread, cut the heart on the opposite side of the bread as the circle with the pointed bottom of the heart pointing towards the circle. You will want the point to be inside the circle so that when you cut, the tip is off. If you are using regular bread, cut out the heart and then cut the bottom of the heart off with the round cookie cutter). Spread one piece of each shape with the tuna salad (or any filling you would like) and top with the other identical shape. Put the fish together by putting the cut off part of the heart against the circle. So fun, so cute!

Taco Salad Meat

This Taco Salad Meat is so easy to throw together and I usually have everything I need to make it already on hand. It isn't just easy, it tastes good, too, and the kids love it. What more can you ask for?

The kids and I like ours like the picture shows, but my sweet hubby likes his with a bed of tortilla chips covered with the Taco Salad Meat and topped with cheese and sour cream. On a good day he will even throw a piece of lettuce on the top. I tried telling him that it could no longer be called a salad, but he insisted that the piece of lettuce on top, did in fact, qualify it as a salad.

Linked on It's a Keeper Thursday: Show Me What You've Got!

Linked on Show Me What Ya Got #11 and Anything Related #36.

1 pound ground beef
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans 
1 (28 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, crushed
1/2 cup green onions, sliced
1 package taco seasoning (The Best Homemade Taco Seasoning is great, I half the chili powder when I use it)
1 tablespoon chili powder

Brown ground beef in a large pot. Add tomatoes and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve over lettuce with shredded cheese, crushed tortilla chips and sour cream.

Pineapple Lime Sunday Salad

I don't know where the name came from - well, the lime from the Jell-O, the pineapple from the pineapple and the salad from the fact that it is a salad, but the Sunday part baffles me. I did make it for Sunday dinner when I made it last, so maybe that's where the Sunday comes from. Hmmm

I have a bunch of canned pineapple sitting in my pantry that needs to be used. There are only so many things that I can come up with to use up the pineapple. This has to be one of my favorite ways to use it. I love salads that combine whipped topping, gelatin and cottage cheese. YUMMY!!

1 (8 oz) tub frozen whipped topping ,thawed
1 (20 oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 cup cottage cheese
1 (3 oz) package lime gelatin

Combine whipped topping, cottage cheese and gelatin. Mix well, then fold in pineapple.

Cranberry Orange Dream

This is another salad that could be used as a salad or desert. I use it as a salad and keep eating it through desert. My kids all love it and the pan never last long enough for leftovers.

I sometimes leave out the oranges (I did this time), and sometimes substitute raspberry Jello for cranberry. It is awesome either way.



1 ½ cups boiling water
1 (6 oz) package cranberry gelatin
2 cups cold water
1 (15 oz) can mandarin oranges
1 can cranberry sauce

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in cranberry sauce until melted. Add cold water. Refrigerate about 1 hour until slightly thickened. Gently stir in mandarin oranges

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup melted butter

Press into 9 x 13 pan, refrigerate until ready to use.

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
¼ cup sugar
1 (8 oz) container whipped topping

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Stir in whipped topping. Pour over graham cracker crust, then, top with gelatin mixture. Refrigerate until set.

Cold Chicken Salad

I have had this recipe for close to 10 years. It was served at a baby shower when I was pregnant with my oldest daughter. There are so many ways to serve it. I have used it in croissants, wraps, in lettuce bowls, or just plain. Very tasty anyway you eat it.

3 cups chicken, cooked and diced
1/4 cup water chestnuts
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup celery, sliced
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
1/2 cup red seedless grapes, halved
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup mayonnaise
1 lemon, juiced
1 1/2 cups Chinese noodles

Mix chicken, water chestnuts, celery, almonds, green onions, grapes, salt and pepper. Mix lemon juice and mayonnaise. Just before serving add sauce and Chinese noodles to chicken mixture.