Strawberry Pecan Pretzel Salad

This salad was served at Emily's baby shower and then I made it for Christmas Day. Pretty dang tasty! (Adapted from here.)

Strawberry Pecan Pretzel Salad

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1 c. broken pretzels (minis broken into 4 parts)

1/2 c. chopped pecans

3/4 c. brown sugar

3/4 c. butter, melted

3 c. diced strawberries (1.5 lbs)

8 oz. cream cheese (1 block)

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

3 c. Cool Whip (8 oz. tub)

Mix together pretzels, pecans, brown sugar, and melted butter.

Spread on a large, rimmed baking sheet, and bake at 400°F for 7-8 minutes.

Allow the mixture to completely cool, and break into small pieces.

(The prepped strawberries and this sugared mix can be stored overnight.)

Beat together softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Fold in the Cool Whip.

Stir the strawberries and sugared mix into the fresh cream cheese mixture.

Serve immediately.

(Salad will get watery over time, so don't plan on leftovers.)

Margene’s Famous Potato Salad (Instant Pot)

Slowly but surely, I'm trying to make more use of my Instant Pot. I made Mom's Potato Salad over the weekend, and kept track of quantities (since her recipe doesn't have any amounts in it). Even if you don't use an Instant Pot to cook the potatoes and boil the eggs, the specifics in this recipe might help with your efforts. I cooked the potatoes and eggs in the Instant Pot, according to a recipe at Pressure Cooking Today.

Margene’s Famous Potato Salad (Instant Pot)

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5-6 large russet potatoes
5 eggs
1.5 c. water
1 celery heart
1 cucumber
4-5 large dill pickles
6-8 green onions, (just the white & light green part)
12-14 oz. Miracle Whip
2 Tbsp. yellow deli mustard
paprika

Clean potatoes, then peel and cube.
Add water to Instant Pot.
Add cubed potatoes to the IP steamer basket and place the eggs on top.
Lock the lid in place, select High Pressure, 4 minutes cook time, and start.
When the timer beeps, turn off the IP and do a quick pressure release.
When the release is done, carefully remove the lid and the steamer basket.
Place the eggs in an ice water bath to cool.
Place the potatoes in a large mixing bowl to cool.
Prep celery, cucumber, pickles, and onions (don’t worry about getting anything too finely chopped – chunky works well), and add them to the mixing bowl.
Peel and chop 4 eggs into small bowl, set aside. Peel and slice 5th egg and save for garnish.
Mix large bowl ingredients with Miracle Whip and mustard, until well combined.
Add in chopped egg, and gently mix.
Transfer to serving/storage bowl.
Garnish with sliced egg, and sprinkle with paprika.
Tastes best if you chill 4+ hours prior to serving.

BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing

I got this recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe. My modifications are in *red. I really liked this even though I had doubts about the dressing when I finger tasted it. Dan despises mayonnaise or anything like it, so he didn't really enjoy it. But Dad tried it all and said he liked it, so I consider it a winner!

BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing

Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing

1 c. mayonnaise, light or regular *I used light Miracle Whip
1/3 c. milk
1/3 c. buttermilk *I just used whole milk here, I’m sure you could just use 2/3 c. milk total
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 garlic clove, finely minced *I used the bottle stuff – 1 tsp. I think?
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper *I just did ¼ tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 to 1/2 c. BBQ sauce *I did the full ½ c.

Combine all the ingredients together and whisk (or shake, if using a jar) vigorously to combine. You could also run this through a blender to make it even more smooth. *I used my hand blender. 
Refrigerate until ready to serve.


BBQ Chicken Salad

*Note: this recipe calls for already cooked chicken so plan ahead! I like to cook my chicken in the crockpot, using frozen chicken breasts and about 1 cup of chicken broth for every 2 chicken breasts. I cook on low for about 4-5 hours and then shred and refrigerate (or freeze) for later.

3 c. cooked, shredded chicken
2 c. BBQ sauce
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cored and chopped
2 romaine hearts, chopped
1/2 red onion diced
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
1.5 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, cubed small or shredded
4 oz. Monterey jack cheese, cubed small or shredded

Combine the cooked chicken and BBQ sauce in a medium bowl.
Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large bowl, toss together the iceberg lettuce, romaine lettuce, red onion, cilantro, corn, black beans and cheese.
Toss the mixed salad with about 1/4 to 1/2 c. of the dressing, if desired. Otherwise, you can serve the dressing on the side.
Place salad on plates and top with the prepared BBQ chicken and additional dressing.

Serves 4-6.

Chinese Chicken Salad

This is the yummy salad that Faith Watabe would always make...  from the good ol' days in Houston.


Chinese Chicken Salad

DRESSING
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. MSG (optional)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1/2 c. salad oil

Combine all but salad oil & dissolve over low heat.
Cool, then add salad oil.
(Best if made ahead of time - refrigerate until ready to serve.) 


SALAD
3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1-6 scallions, sliced diagonally
1/4 c. sesame seeds, toasted
1 small pkg. slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 pkg. rice sticks

Cook chicken in water with 1-2 slices of fresh ginger. Drain, cool & shred.
Deep fry rice sticks & drain on paper towel.
Shred lettuce & toss with almonds, sesame seeds, scallions & 1 tsp. grated ginger.
Just before serving, add fried rice sticks & chicken and toss with dressing.

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad

This is the pasta salad we had at the family gathering on June 26, 2010.  I happened to really like it, don't know about everyone else...  :)
(Recipe found on Pioneer Woman.)

Sundried Tomato Pasta Salad


DRESSING:
     1 jar sundried tomatoes (7 oz.)
     4 cloves garlic
     3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
     1 c. extra virgin olive oil
     salt & pepper, to taste

SALAD:
     16 oz. corkscrew pasta (rotini/spiral)
     1 jar Kalamata or assorted olives
     1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes (cut in halves)
     10 leaves fresh basil (10-15 leaves), chopped or julienne
     1.5 c. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Preparation Instructions

DRESSING:

In a blender combine sundried tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar until tomatoes are chopped. Continue blending while drizzling in olive oil, until all mixed together.  (Ingredients might still separate a bit.)

PASTA:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until no longer hot.

Pour 2/3 of the dressing over the pasta; add olives and toss together.
Add remaining ingredients, tossing together and adding more dressing until the salad is coated to your liking.

Serve chilled on a big platter or in a big bowl, with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Margene's Special Shrimp Salad

This is the salad Mom would always make when we had fancy dinners... you remember, the ones with round steak for the kids.  ;)

Margene's Special Shrimp Salad

2 c. cooked sm. shell macaroni
2 Tbsp. diced onion 
1.5 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. red pimento (optional - I never had any to add to the salad)
1 sm. can shrimp
3-4 shredded carrots
salt & pepper

Dressing:
2/3 c. Miracle Whip
1 tsp. mustard
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Mix altogether and chill.

Margene's Famous Potato Salad

This is mom's recipe as she gave it... this variation of the recipe has some ratios and other details in it.

Margene's Famous Potato Salad

Potatoes

Celery
Cucumber
Dill Pickle
Green Onion
Miracle Whip
Mustard
Hard-Boiled Eggs
Paprika

Boil some potatoes, then peel and dice.
Add chopped: celery, cucumber, dill pickle, green onion
Mix with Miracle Whip and mustard.
When well mixed, add chopped egg.
Garnish with a sliced egg and paprika sprinkled on top.
Chill.

Instant Pot version here.

Caribbean Sweet Pork Salad (aka Cafe Rio Salad)

Caribbean Sweet Pork Salad (aka Cafe Rio Salad)

Serves 6


SERVING

6 flour tortillas, warmed
2-4 c. cooked white rice, warmed
3 c. Sweet Pork, warmed (see recipe below)
1 can black beans, warmed
1 head romaine lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces
Pico de Gallo (see recipe below)
Cilantro Ranch Dressing (see recipe below)
Shredded cheddar cheese for topping

Place a warm tortilla in a bowl or on a plate.
Place approximately 1/3 c. rice, 1/3 c. sweet pork, and 1/3 c. beans on the tortilla.
Place lettuce over beans.
Sprinkle with Pico de Gallo over the salad as desired.
Drizzle with cilantro ranch dressing and sprinkle cheese as desired.
Serve and enjoy!


CARIBBEAN SWEET PORK

Serves 12
Prep time:  5 minutes
Cook time:  6-8 hours

4 lb. pork shoulder roast
1 c. Pace picante sauce
2 c. brown sugar
Salt & pepper to taste

Remove pork roast form packaging and wash.  (Don't cut the roast to expedite cooking time.)
In a bowl, mix picante sauce and brown sugar.  Stir until sugar is mostly dissolved.
In a crock pot, place the roast in the cooker and cover with the sugar mixture.
Place on low-medium heat, cover and simmer.  Check it every hour or so the rotate roast in the juices.  The roast will eventually produce enough juices to make the right consistency, so do not add water or remove any liquid.
Once the roast is fully cooked (6-8 hours), use a fork to separate the meat into smaller segments.  Cover and continue to keep warm.
If it appears to be too juicy, turn slow cooker down to its lowest setting, remove the cover and let it reduce as needed.
Any remaining meat from the meal can be refrigerated, frozen, or canned for future use.


PICO DE GALLO

1 c. diced tomatoes (remove seeds)
1/3 c. diced red onion
1 diced jalapeno (at least a Tbsp, but more if you prefer)
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 limes, juiced (about 1/3 c.)
1 Tbsp. cilantro, plus extra for garnish
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and stir well.
Refrigerate to keep chilled.


CILANTRO RANCH DRESSING

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch buttermilk ranch dressing (prepare according to pkg. directions)
3 Tbsp. salsa verde (found near traditional salsa in grocery store)
1/4 bunch of cilantro
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 c. lime juice
1/8 tsp. tabasco sauce (if desired)

Clean and rinse cilantro and remove large stems.
Pour prepared ranch dressing in a blender and add remaining ingredients.
Blend until cilantro is finely chopped.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until dressing has thickened.

Pretzel Jello Salad

Pretzel Jello Salad

2 c. crushed pretzels
3/4 c. melted butter
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
8 oz. Cool Whip
1 c. powdered sugar
1 lg. box raspberry,strawberry or blackberry Jello
2 c. frozen berries of any kind

Mix together pretzels, melted butter and 2 Tbsp. powdered sugar.
Press into a 9x13 inch pan.
Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cool.
Mix cream cheese, Cool Whip and 1 c. powdered sugar; pour over pretzel crust.
Dissolve Jello in 2 c. boiling water.
Add 2 packages of frozen berries, not drained.
Mix well and pour over cream cheese.
Chill for a couple hours.

Classic Orange Jello Salad

This might be a no-brainer to some, but I wanted to include it, seeing as how it's a family favorite and all...

Classic Orange Jello Salad

1 small pkg orange jello
1 cup boiling water
1 cup orange juice
1 can mandarin oranges, drained

Mix the boiling water into jello powder, until dissolved (approximately 2 minutes).
Stir in orange juice.
Pour in mandarin oranges and stir to spread evenly through liquid.
Chill at least 4 hours until set.

Margene’s Crown Jewel Dessert

Mom's classic, plain-Jello holiday salad.

Margene’s Crown Jewel Dessert

1 pkg. (3 oz.) each Jello Orange, Cherry, and Lime
(I just used 2 red ones and 1 green one) {I like this recipe for Thanksgiving, using orange, yellow, & green}
4 c. boiling water
1 ½ c. cold water
1 pkg. (3 oz.) Jello Lemon
¼ c. sugar
½ c. pineapple juice
1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip

Prepare the 3 flavors of gelatin separately, using 1 c. boiling water and ½ c. cold water for each.
Pour each flavor into an 8-inch square or cake pan.
Chill until firm, or overnight.
Then combine the lemon gelatin, sugar, and remaining 1 c. boiling water; stir until gelatin and sugar are dissolved.
Stir in pineapple juice.
Chill until slightly thickened.
Blend the Cool Whip into the slightly thickened lemon jello.
Cut the firm jellos into ½-inch cubes.
Fold in gelatin cubes. Pour into bowl.
Chill at least 5 hours, or overnight.