MOLDED SALAD

You have just made the perfect molded salad for your dinner party.

You take the salad from the refrigerator and turn it upside down on the serving platter.

It won’t come out….

Don’t worry! This is an easy fix!

Fill up your sink with warm/hot water.

Hold the molded salad in the water, making sure that no water goes over the top.

Remove from the water and place pan on an absorbent towel.

Using a butter knife, gently place the knife between the salad and the mold and run the knife around the outside/inside edges.

Place your serving platter on top of the salad and then holding pan firmly to the platter flip over.

Shake the mold/platter gently and you should feel the salad loosen and drop to the platter.

If nothing happens, repeat the process until the mold lifts off.

BROCCOLI & CAULIFLOWER

After preparing broccoli or cauliflower florets, set aside the stem trimmings.

Peel the stems, then julienne or dice and add to your favorite soup, salad or stir fry.

You can freeze them in freezer containers for future use for up to 3 months.

Fruit Salad Frenzy

You are going to a buffet style dinner and you have been asked to bring a fruit salad. What in the world are you going to bring, and what goes into a fruit salad so that it tastes good? Here are some ideas for combinations that go well together. You don't need to use a dressing, but if you like you can drizzle with a bit of honey for some added sweetness.

Salad 1 - Pineapple, Apricot and Sweet Cherries
Salad 2 - Watermelon, Peaches, and Orange
Salad 3 - Grapefruit, Banana, Berries or Sweet Cherries
Salad 4 - Peaches, Pears, Plums
Salad 5 - Pineapple, Banana, and Strawberries

Dice your choice ingredients all approximately the same size and mix well in a large bowl. Chill well, but not longer than 3 or 4 hours.

Salad Topplings

Do you have leftover ham, turkey or chicken? Not enough for a complete meal or serving? Finely chop it up and use it on your favorite green salad for some extra protein.

Timing Salad

When you are making chicken salad or any other dish using pre-cooked chicken allow plenty of time for your recipe to sit before serving.

Unless the recipe specifically says to serve immediately, tightly seal and store the mixture as recommended in the recipe for at least 2 hours.

The longer the mixture sits, the more flavorful your recipe will be.

CROUTONS

You are making up a fabulous salad and you want to throw on some croutons. Don't go out to the store and buy the stale ol' box of croutons, make your own fresh, it is really simple.

Take out a few pieces of fresh bread, and using your pizza cutter or a sharp knife cut it into 1/2 inch cubes.

Spread them out onto a shallow baking pan and bake in a 350º preheated oven for 30 minutes or so until they are golden brown.

Remove from the oven and let cool on wire racks.

If you want to spice it up a bit, melt a tablespoon of butter for each slice of bread and toss your bread cubes in it before baking.

Then toss in 1/4 tsp garlic powder and a dash of salt for each slice of bread.

Bake in a preheated 300º oven for about 30 minutes.

Let cool on wire racks and store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

To perk up a bit before each use, reheat in a preheated 300º oven for 5-8 minutes until crisp again.

I allow about 2/3 piece of bread for each serving because I just love croutons!

FRUIT SALAD TO GO

If you are having a picnic or camping you can make a quick and easy fruit salad. Before you leave, in a gallon size zip lock bag, combine a cup of coconut and a small box of vanilla pudding.

Take with you a can of pineapple tidbits and a can of fruit cocktail, the bag of coconut and a can opener.

About 20 minutes before you are ready to eat, open the fruit and dump the contents (juice and all) into the bag with the pudding and coconut.

Gently knead to mix the contents, place in cooler until ready to serve.

AVOCADO PREPERATION

Everyone knows that Avocados make great guacamole, but it is hard to find a good recipe to make any other kind of dip or salad for parties.

I ran across this recipe for a great party salad with avocados. A little goes a long way and it has superb flavor.

First you have to know how to dice an avocado. This is actually a lot easier than you think.

Cut an avocado in half from small end to big end all the way around.

Grasping one half of the avocado in each hand with the cut in the middle gently twist the avocado halves in opposite directions.

This will break the pit out of one half of the avocado.

Set aside the part with out the pit.

Place the avocado half with the pit still in it on a cutting surface.

Take a sharp knife and hit the seed with the sharp edge of the knife like a hammer. (Please watch out for your fingers and hand!!!)

The knife will lodge in the pit.

Gently hold the avocado and twist the knife to remove the pit.

Hold an avocado half in one hand, using a table knife cut the meat to the shell (being careful not to cut the shell itself) in horizontal slices about ½ inch apart.

Turn the avocado and repeat until all of the meat is scored to the shell.

Over your bowl, gently push the center of the shell toward the scored pieces. This will in essence turn the avocado inside out, in the process your pieces will separate and fall off of the shell into your bowl.

Repeat with the other side of the avocado.

For the salad, coarsely chop up and fry 8 slices of bacon over medium heat until crisp.

Remove the bacon from the pan and place on a paper towel to drain.

Remove all of the bacon fat from the pan except about 2 tablespoons.

Lower the heat under the pan to Med-Low and sauté ½ cup of Onion that has been finely chopped.

Add ¼ cup vinegar, 1 tsp. lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper to the onion.

Cook for about 3 more minutes to blend the flavors.

Add the bacon to the onion mixture, combine well and remove from the heat.

Prepare 2-3 avocado’s as listed above (about 2 cups prepared).

Place the avocado’s into a medium sized bowl and pour the warm onion & bacon mixture over them.

Serve warm, or let sit for a half an hour to allow flavors to mingle.

Serving Suggestions: Serve on lettuce leaves, garnish with fresh diced tomato’s if desired.