Autumn Chopped Salad

I have made Autumn Chopped Salad a few times now because it is so tasty!  This salad makes a great side dish or even a light meal anytime of the year!  

Ingredients (printable recipe)
6-8 cups chopped romaine lettuce
2 medium pears, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup roasted pecans, chopped
8 slices crisp cooked bacon, crumbled
4-6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
Poppy Seed salad dressing like T. Marzetti's
Balsamic vinaigrette
Directions
1. On a large platter or shallow bowl, combine lettuce, pears, cranberries, pecans, bacon and feta. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together poppy seed and balsamic dressings. Use about 70 percent poppy seed and 30 percent balsamic vinagrette. Whisk until combined and drizzled over salad and enjoy!

Adapted from Espresso and Cream

I whisked the poppy seed and balsamic vinaigrette together before drizzling on top of the salad.

The Results...
I really like the combination of ingredients in this salad.  Everything tastes great together and there isn't anything "weird" that the kids won't eat. 

I share recipes at these link parties.

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Broccoli Salad

I first found and shared this recipe for Broccoli Salad almost 2 1/2 years ago.  I can't believe it's been that long!

I'm reposting this recipe because it is still a family favorite.  We have made this many times over the last 2 1/2 years.  It's a great dish to bring to parties, potlucks, picnics and barbecues.  I've also made this at Christmastime because of the pretty, bright red and green colors in this salad.   I updated the photo and added a printable recipe.  Enjoy!

Ingredients (Printable Recipe) 

1 head broccoli
1 pint grape tomatoes

6 to 8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup finely chopped red or white onion

1/2 cup golden raisins

4 or 5 ounces cheddar cheese (our favorite is Hickory Farms smoked cheddar)

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Trim off the large leaves from the broccoli stem. Remove the tough stalk at the end and wash broccoli head thoroughly. Cut the head into flowerets. Place in a large bowl. Wash tomatoes and add to bowl. Add the crumbled bacon, onion, raisins and cheese. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients to make the dressing, stirring well. Add to broccoli mixture and toss gently.

Adapted from Paula Deen's recipe on foodnetwork.com

Results...
Everyone in our family likes this salad.  Even my 6 yr. old (who says she, "hates broccoli") likes this salad.  I found a way to get her to eat broccoli!  This is one of our family's favorite ways to eat broccoli!


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Roasted Red Pepper and Fresh Basil Pasta Salad

Pasta salad is one of my favorite summer side dishes.  It's cool and fresh.  You can make it ahead and keep it in the fridge.  It's easy to transport to picnics, parties, potlucks and BBQs.  You can customize it with whatever fresh veggies you have on hand.  Add some meat and you have a light summer supper.

I really like roasted red peppers and I really like fresh basil.  When I found this recipe I was curious how these two ingredients would taste together in a pasta salad. 

Ingredients (printable recipe)

12 oz jar roasted red pepper (or 1-2 roasted red peppers)

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)

fresh ground black pepper

1 bunch fresh basil leaf, cut into 1/8 strips, about 1/2 cup

1/2 lb feta cheese, dried and crumbled

1 lb bowties, penne, rotini or any other pasta you like for pasta salad

Directions

1.  Pat dry and slice peppers into ¼” wide strips, lengthwise.  Cut strips in half and place in a large bowl.

2.  Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper.

3.  Toss dressing with the red pepper strips.

4.  Stack the basil leaves on top of one another and roll up. Slice the leaves crosswise into thin ribbons. This is called a “chiffonade."

5.  Toss the basil leaves with the peppers. Set aside to marinate for 1 hour.

6.  Cook the pasta al dente in large pot of boiling water with 1 tablespoons each salt and olive oil. Drain, rinse briefly and cool to room temperature.

7.  Combine pasta with marinated peppers and dressing.

8.  Add crumbled feta cheese. Taste and adjust salt, add liberal grindings of black pepper.

9.  Cool salad in fridge 1-2 hours before serving or salad may be chilled overnight and brought to room temperature 1 - 2 hours before serving.

10.  Garnish with basil chiffonade, if desired.

Adapted from Food.com

The marinated red pepper and basil

I used some pretty, colored bow tie pasta 

The Results...
Mixed reviews.  My husband thought the lemon was too strong and mixed with the basil, it tasted like floor cleaner.  Pine-Sol Pasta anyone?  However, my son really liked it and gave it 4 out of 5 stars.  But, he also LOVES anything lemony.  The little girls and I thought it was OK.  I would try using less lemon next time, maybe leave out the lemon zest or reduce the lemon juice.  I think adding some grilled chicken and maybe some tomatoes or other veggies would turn this pasta salad into a healthy meal.  Roasted Red Pepper and Fresh Basil Pasta Salad was OK.  If I try this again, I will make some changes so that hopefully, we will all really like it.

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BLT Chicken Salad

With the sun shining outside and a warm breeze blowing through the open kitchen windows, I feel like making something a little lighter for dinner.  I really enjoy this time of year when the weather is turning warm and spring is just around the corner.  I've decided to make a salad for dinner.  It still needs to be hearty and filling.  Will BLT Chicken Salad be just what I'm looking for?

Ingredients (Printable Recipe)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

4 tablespoons barbecue sauce (we like Stubbs)

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon pepper

8 cups torn salad greens

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (I baked the bacon)

2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the first five ingredients; mix well.

Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Place salad greens on a large serving platter. Sprinkle with tomatoes, chicken and bacon; garnish with eggs. Drizzle with dressing. Serves 8.

Source: Allrecipes

The Results...
Everyone enjoyed this salad.  The chicken, bacon and eggs helped make this salad hearty enough to serve for dinner.  The dressing was different, but good.  It was creamy and tangy.  The BBQ sauce and lemon juice gave the dressing a unique flavor.  Next time I will double the dressing.  We needed more.  BLT Chicken Salad was the lighter, but still hearty dinner I was looking for to end a beautiful, sunny, almost spring day!

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Peach Chicken Salad

My husband made these rotisserie chickens recently.  They were delicious!  He's the Grill Master at our house.  Not only did he make us a delicious dinner, but I was happy he made extra chicken for leftovers, too.  Leftover chicken always makes the next meal quicker and easier.  For our next meal I'm trying Peach Chicken Salad.  It's certainly different from any salads we've had before: peaches, chicken, cucumber and mint?  How will this all taste together?  I can't quite imagine how the flavors will combine.  I figure this salad will either be a surprising hit or a complete disaster.  I guess I'll just have to make it and see.

Ingredients (recipe from allrecipes.com submitted by Priscilla Gilbert)

3 medium fresh peaches, peeled and

cubed

2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast

1 medium cucumber, seeded and

chopped

3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

MINT VINAIGRETTE:

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup minced fresh mint

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

4 lettuce leaves

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the peaches, chicken, cucumber and onion; set aside. In a blender, combine the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mint, salt and pepper; cover and process until smooth. Drizzle over chicken mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate until chilled. Use a slotted spoon to serve on lettuce-lined plates.

 The fresh ingredients

Pouring the vinaigrette over the salad

The Results...

This was definitely NOT a hit at our house, but I wouldn't say it was a complete disaster, either.  First, let's start with the positive.  I was surprised that our little 2 yr. old seemed to like this salad.  She ate all the peaches and chicken on her plate.  She's usually our pickiest eater.  One positive thing our older kids could say about this was that they liked the cucumbers, but only the cucumbers.  Luckily, we had other leftovers in the refrigerator that night since they couldn't eat their salads for dinner.  I ate my entire salad while trying to decide what I thought about it.  I found the combination of flavors interesting: sweet peaches, roasted chicken, fresh cucumber, sweet onion, a tangy and sweet mint dressing.  I couldn't quite decide.  So, I ate the kids' salads, too.  Obviously, I didn't hate it, but I couldn't decide if I really liked it?  My husband was working late, so I saved him some salad to try later.  He tried it the next day.  He only took one bite and asked for a drink to wash the flavor out of his mouth.  I gave him a drink and then...I ate the rest of his salad, too.  I decided that I must like it, since I ended up eating almost all of this salad myself.  Personally, I would give this recipe maybe 3 stars, but the rest of the family said 0 stars.  Sorry, Peach Chicken Salad, you didn't make the cut at our house.

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Rotisserie Leg of Lamb with Greek Salad

We tried Greek recipes for Easter dinner this year. Our first recipe was Rotisserie Leg of Lamb. I usually don't like lamb, but my husband does. He especially loves lamb gyros which we figured we could make with leftover lamb. Personally, I've only had lamb a couple of times that I really liked it. So, I had my doubts. My husband followed a recipe from Kalofagas.ca Greek Food and Beyond. This site has great step by step instructions. He followed the recipe closely with only minor changes. He used a semi-boneless Australian leg of lamb and he used just oregano, not Greek oregano. Honestly, I'm not sure what the difference is between oregano and Greek oregano and I couldn't find any Greek oregano at my local grocery store. He also didn't squeeze extra lemon juice on the meat before we ate it.

I'm happy to report that this leg of lamb turned out delicious! It was very tender and juicy. The garlic clove slivers inserted inside added a nice flavor. The basting sauce also nicely flavored the outside. This recipe is a keeper. The kids liked it, too. We would absolutely make this again. In fact, we may have just started a new Easter tradition!

I thought the Greek Salad was a nice light addition to the lamb. I made two small changes to this recipe that I found on Greeksaladrecipe.net. I used black olives instead of kalamata olives because I already had a case of them in food storage. Also, I only used romaine lettuce. I didn't use any baby greens, but it was still tasty. I tossed everything together including the dressing just before we ate dinner.

Ingredients

1 large Cucumber, chopped

2 Roma (plum) Tomatoes, chopped

1 (5 ounces) jar pitted Kalamata Olives

1 (4 ounces) package Feta Cheese, crumbled

1 Red Onion, halved and thinly sliced

1/2 (10 ounces) package Romaine Lettuce Leaves

1/2 (10 ounces) package Baby Greens

Vinaigrette Dressing

6 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon Dried Oregano

1 teaspoon Dried Basil

1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

1 teaspoon Fresh Lemon Juice

1 1/2 cups Red Wine Vinegar

Preparation

Add chopped cucumber, chopped tomato, Kalamata olives, feta cheese, sliced red onion, romain lettuce, and baby greens to large serving bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, and red wine vinegar.

We also had Onion-Roasted Potatoes with dinner. This isn't a new recipe for us, but it went well with the lamb and everyone likes these potatoes. They are very easy to make.

Ingredients

1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Onion Soup Mix

4 medium all-purpose potatoes, cut into large chunks (about 2 lbs.)

1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used a mild olive oil)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine all ingredients in 13 x 9 baking or roasting pan. Bake, stirring occasionally, 35 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown.

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