Cooking 101

The weather has been so hot around here the last few days that it has made me not want to cook...okay, for those of you who know me, you know I don't like to cook even in perfect weather...but it was a good lead in to my topic...Cooking 101 - Salads...

I remember when a salad use to be just a bowl of lettuce with tomatoes, cucumbers, and dressing...boy have they come a long way baby!

In honor of the heat, I thought I would share some simple salad recipes:

Strawberry-Spinach Salad with Champagne Dressing

3 TBL brut champagne, champagne vinegar, or white wine vinegar
1 TBL Strawberry spreadable fruit
1 tsp vegetable oil
5 cups rinsed baby spinach
2 cups strawberries, halved and hulled
1/4 sliced unsalted, dry-roasted almonds

Dressing:

Mix first 3 ingredients in a jar (or other container that has a lid so you can shake the dressing up). After you shake the dressing, put it in the fridge for later when you serve the salad.

Salad:

Place baby spinach in bowls (tear the spinach if you want smaller pieces). Top the spinach with strawberries and pour dressing over salad. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with almonds. Enjoy!


Layered Orange Treat Salad

2 (3 oz) pkg orange or orange-pineapple Jell-O
2 Cups boiling water
1 pint orange sherbet
1 (11 oz) can mandarin oranges, drained and juice reserved

Dissolve 1 package Jell-O in 1 cup boiling water. Blend in sherbet. Pour into 1 1/2 quart mold. Freeze until firm. Dissolve remaining Jell-O in remaining boiling water. Combine reserved juice and enough cold water to make 1 cup. Add to Jell-O. Stir. Mix in mandarin oranges. Pour over frozen layer. Chill until firm or for at least 30 minutes. Unmold. Serves 8-10...

Enjoy!