Asian Mandarin Orange SaladYou have been reading for a few months now about my mother’s “go to” dinner when company was invited to come over. The menu included Grilled Marinated Flank Steak, Baked Rice with Beef Consummé and this recipe for an Asian citrusy salad. The three recipes complement each other well. The sweet and savory steak along with the mushroom rice and this easy salad were always a hit. You can vary these recipes to your liking and your guests will also be impressed.Chicken Salad Lettuce WrapsI recently traveled to St. Petersburg, Florida, to attend the lovely wedding of my cousin James’s son, Christopher, and his bride Elizabeth. At the end of my trip, I had time at the Tampa airport to get some lunch before my flight. I found a nice restaurant and ordered a chicken salad sandwich. It could have been with french fries, but I opted instead to have a side salad. The chicken salad was delicious, and the salad had a wonderful vinaigrette dressing with sliced radishes. After I returned home, I saw an episode of “Barefoot Contessa” in which Ina Garten was showing how she makes chicken salad. Those two experiences were my inspiration for this recipe.Classic Caesar SaladGarlic Cheese CroutonsI needed some croutons for my French Onion Soup recipe. This recipe for Garlic Cheese Croutons comes from “www.ourbestbites.com”. These croutons are coated with garlic, parsley and cheese. They are crunchy and delicious. You won’t want to go back to store bought croutons after you have tasted these garnished on soup or any of your favorite salads! Becky’s Broccoli Grape Bacon Slaw SaladMike and Becky Polunas are sailing friends of ours. They keep their sailboat, Tan Bare Feet, on the same dock as ours in Oxford, Maryland. Last fall we had a Barbeque and Potluck for all of us on E dock. Along with various other dishes, Becky’s Broccoli Grape Bacon Slaw Salad was a hit! She said she got the recipe from Scott’s Lawn Service Families “Weekender” magazine where they offer $100 for winning recipes. I love the crunchiness of the sunflower seeds and broccoli as well as the sweetness of the grapes and dressing. But the bacon and shredded cheddar cheese brings this dish all together nicely. Karen’s Summer SaladThis is a version of Karen’s Summer Salad that is easy to prepare. Karen Thanning is one of our Danish relatives who lives outside of Copenhagen. She recommends this type of potato salad recipe which uses fresh summer ingredients like steamed small carrots, fresh peas or green beans. Corn on cob is in season as I write this recipe, so I used that as my key vegetable along with roasted grape tomatoes. She also mentioned that this salad goes well with a fish entrée. So I decided to served it with Margie’s Maple Salmon. This salad serves about 6 people as a side dishHomemade Ranch Dip or DressingWhen I’m in the salad dressing section of a supermarket, I’ve been curious about the ranch dressing called Hidden Valley Ranch. It turns out there was a real ranch in Santa Barbara County, California. The owners were running a dude ranch in hidden valley and served their home invented dressing on salad to their guests for dinner. Their version used dried herbs. So, I decided to test this homemade ranch dip or dressing two ways. First the original way with dried and then with fresh herbs. Both are delicious, but if you can find the fresh herbs, that tastes better. What I also like about this recipe is that it is versatile and can be kept in your refrigerator for a couple weeks. I recommend doubling the recipe as you will have plenty to use as a dip for parties or as a salad dressing. For a dip, it will be thicker if you serve it cold. Or if you are using this for a salad dressing, let it come to room temperature and you can drizzle it easily on your greens!Three Bean Pasta SaladThe reason why I love this recipe is that it combines two dishes that are delicious. First a pasta salad and then homemade three bean salad. This is a simple and healthy side that you will enjoy!Corn, Avocado and Tomato SaladThis is a perfect summer salad that is so easy to prepare. And if you want to do it in advance, just hold off on the avocado until the last minute. The combination of corn, avocado and tomato salad with this clean and easy vinaigrette is a treat to accompany anything grilled. Dave and I have it on our boat with pan sautéed or oven roasted fish. This serves 6 as a side dish!Cucumber saladCucumber salad is by far one of my favorite summer side dishes. Who doesn’t enjoy the crunch of a marinated cucumber. This recipe is from my Danish Aunt Karen’s kitchen and the Danes call this Agurke Salat. She also likes to garnish a spoonful of this salad on one of their famous open-faced sandwiches called “Smorrebrod”. I tried this at her home and it was fantastic. And the beauty of this easy to make salad is that it last’s well in the refrigerator for up to a week!Green Pea SaladI have read that green pea salad is a popular southern side dish that can be brought to picnics or potlucks. The salad is very easy to make and lasts quite awhile in the refrigerator. Typically, green pea salad includes cubes of cheddar cheese. But I prefer a less heavy version. Instead, I use cubes of carrots that have been blanched. But you need a little cheese flavor to balance the crispy bacon, so I add some grated cheese. If you love green peas, this cold salad is so tasty that you will find it hard to put your fork down.Seven Layer SaladSeven-layer salad is a bowl of goodness. I think what is fun about this recipe is that you can start by using whatever you already have in your kitchen. Since this is a layered salad with sliced ingredients, it’s easy to use either your food processor or a good knife on cutting board. Typically, seven-layer salads are brought to potlucks or picnics as a side dish that can feed a lot of people. On occasion, Dave and I also enjoy this as our main course with some corn muffins or crusty bread. The first time I had this salad was in the summer of 1980. I remember that year because Mount St. Helens erupted, and we could see the plume of ash from Portland, Oregon. I was living at my college roommate’s home and her mother made this several times that summer while we were working. You will find seven-layer salad to be a staple for many different occasions!Spinach SaladSpinach salad is a healthy and tasty side dish to accompany almost any entrée or all together on its own. And I like having crusty bread with the salad. When I decided to post this recipe, I stopped by Deerfield wines and Dean recommended paring this salad with a Pinot Gris as it would add a crisp taste. And today I learned, there is a difference between grape and cherry tomatoes. Grape tomatoes are oblong and smaller than cherry tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes are round like cherries and sweeter than grape tomatoes.
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