Allrecipes Easy Waldorf Fruit Salad

There's a lot of different versions of the Waldorf Salad out there but I chose one that was easy and wasn't expensive to make. When it comes to making a good green salad, it can get really expensive once you started adding in certain types of cheese and fruits. This is a simple recipe that was inexpensive to make. I think it's better if it sits in your fridge for several hours before served. 

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 apples - peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 cup celery, thinly sliced and chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins

Preparations: 

1. In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice and salt. 
2. Add remaining ingredients. Stir really well and store in fridge until ready to be eaten.

Better Homes and Garden's Macaroni Salad

My husband reminded me at 8:30 p.m. last night that I had agreed to make two dishes for his potluck beekeeper meeting. With the food poisoning and all, it really slipped my mind.  Like completely and totally - it wasn't even a thought in my blonde head. So, instead of going to bed as I desperately wanted to,  I made this salad. No, he did not get a second dish. I was much too optimistic when I volunteered the second one.

Macaroni salads are good for two reasons. 1) They are easy to make and 2) Most of the ingredients on our hand if you do any sort of cooking or have kids. 'Tis the season to bring side dishes and what not to holiday gatherings. If you have a "moment" - try this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
• 3/4 cup cubed cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes (I don't like these so I left them out)
• 1/2 cup frozen peas (I used green peppers instead)
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1/4 cup chopped sweet or dill pickles or sweet or dill relish (so many choices!)
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• black pepper
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• Cayenne pepper is you like spice. Add to taste.

Preparations:

1. Cook and drain pasta according to directions. Rinse with cold water and let completely cool.
2. While pasta is boiling, cook the eggs until they are hard boiled. They need to cool before you chop them into small pieces.
3. In a big bowl - mix cold pasta, cheese, celery, peas, radishes, and onion. 
4. In a small bowl - mix salad dressing or mayonnaise with milk, pickles (or relish), salt, pepper and cayenne if you opted for it. 
5. Pour dressing over pasta and added chopped eggs. Mix really well. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours in advance. (The "in advance" is the only way to go if you are busy with work and blah, blah, blah.)

Romaine Salad with Bacon and Feta Cheese

No story here. Just needed a new way to make a green salad. Still like the other green salad with cranberries and feta cheese better. This is still good though.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of Romaine lettuce, washed, drained and torn into pieces
• 2 strips of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 cup of Feta cheese
• 1/2 cup of dried cranberries
• 2 teaspoons Balsamic vinaigrette
• 2 tablespoons of Olive oil

Preparations:

1. Mix oil and Balsamic vinaigrette. 
2. Pour over clean lettuce. Mix well. 
3. Add cheese, cranberries and bacon. Stir thoroughly. 
4. Serve immediately.

Cucumber and Tomato salad

I've got a Joy of Cooking cookbook that my aunt got when she married back in 1985. I seriously hope they've updated the book since then because it's a pain in the butt to read and there are very few pictures so I never really know if the recipe actually turned out looking like it's supposed to. This recipe is adaption of one their "hard to read ones". This recipe can be high in calories or low, depending on whether you use the full fat sour cream. I chose to use fat free sour cream which is 20 calories per serving. It's really light and the taste is subtle. It's an awesome choice for a light salad on a hot summer day.

Ingredients:

• 1 long cucumber, sliced
• 1 large tomato (cut in four pieces and then slice)
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1 teaspoon of dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon shredded onion
• 1 tablespoon green pepper, chopped

Preparations:

1. Mix sour cream, dill weed, salt, onion and green pepper.
2. Combine tomatoes and cucumbers in a bowl.
3. Either add sauce to tomatoes and cucumbers or dish up vegetables and dip into sauce.

Paula Deen's New Potato and Green Been Salad

When I'm not on a diet, I'm a fan of Paula Deen's food. I meant to make a potato salad this summer but I never got the chance. So if you're interested, here's Paula and how to make her deli potato salad.

(P.S. - Happy Birthday to Big Al if he sees this!)