Pina Colada Salad

The newspaper clipping is old. Yellowed. I have no idea which newspaper it came from. I've kept it for a long, long time just waiting for the moment when I found it at the same time I actually needed it. Know what I mean? So I'm sharing it with everyone so that we all can enjoy it.

 

Pina Colada Salad

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
One 15 1/2-ounce can unsweetened pineapple chunks, drain and reserve syrup
water
1/2 cup sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
Two 3-ounce packages cream cheese
1 orange peeled, sectioned and chopped
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup coconut

Soften gelatin in cold water. Let stand 5 minutes.

Add enough water to pineapple syrup to make 1 cup. Heat to boiling, add gelatin and stir. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, lemon juice and cream cheese. Blend, then chill until partially set.

Add pineapple, orange, pecans and coconut. Spoon into lightly greased (use  non-stick spray) 1-quart mold. Chill.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Classic Cole Slaw

Okay. I’ll admit it. I don’t like Cole Slaw. I just don’t. I know it’s not real Southern of me but it just is the way it is. That said, most folks in my world love it. And sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. That means preparing a food because other people like it.

Classic Cole Slaw

1 cup BEST FOODS Real, Light or Cholesterol Free Reduced Calorie Mayonnaise
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
½ cup thinly sliced green pepper

Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, sugar and salt. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover. Chill.

Makes 6 cups.

New West Chicken Salad

This recipe comes from the folks over at Best Foods. I found it on one of those little recipe cards. It was likely originally in a magazine. I hope you enjoy it.

New West Chicken Salad

¾ cup BEST FOODS Real, Light or Cholesterol Free Reduced Calorie Mayonnaise
½ teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 ½ cups red seedless grapes
1 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup sliced green onions
½ cup broken walnuts

Combine mayonnaise, ground ginger and salt. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover. Chill. If desired, garnish with additional walnuts.

Makes 5 ½ cups.

Tuna Salad with a Twist

Okay. I’ll admit it. I’ve never even thought about putting lime juice in a tuna salad. Never. But I like the idea so I think I’m going to give it a try. Of course, my version won’t have the cucumber in it but that’s just my personal taste buds speaking. This recipe come from the folks over at Best Foods.

Tuna Salad with a Twist

¾ cup BEST FOODS Real, Light or Cholesterol Free Reduced Calorie Mayonnaise
3 tablespoons lime juice
½ teaspoon grated lime peel
2 cans (6 ½ oz. each) tuna, drained and flaked
1 medium red pepper, cubed
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seed and chopped
1/3 cup sliced green onions

Combine mayonnaise, lime juice and grated lime peel. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover. Chill.

Makes 4 cups.

Creamy Italian Pasta Salad

This recipe comes from the folks at BEST FOODS, who make the most wonderful mayonnaise. This salad is perfect for when you need a salad that’s just a little bit above the rest.

Creamy Italian Pasta Salad

1 cup BEST FOODS Real, Light or Cholesterol Free Reduced Calorie Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ cups twist macaroni, cooked, drained
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
½ cup chopped green pepper
½ cup sliced ripe olives

Combine mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover. Chill.

Makes 3 cups.

Heavenly Ambrosia

This recipe comes from the November 1990 Redbook magazine. Ambrosia is a favorite around our family table during the holidays.

Heavenly Ambrosia

1 fresh, ripe pineapple, 3 to 3 ½ lbs., peeled, cored and cut into about ten ½-inch slices, or one 20-oz. can sliced pineapple, drained
10 seedless oranges
2 large, firm, ripe bananas, about 1 lb., cut into ½-inch slices, about 1 ½ cups
1 ½ cups grated coconut, fresh or frozen, or one 3 ½-oz. can flaked coconut, toasted
¼ cup maraschino cherries, stemmed and halved

Place pineapple in large bowl.

Peel oranges with small sharp knife, removing orange skin and all white pith; slice thinly and add juice and all to bowl with pineapple.

Toss bananas, coconut and cherries gently but thoroughly with fruit in bowl.

Serve ambrosia in large, deep platter or bowl.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

To prepare fresh grated coconut, pierce “eyes” of one small coconut with ice-pick or nail; drain off and discard clear liquid. Bake coconut in preheated 375 degree oven about 20 minutes until shell cracks. Tap shell with hammer to loosen meat; tap hard to crack shell open. Remove coconut meat from shell; peel off brown skin with small sharp knife or vegetable peeler. Cut meat into 1-inch chunks; grate in food processor or with hand grater. Store unused coconut in airtight plastic bag in freezer up to 6 months.

To toast coconut, heat dry 12-inch skillet over medium heat; add coconut; cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently until golden. Cool before using.

Sunny Fruit Fiesta

This recipe comes from Healthy Meals in Minutes. It’s on one of those little cards that you get in the mail, so I figure that’s where I got it. I LOVE fruit salad. In fact, we made one this afternoon. We used yellow and red watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, green and red grapes, apples and pears in it. Absolutely wonderful!

Both of these versions of fruit salad look wonderful. I’m especially excited to try the tropical fruit version because I love fresh pineapple.

Sunny Fruit Fiesta

1 cantaloupe melon, halved and seeded
½ honeydew melon, seeded
¼ cup superfine or granulated sugar
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons grated lime peel
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup black or red seedless grapes

Using a melon baller, scoop flesh from cantaloupe and honeydew into balls; set aside.

In a large glass or ceramic bowl, combine the sugar, lime juice, lemon juice, and lime peel. Stir well to dissolve sugar. Add the cantaloupe and honeydew balls, strawberries, and grapes. Toss gently to combine.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to blend flavors, stirring once or twice.

Spoon the fruit mixture into serving bowls or hollowed-out melon halves, dividing evenly. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Variation:
For a tropical fruit version, substitute kiwi slices, pineapple chunks, papaya slices or mango cubes for some of the melon balls. Add a little grated fresh ginger or ground ginger. A dash of coconut extract would also make an intriguing addition. Try serving this version in a hallowed-out pineapple half.

Tip:
A perfectly ripe cantaloupe will have a sweet, fresh fragrance. It should feel heavy for its size and give slightly at both ends when gently pressed. If the cantaloupe is soft, yellowing, or feels wet at the stem end, pass it by.

To ripen a hard cantaloupe, store it in a warm place for several days, away from sunlight. Once it is ripe, refrigerate and use within a week.

For a melon basket:
Use a non-toxic marker to draw a zigzag pattern on melon. Cut deeply into fruit along pattern, separate halves, seed, and fill with fruit.

Tomato, Onion and Cucumber Salad

My mother found this recipe in the free magazine, Eat Healthy Your Way. She loves tomatoes, onions and cucumbers so it’s perfect for her. And it was just in time for the senior citizens’ game night where everyone was supposed to bring a salad.

Summer Tomato, Onion and Cucumber Salad

3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon honey
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or more to taste
2 medium cucumbers
4 medium tomatoes, cut into ½-inch wedges
1 Vidalia or other swee onion, halved and very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, chives and/or tarragon

Whisk vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper in a large shallow bowl.

Remove alternating stripes of peel from the cucumers, Slice the cucumbers into thin rounds. Add the cucumber slices, tomatoes and onion to the dressing; gently toss to combine. Let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Just before serving, add herbs and toss again.

Makes 6 servings, about 1 ½ cups each.

Jello Dessert

I have no idea where this recipe came from. The name on it says Gloria. I don't know a Gloria. I don't think I ever have. So I obviously got it from someone who got it from someone. How far back it goes, probably nobody knows. That's the way of things in the South. Regardless, it's a quick and easy recipe. It's also perfect for those times when you need to take a covered dish but need to fix it ahead of time.

Jello Dessert

12 oz light whipped cream cheese
20 oz can crushed pineapple
can of Reddiwhip whipped topping
bag of mini marshmallows
4 oz package gelatin, any flavor
chopped pecans (optional)

Put cream cheese in bowl. Squirt in Reddiwhip and blend the two together. Add gelatin and mix. Add pineapple with juice and chopped pecans. Mix. Add 1/4 of the bag of marshmallows and mix well.

Place in refrigerator for at least one hour. Serve chilled.

Orange Salad

Some folks love congealed salads. Are you one of them? My mother is. She's forever searching for a recipe that everyone will eat. This one comes pretty close.



It's also really good for that extra dish when you're serving a crowd. And it's a good make-ahead dish for when you need to take something somewhere but don't have time to bake it and take it while it's warm. This goes in the refrigerator until it's firm and then on to wherever you need it. That's perfect for a busy schedule.

Orange Salad

1 small box of orange jello
1 small can of Mandarin oranges (8.4 oz. size)
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 can Eagle Brand milk
1 9-oz. tub of Cool Whip
1 cup chopped nuts (We use pecans)



Drain all the fruits, saving all the juice. Bring the juice to a boil. Dissolve the jello in the juice, then add all the other ingredients. Mix well. Pour into a dish. Place dish in the refrigerator until firm. I prefer to make it a day ahead.



Enjoy!