Fruit Salad

Gramma MAS loved compiling fancy fruit salads. My mom took her fruity fun a step further and added whipped cream and pecans to the top of the salad to make it truly irresistible.

FRUIT SALAD
1 cantaloupe, peeled and cut into pieces
2-4 oranges, peeled and cut into pieces
2-4 apples, cored and sliced into pieces
1 pint of strawberries, stems removed and sliced
1 jar of maraschino cherries, juice included
1-2 cans of pineapple chunks, juice included
1/2 bunch of green grapes, removed from stem

optional:
blueberries
blackberries
pomegranate seeds
mini-watermelon
peaches
Basically any fruit you'd like to add. The more the better!
pecans (to top the salad)

Make sure all fruit is washed, prepared and cut into bite size pieces. Compile the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir. Let sit for 10 minutes to let juices combine. In the meantime...

WHIPPED CREAM
1 carton of heavy whipping cream
1 t vanilla
1/4 C powdered sugar (more if you like it sweeter)

Pour cream into a mixing bowl. Add vanilla. Start beating on high with a mixer. Slowly add powdered sugar. Continue to beat until peaks begin to form in the cream. Beat until you achieve desired texture.

Serve fruit salad in a bowl. Top with whipped cream and pecans, if desired.

Milano Salad

My great grandparents migrated from Italy to America at the turn of the century. They brought a vivid love of gardening and vegetables from their homeland. This simple green salad is refreshing and lite in a way that only true Italians would know.

MILANO SALAD

Core ingredients:
1 head of leaf lettuce (red or green)
tomatoes, cut up into desired size
cucumber, peeled and sliced
bell pepper, cored and chopped
celery, cleaned and chopped
2 T light olive oil
1-2 lemons, cut in half and ready to squeeze
1 t Lawry's seasoning salt
1/4 t garlic salt
1/4 t lemon pepper

Optional ingredients:
avocado, pitted and chopped
1 can of black olives, drained
mushrooms, sliced
carrots, sliced
any other type of lettuce
cheese, cubed
anything else you'd like to add to your salad

Cut lettuce into salad sized pieces. Add all other vegetables. Drizzle olive oil over the vegetables. Sprinkle salts and pepper over salad. Squeeze the lemons juice into a small strainer that is atop the salad. Toss the salad, coating all of the vegetables. Taste. Adjust seasonings according to your taste then serve immediately.

Mom's Chicken Pasta Salad

This side dish is a summer smash around my house. My mom discovered this recipe at a church recipe exchange and then made it her own. If you like pasta salad, you'll love this recipe!

A note from Laura, my mom:
Just so you know... my opinion of a salad is that it's a free for all mixture of a variety of items. Measuring is not really necessary and what has been written down is just approximate. After you have assembled and mixed all wanted ingredients, very well, the salad will seem "wet". This is how is should be! If it is not, add more dressing and chicken broth. Before serving, chill for 8 hours (more or less) and you'll see that the pasta will absorb most, if not all, of the "wetness".

Now for the Recipe:

CHICKEN PASTA SALAD
4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed/shredded
*Mom cooks the chicken in water and a Tablespoon of garlic salt. Save some broth for the dressing.
2 bags (12 oz. size) of rainbow rotini (twirl) pasta, cooked, drained and cooled
2 cups of mozzarella cheese, cubed
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup cucumber, diced
1 can of black olives
1/2 of a white onion, diced
1/2 of a red onion, diced
1 bunch of green onions, diced
1 cup dill pickles, diced
1 small package of pepperoni slices, diced
1 small package of frozen peas

Combine all the above ingredients and toss well before adding the dressing.

DRESSING:
2 cups of mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons of yellow mustard
3 Tablespoons of ketchup
1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 Tablespoon salt
1 Tablespoon pepper
chicken broth

Combine all the dressing ingredients except the broth. Stir until smooth. Stir in the broth, a bit at a time, until mixture seems "just right" (not too thick). Add the dressing to the salad and stir well. If salad seems too dry add more broth until it appears "wet". When it's done properly the salad will look like you've added too much dressing and may seem gooey. Chill the salad for 8 hours before serving.