Recipes

*Spaghetti Salad
1/2 pound Sapghetti (wheat) cooked and drained
1 large Zesty Italian Dressing (lite or fat free would be great)
McCormicks Salad Supreme to taste (DO NOT USE MSG-ever) find I have not tried this
1 onion chopped (or without)
2 tomatoes chopped
1 cucumber chopped
1 green pepper chopped (or a red or yellow pepper or all three--just make it contain 1 total pepper)
Mix all together 1 day ahead of time. Keep in refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Tip: Use a bit of lemon juice in your chicken soups.

Tip: Add real vanilla to your store bought cool whip....

*Strawberry Bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups mashed strawberries, drained and juice reserved
1 1/2 cup cooking oil (I will use olive oil, if I can ever bake this)
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup reserved strawberry juice
8 ounces cream cheese, softened

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, sugar,cinnamon and salt. Make a well in the center of mixture. Gently stir in strawberries, oil and eggs. Pour into 2 greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Bake 50-60 minutes. Cook on wire rack. For a topping, blend reserved strawberry juice with cream cheese. Drizzle over cooled loaves. (recipe from Nancy C. Berzinec, A Taste of Strawberries.

*Apricot-Strawberry Salad
6-8 pitted and sliced fresh apricots
1 1/2 cups of stemmed and halved fresh strawberries
3 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup of apricot nectar
1/4 cup of flaked coconut, lightly toasted
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint

In large bowl combine all ingredients; toss and chill. Makes 5 servings. (Adapted from California Strawberry Commission.)

*Fruit Parfait
1/2 cup of canned or fresh peaches, drained
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
1/2 cup Post Raisin Bran cereal

Place peaches in 12 oz. cup; top with layers of cottage cheese and add cereal last. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!

*Cranberry Mousse
1 can (16oz) jellied cranberry sauce
1 cup cranberry juice
1 package (3oz) cranberry or raspberry Jello
1 cup of heavy whipping cream, whipped

In a large saucepan, bring the cranberry sauce and juice to a boil; cook and stir until smooth. Stir in Jello until disolved. Cool slightly; transfer to bowl. Refigerate for 1 hour or until mixture begins to thicken. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon into dessert dishes. Chill for 3-4 hours or until firm. 6 servings

*Crab Spread
1 (8oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped dill
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
2 cups lump crabmeat, picked over to remove any shell

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese until smooth. Add sour cream, lemon juice, dill, and horseradish. Mix well and stir in crabmeat. Store in a coverage container in refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve the same day. Makes two cups.

*Apricot Glazed Carrots
4 cups small baby carrots
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons lemon juice

In a medium sauce pan, cover carrots with water and bring to a boil. Cook until fork-tender. Drain the carrots and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the melted butter, preserves, salt, orange peel, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Mix well. Add mixture to the carrots and stir thoroughly. Serve warm.

*Tropical Carrot Salad
2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 (11oz) can of mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup grated coconut
1 cup pineapple chunks, drained
1 (8oz) sour cream

In a large mixing bowl, combine the carrots, cranberries, oranges, coconut, pineapple chunks, and sour cream. Mix wiell and chill. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

*Perfect Lemonade (makes 1 1/2 quarts)
6 cups water, divided
2 cups sugar
1 bunch lemon balm (hummm)
Juice of 2 large lemons

In a medium saucepan, combine 3 cups water with sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat; add lemon balm, cover , and let sit until cool. Strain mixture into a large pitcher. Add remaining 3 cups of water and lemon juice. To serve, pour into chilled glasses and garnish with lemon balm if desired (if you can find it) I will let you know if I find some.

*Fresh Strawberry Soup
2 cups fresh sliced strawberries
1 cup of milk
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1 cup of sweet white wine (I will not be using this)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of honey Garnish with additional whipping cream

In the container of an electric blender or food processor, combine all ingredients. Process or blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl. Chill. To Serve stir well.