Fresh Summer Salad

This is a FAVORITE of my extended family.  I had it at a friend's graduation party & loved it!  I couldn't wait to make it for the next family gathering.  My family was skeptical and thought the combinations sounded weird.  Now it is a frequent request & everyone has a copy of the recipe.  I know there are a lot of versions of this out there, but this is the one that I use.

2 pkg chicken flavored Ramen noodles
1/4 c green onion
4 c shredded cabbage
2 T sesame seeds
1/2 c sunflower seeds
6 T vinegar
2 T sugar
4 T oil

Soak noodles in hot water to soften.  Drain well.

Combine noodles with cabbage, onion, & seeds.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the two seasoning packets, vinegar, sugar, & oil to make a dressing.

Drizzle dressing over noodle mixture & mix well.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Grape Salad

For the 4th of July, we all offered to bring something.  I had a craving for grape salad.  It makes so much that a family gathering was the perfect opportunity to make it.

2 pounds green grapes
2 pounds red grapes
8 ounces cream cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
8 ounces sour cream (I used light)
1/2 c white sugar
1 tsp vanilla

TOPPING
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c pecan pieces

wash and dry grapes
beat cream cheese, sour cream, white sugar & vanilla with electric mixer
coat grapes with cream cheese mixture and spread in 9 X 13 pan
refridgerate
just before serving, toss brown sugar & pecans and sprinkle over the top of grapes (I don't recommend adding nuts/brown sugar ahead of time...the nuts loose their crunch and the brown sugar dissolves into the cream cheese mixture)

Also, I only added nuts to half because I didn't know if everyone liked nuts.

B & B Salad

This was one of those dishes that I thought sounded like a gross combo until I tried it. I LOVE this salad. I've found a lot of variations on this dish and have combined bits and pieces of each until I found the one that is "just right" for me.

1/2 a large cauliflower (cut into bite sized florets)
1/2 a large broccoli (cut into bite sized florets)
1/2 red onion
1 c shredded cheddar
1/2 lb bacon, cooked and crumbled
sunflower seeds

DRESSING
1 c mayo
1/2 c sugar
2 T vinegar

Whisk dressing ingredients together. Combine with rest of ingredients. Chill.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

One of my favs...I know there are a lot of different ways people put this together. Here is what I put on mine.

Baby Spinach
Sliced Strawberries
Mandarin Oranges
Chicken Breast (IF I want it to act as an entree, otherwise, I skip it if it is served as a side dish)
Feta Cheese (I sometimes leave this out too)
Almonds (or pecans or walnuts)
Poppyseed dressing (Kraft, Newman's or Brianna's)